The shape of things past and to come
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The Shape of Things Past and to Come
SIR MONTY FINNISTON, FRS
The historical development of metallurgy and of engineering materials establishes the importance of culture and economy on the guidance of progress and change. There is no indication of revolutionary scientific changes in our understandingand hence control of metals in the near future, but significant alteration of industrial metallurgical procedures must occur as required by political considerations and availability of raw m a t e r i a l s including fuels.
W O gain the distinction of a Distinguished L e c t u r e r of the ASM-TMS/AIME c a r r i e s with it the p e r s o n a l and natural s a t i s f a c t i o n a s s o c i a t e d with flattery and honor; but the f o r m e r is not wholly uplifting and the latter has its d e p r e s s i n g aspect, s i n c e was it not the late Dag H a m m a r s k j o l d who wrote " T i m e goes by; reputation i n c r e a s e s but ability d e c l i n e s . " At my age s i n c e distinction can only be based on the r e c o r d of the past, one should not t h e r e f o r e expect originality in the p r e s e n t and only a limited extrapolation into the future. My subject "The Shape of Things P a s t and to C o m e " is a n o s t a l g i c view of my e x p e r i e n c e as a m e t a l l u r g i s t ,
who p r a c t i c e d the discipline p r o f e s s i o n a l l y for just o v e r thirty y e a r s but has been out of that particular battle front though in the war of industry for s o m e ten y e a r s m o r e . My t h e s i s is to draw what l e s s o n s can be drawn f r o m my past as they affect the p r e s e n t and those f e a t u r e s of the p r e s e n t as may affect the future. I do not intend t h e r e f o r e to confuse you or m y s e l f with detailed d e s c r i p t i o n s of the p r a c t i c e s and p r o c e s s e s of m o d e r n m e t a l l u r g i c a l industries or with the c o m p l i c a tions of solid state p h y s i c s , particularly in its t h e o r e t i cal and m a t h e m a t i c a l abstractions; nor do I propose e x pounding on that m o d e r n t i m e - w a s t e r - e c o n o m i c f o r e c a s t s of the future of the m e t a l s i n d u s t r i e s - s i n c e as
SIR MONTY FINNISTON, FRS (who was made a Knight Bachelor in the New Year Honours List 1975) is a Director of Sears Holdings Limited and Executive Chairman of Sears Engineering Limited. With a First Class Honours Degree in Metallurgy (University of Strathclyde-formerly the Royal College of Science and Technology, Glasgow), and a Ph.D, he started his scientific career as a LeCturer at the Royal College of Science and Technology. He then served for a short period at Stewarts and Lloyds Steel Company, and then as Chief Research Officer with the Scottish Coke Research Committee. During the Second World War, he was with the Royal Naval Scientific Service and in 1946 was seconded to the Ministry of Supply at Chalk River, Canada. He returned to the United Kingdom to become Chief Metallurgist at the United Kingdom Atomic Energ
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