Report presenting a comparison of three hypervelocity vehicles: a ballistic rocket, a skip rocket, and a rocket glider. Range efficiency, automatic heating, and problems of glide rockets are explored.

From Summary: "Experimental force, moment, and center-of-pressure variations for a large number of bodies of revolution have been compared with the calculated characteristics based on the approximate theory developed in NACA-RM-A9I26. The bodies varied in fineness ratio from 4.5 to 21.1, from blunt unboattailed bodies to airship hulls, and the experimental results are given for widely varying Mach number ranges of angle of attack. It is shown that the lift and drag characteristics are fairly accurately predicted by the theory but that the actual center of pressure is more rearward than the theory indicates."

The use of a reactor charged with silver nitrate coated packing for removal of radio-iodine from the waste gases of Hanford chemical processing plants has been successful in removing approximately 99.5 percent of this activity. Studies by the Radiological Sciences Department indicated the desirability of further reducing the amount of radio-iodine released to the atmosphere. Therefore, this study was undertaken with the objectives of better understanding the inherent limitations to iodine removal by reaction with silver nitrate, and improving the efficiency of removal of iodine.

From introduction: "The concluding remarks of the report on the electron diffraction study of UF6 suggest two alternate explanations for the apparent discrepancy between the structure proposed for this compound as deduced from X-ray diffraction work on single crystals and from the electron diffraction investigation of the vapor. The second explanation is based on the premise that the difference may be due to essentially unlike methods of treating the diffraction data. In this report we shall analyze X-ray powder photographs following a scheme parallel to that used in the analysis of the electron diffraction data, to check whether this particular explanation is tenable."

Report issued by the Argonne National Laboratory discussing a progress report on the Argonne-Oak Ridge digital computer. This report is an interim report, whose primary value is that it has forced those engaged in the work to give concrete expression to what they have been doing and thinking about up to this point. This report includes tables, illustrations, and photographs.

"A supplementary investigation has been conducted in the Langley 20-foot free-spinning tunnel on a l/24-scale model of the Grumman F11F-1 airplane to determine the spin and recovery characteristics with alternate nose configurations, the production version and the elongated APS-67 version, with and without empty and full wing tanks. When spins were obtained with either alternate nose configuration, they were oscillatory and recovery characteristics were considered unsatisfactory on the basis of the fact that very slow recoveries were indicated to be possible. The simultaneous extension of canards near the nose of the model with rudder reversal was effective in rapidly terminating the spin" (p. 1).

As there is no accurate measurements of the energy distribution of neutrons emerging from large uranium blocks, it becomes of importance to see how much information of this kind can be derived from the slowing down distribution of the neutrons in a water tank.

Report describing an investigation conducted with a single combustor from a J47 turbojet engine using weathered aviation gasoline and several spark-plug modifications to determine altitude ignition, acceleration, and steady-state operating characteristics. Results regarding ignition, acceleration, altitude operational limits, combustion efficiency, and pressure loss are provided.

This report discusses the alternating gradient synchrotron at Brookhaven National Laboratory and provides a preliminary discussion on experiences to date and experiments in progress.

A knowledge of the preferred orientation of the crystal aggregates in pile structural materials is of basic importance in the attempt to understand their behavior under operating conditions. The effect of a preferential alignment of crystallites in enisotropic materials is to create a directional variation in physical and mechanical properties. In most applications directional effects are undesirable and efforts are usually made during fabrication to avoid the conditions which cause the orientation or, if possible, to alleviate the condition by proper heat treatments after the forming process if the orientation persists. Some of the variables that affect the type and degree of preferred orientation is metals during the forming process include working temperature, per cent reduction, the nature of the applied forces used, the crystal structure, and the inherent deformation mechanisms of the metal.

Report presenting an investigation to obtain the pressure distribution over a sharp-nose body of revolution with a circular-arc profile and fineness ratio 6 at transonic speeds using the NACA wing-flow method. Results regarding the variation of pressure coefficient with Mach number, pressure distributions along the body axis, pressure drag, and effects of interference and horizontal gradient are provided.

From Introduction: "Range in more or less steady level flight depends directly on aerodynamic lift-drag ratio at high supersonic speeds, just as it does at lower speeds. This result follows from the classical Breguet range equation in the case of powered flight, and it may be easily deduced from the equations of motion for unpowered or gliding flight (see refs. 1 and 2)."

Report summarizing several experimental tail-pipe-burner investigations to indicate the effects of tail-pipe-burner design variables on the performance and operating characteristics. Most of the configurations were investigated over a wide range of altitudes and flight Mach numbers. The results indicate the desirable design features of a tail-pipe burner that will operate with high combustion efficiency and exhaust-gas temperature up to an altitude of approximately 50,000 feet.

The gust and draft velocities from records of NACA instruments installed in P-61C airplanes participating in thunderstorm flights at Clinton County Army Air Field, Ohio, from August 16, 1947 to August 20, 1947 are presented.

Memorandum presenting wind tunnel tests performed on a family of missiles. This paper summarizes some of the performance and stability and control characteristics of the missiles.

From Summary: "Force characteristics determined from tank tests of a 1/5.78 scale model of a hydro-ski-wheel combination for the Grumman JRF-5 airplane are presented. The model was tested in both the submerged and planing conditions over a range of trim, speed, and load sufficiently large to represent the most probable full-size conditions."

Report presenting an investigation to evaluate the external-store drag reductions obtainable by application of Baldwin's moment-of-area rule. Several wing-body combinations were investigated with and without four typical air-to-air missiles. Results regarding the total-drag measurements, wave-drag components, and effectiveness of moment-of-area rule for reducing the drag of the external-store installations are provided.

Preliminary results at high speeds indicate lower bearing temperatures, less internal bearing wear, and greater reliability of the conventional, cage-type cylindrical roller bearings than of either full-complement or special cageless roller bearings of the types investigated, although the latter bearing types have been operated successfully to DN values of 1.0 X 10 superscript 6.

"The over-all performance of a 16-stage axial-flow compressor was determined with various stator-blade resettings and a reduction in solidity of the rotor blades in the last three stages. It was shown that little control over the sudden change in slope of the surge-limit line at intermediate speeds was obtained with the blade modifications attempted, except that some change in speed at which the change in slope occurred could be effected by stator-blade resettings" (p. 1).

A finite-difference method previously presented for computing elastic stresses in rotating disks is extended to include the computation of the disk stresses when plastic flow and creep are considered. A finite-difference method is employed to eliminate numerical integration and to permit nontechnical personnel to make the calculations with a minimum of engineering supervision. Illustrative examples are included to facilitate explanation of the procedure by carrying out the computations on a typical gas-turbine disk through a complete running cycle. The results of the numerical examples presented indicate that plastic flow markedly alters the elastic-stress distribution.

From Summary: "The available information on the spectrum of atmospheric turbulence is first briefly reviewed. On the basis of these results, methods are developed for the conversion of available gust statistics normally given in terms of counts of gusts or acceleration peaks into a form appropriate for use in spectral calculations. The fundamental quantity for this purpose appears to be the probability distribution of the root-mean-square gust velocity. Estimates of this distribution are derived from data for a number of load histories of transport operations; also, estimates of the variation of this distribution with altitude and weather condition are derived from available data and the method of applying these results to the calculation of airplane gust-response histories in operations is also outlined."

Report presenting an investigation of three cone-cylinder bodies to obtain boundary-layer-transition data at very low ratios of wall to local stream temperature. Surface finishes at several levels of roughness height were tested. Results regarding the smooth body and rough bodies are provided.

Memorandum presenting an investigation of the performance of a five-stage transonic research compressor with distorted inlet flow. Both overall performance and individual blade-row performance results over a range of compressor speeds and equivalent weight flows were obtained with three circumferential inlet flow-distortion patterns covering annular extents of 60, 120, and 180 degrees. Results regarding compressor-inlet conditions and overall performance and individual blade-row performance are provided.

A variational theorem is presented for a body undergoing creep. Solutions to problems of the creep behavior of plates, columns, beams, and shells can be obtained by means of the direct methods of the calculus of variations in conjunction with the stated theorem. The application of the theorem is illustrated for plates and columns by the solution of two sample problems.