Memorandum presenting an altitude investigation to determine the basic mechanism by which J65-W-4 turbine rotor-blade failures were occurring in service. The engine was installed in an altitude test chamber and a series of controlled engine throttle bursts, with and without inlet-air distortion, over a range of altitudes, flight Mach numbers, and inlet-air temperatures. An examination of the data obtained during the investigation indicated that the danger of turbine failure could be eliminated without any appreciable sacrifice in engine acceleration time.

From abstract: "The purpose of this note is to consider the feasibility of conducting kiloton-weapons tests in underground holes sufficiently deep so that the explosion will be effectively contained. Such a shot would have the advantage that it could be detonated independently of weather conditions, and thus would allow greater freedom in the test program."

Introduction: This memo gives a general description of the components and equipment affecting the control of the SRE, and the equipment associated with all reactor services.

Report presenting a continuous sampling-probe technique used to determine the percentage of JP-5 fuel spray evaporated under conditions common in ramjet engines. Fuel was injected contraststream from a multiple-orifice injector and sampling data were obtained at several distances downstream of the injector. An expression is generated for a description of this phenomenon.

Memorandum presenting an investigation in the 4- by 4-foot supersonic pressure tunnel to determine the effects of various vertical locations of the wing and horizontal tail on the aerodynamic characteristics in pitch and of a supersonic airplane configuration at Mach number 2.01. The model was equipped with a wing and horizontal tail, each having a 45 degree sweep and an aspect ratio of 4. The configurations investigated included a high-wing, a mid-wing, and a low-wing arrangement, each with four different horizontal tail locations varying from a position 0.208 semispan below to 0.556 semispan above the body center line.

"A program to investigate the aerodynamic heat transfer of a nonisothermal hemisphere-cylinder has been conducted in the Langley 11-inch hypersonic tunnel at a Mach number of 6.8 and a Reynolds number from approximately 0.14 x 10(6) to 1.06 x 10(6) based on diameter and free-stream conditions. The experimental heat-transfer coefficients were slightly less over the whole body than those predicted by the theory of Stine and Wanlass (NACA technical note 3344) for an isothermal surface. For stations within 45 degrees of the stagnation point the heat-transfer coefficients could be correlated by a single relation between local Stanton number and local Reynolds number" (p. 1001).

Observations of the effects of neutron damage to zirconium oxides led to the conclusion that the cubic form of ZrO2 is more stable to such damage than the monoclinic form. It has been reported that zirconium corrodes more rapidly in certain liquids when exposure is made under radiation (neutrons and fission products). It is well known that on heating monoclinic ZrO2 a transformation, monoclinic to tetragonal (very similar to cubic), occurs at about 1500°C. The transformation involves sufficient atomic rearrangement that pieces of ZrO2 normally crack and crumble. It is suggested that the effects of neutrons on monoclinic ZrO2 may be similar so that a protective oxide film on the metal would be destroyed soon after its formation. It might be possible, therefore, that the protective oxide film on zirconium metal which is normally monoclinic might be less resistant to corrosion under radiation damage than a similar film which was cubic.

A fifth in-pile loop experiment, L-4-8, was completed. The loop operated in-pile for a total of 1637 hr, during which time the LITR energy output was 4377 Mwhr. The average fission power in the loop based o cesium analyses was 622 w when the LITR was at full power (3 Mw). Based on oxygen data, the generalized corrosion rate for the first 300 hr was 4.0 mpy; the rate for the remaining 1357 hr was 0.7 mpy. The nickel data gave parallel results. The corrosion of the type 347 stainless steel, Zircaloy-2, and Ti-55AX [unintelligible] exposed in the core and in in-line holders was generally consistent with that observed in previous in-pile loop experiments. Some differences with steel were attributed to the fact that this was the first loop containing steel specimens operated with 0.04 m H2SO4 present in the uranyl sulfate charge solution (0.17 m UO2SO4, 0.03 m CuSO4). Stress specimens, made from the alloys Zircaloy-2, type 17-4 PH stainless steel, and Ti-C-130-AM, were exposed in care, in-line, and pressurizer locations. Microscopic examination and average weight loss gave no indication of effects attributable to the stressed condition of the specimens.

Report presenting testing of a rocket-propelled model of an airplane with an arrow wing with a 55 degree leading-edge sweep and a flat-sided fuselage mounting swept horizontal and vertical tails using the pulsed-control technique at a range of Mach numbers. Results regarding longitudinal trim, lift and stability, drag, lateral force, and thrust and jet effects are provided.

"The oscillating air forces on a two-dimensional wing oscillating in pitch about the midchord have been measured at various mean angles of attack and at Mach numbers of 0.35 and 0.7. The magnitudes of normal-force and pitching-moment coefficients were much higher at high angles of attack than at low angles of attack for some conditions. Large regions of negative damping in pitch were found, and it was shown that the effect of increasing the Mach number 0.35 to 0.7 was to decrease the initial angle of attack at which negative damping occurred" (p. 521).

Consideration has been given to various forms of fissionable material for use in atomic reactors, including the pure metals, their alloys and compounds. Of particular interest is the dioxide of uranium which is refractory and corrosion resistant in some environments.The oxide is useful in both granular and bulk forms. Small grains of uranium oxide can be mixed with other materials to form matrix type elements where they serve either as a convenient or necessary form of fuel or fertile material. For other applications the oxide may be fabricated in bulk form such as pellets, rods, plates, or blocks.There is a need for knowledge of the properties of the properties of this oxide, particularly as it affects fabrication in the various forms required. This knowledge is also required by reactor designers and engineers. There is in addition a challenging field for basic studies of sintering rates, oxidation behavior and other phenomena. Fabrication techniques have been developed to produce uranium oxide in various forms with consideration given to the economy of production. The continued application of basic knowledge of these materials has led to simpler. more practical means of fabrication and has thus widened the scope of their use in atomic reactors.

A partial bibliography of reports on the Fluorox moving-bed for producing UO3, UF4, and UF6 is given.