Report presenting an investigation of a strain-gage torquemeter employing a circuit to minimize effects of contact resistance, which was evaluated under static and dynamic conditions. Effects of temperature, axial stress, slip-ring contact resistance, and speed on the operation of the torquemeter were investigated. Results regarding the torsion-shaft static calibration, axial-stress effects, and dynamic operation are provided.

Report presenting a theory based on the principle of downwash and boundary conditions, which will predict the spanwise loading due to arbitrary spanwise angle-of-attack distribution, including uniform angle of attack, that induced by rolling, spanwise variation of twist or camber, and that due to deflection of arbitrary control surfaces of low aspect ratio. For plan forms with unswept trailing edges that the spanwise loading distribution, only the slope of the region at the wing trailing edge has an effect.

Report presenting a study of the available rudder and elevator hinge-moment-coefficient data in order to determine the floating characteristics of various types of rudders and elevators in spinning attitudes. Results regarding the rudder floating characteristics, elevator floating characteristics, and a comparison of several types of rudders and elevators are provided.

Note presenting a flight investigation of a three-blade propeller in climb and at high speed to determine the effects of blade power loading. Increasing the blade power coefficient from 0.06 to 0.09 was found to increase the efficiency approximately 8 percent at an airplane Mach number of 0.7 and a propeller-tip Mach number of 1.13. In climb, an increase in power loading over the range of blade power coefficients investigated was shown to reduce efficiency, as a consequence of increased induced drag losses.

Report presenting the theory of conical flow and its application to conical aircraft wings. Following an explanation of the theory, several types of wings are analyzed and compared with each other.

Note presenting a theoretical analysis of the frequency and damping characteristics of the free modes of vibrations of balanced fixed-ended and hinged elastic helicopter rotor blades in hovering and vertical flight. Torsional vibrations, bending vibrations in flapping and in lagging, and coupling between the flapping and lagging motions are considered.

Note presenting the application of the Laplace transformation to the solution of the lateral and longitudinal stability equations. The expressions for the time history of the motion in response to a sinusoidal control motion are derived for the general case in which all initial measurements are assumed different from zero.

Report presenting an investigation to determine the effect on the lateral oscillations of an airplane of an automatic control sensitive to yawing accelerations. Results indicated that a control of that type can successfully damp the lateral oscillations through a reasonable range of time lag.

"Expressions are presented for the load distribution on a representative group of plan forms in sideslip at supersonic speeds. These expressions were obtained by the application of lifting-surface theories based on the linearized equation for compressible flow. Sketches of the load distributions are included" (p. 1).

Report presenting the results of several years of experience of operation of a small water channel, which has shown that the hydraulic analogy can be used successfully to demonstrate many two-dimensional compressible-flow phenomena.

Report presenting the study of the supersonic pressure distribution and wave drag of sweptback wings at zero lift, which has been extended by means of linearized theory to include the combined effects of plan-form taper and curvature of profile. Calculations have been made for a specific wing with a supersonic leading edge, which are applicable to a limited family of plan forms.

Report presenting an investigation in the stability tunnel to determine the effects of changes in horizontal-tail size and location on the static lateral stability characteristics of a complete model with wing and tail surfaces having the quarter-chord line swept back 45 degrees. Available procedures for predicting the effect of the horizontal tail on directional stability were found to be unreliable when applied to swept-tail configurations.

From Summary: "The experimental investigation of damping screens described herein was undertaken primarily to test theories of the effects of damping screens and to obtain information on the performance of screens in oblique flow. The characteristics investigated include the damping of longitudinal and lateral components of turbulence, the effect of screens on scale, the conditions for the production of turbulence and eddies by screens, and the damping of spatial variations of mean speed."