From introduction: "This investigation was undertaken with the general objective of determining whether uranium core could be sheathed with aluminum by an extrusion-cladding process. The ultimate objective of this work was to determine the feasibility of extrusion cladding flat plates of uranium."

Abstract: "The possibility of transient temperature variations during the self-heating of a plasma by thermonuclear reactions was investigated. Calculations were performed on an IBM Card Program Calculator. Estimates of the time scale for self-heating were obtained. It was concluded that it would be unsafe to assume that the nuclear temperature is always equal to or greater than the electron temperature in a discussion of plasma instabilities for a plasma with 10 percent or greater tritium concentration."

Abstract: "Two parallel wires close together with an arc between them form a hairpin-type of current configuration which should magnetically propel the plasma of the arc. By the time-of-flight measurements with probes it has been demonstrated that directed translational energies of 290 ev can be imparted to deuterons in a plasma produced by a high-current pulsed arc at the tips of two titanium wires loaded with deuterium. It is believed that three deuterons are actually magnetically propelled."

Abstract: "The deuterium plasma which is ejected by a 6000-ampere pulsed current through a rail-type spark source has a yield in the forward direction which is a factor of 5 to 10 greater than that in the perpendicular direction. This effect is believed to be due to the magnetic propulsion of the plasma."

This quarterly progress report details the ongoing research and experiments at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory as part of the Aircraft Nuclear Propulsion Project. The first part of this report discusses reactor theory and design. The second part of this report is not included. The third part of this report discusses materials research. The fourth part of this report includes appendixes