From forward: Every laboratory in this country is a valuable national resource. Along with the people who work in these facilities, U.S. laboratories constitute the basic foundation of this country's scientific and industrial strength. As the nation's foremost science and engineering measurement laboratory, the National Bureau of Standards has some of the premier research and testing facilities in the United States, and several of our laboratories are unequaled anywhere in the world. Bureau scientists and engineers use these special facilities to pursue the measurement-related work that U.S. science and industry need to grow and prosper. This brochure highlights only a small number of the special facilities available at NBS and provides information about their availability for collaborative or independent research and testing.

This report summarizes the results of the U.S. Geological Survey geophysical and geological studies of the rock in the U16a.04 tunnel in the Nevada Test Site.

Use of that portion of the characteristic curve of photographic film in which transmission is linear with log exposure eliminates the distributional error and thus makes possible the assessment of total mass of an inhomogeneously distributed cell consistent without scanning or measuring the cell's projected area. Measurement consists of obtaining the difference in output of a photocell receiving the total light transmitted by a photomicrograph of the cell, and a photomicrograph of the microscope field illumination against which the cell was photographed. A method of making such measurements is given, and its basis is described.

This is the second quarterly report that documents a system of mass flow that can record measurements of homogeneous flow, slurries, highly corrosive fluids and multiphase fluids, additionally considering pressure drops, measuring external to the flow, ruggedness and reliability.

Report discussing the boundary-layer transition and heat-transfer measurements for a model of the Titan intercontinental ballistic missile up to a specified Mach and Reynolds number. Boundary-layer transition was observed on the nose of the missile. The drag coefficient for a variety of Mach numbers was also obtained.

"Boundary-layer transition and heat-transfer measurements were obtained from a flight test of a 1/18-scale model of the Titan intercontinental ballistic missile up to a Mach number of 3.95 and a Reynolds number per foot of 23 x 10(exp 6). Boundary-layer transition was observed on the nose of the model. Available theories predicted heat-transfer coefficients reasonably well for the fully laminar or turbulent flow conditions. The drag coefficient of the configuration was also obtained for a Mach number range of 1.25 to 3.75" (p. 1).

The following properties have been determined for a sample of dimethylaminodiborane : (1) maximum fundamental flame velocity for fuel and air at 35 degrees C, 115 +/- 5 centimeters per second ; (2) net (lower) heat of combustion of liquid fuel to gaseous nitrogen, carbon dioxide, and water, and to solid boric oxide, 19,225 +/- 100 Btu per pound ; and (3) spontaneous ignition temperature, 240 degrees +/- 10 degrees F.

Report presenting lift, drag, and static-stability characteristics of a triangular-wing airplane over a range of Mach numbers, angles of attack, and angles of sideslip. The basic test configuration had values of maximum lift-drag ratios that were comparable to those obtained in previous tests of several airplane configurations designed primarily from considerations of flight at high supersonic speeds.

The effects of various afterbody changes on the base pressure of a nacelle-type isentropic plug nozzle installation operating at lower-than-design jet pressure ratios were investigated at a Mach number of 0.9. Although the estimates of the net propulsive force contain some uncertainties, the results indicate that both a plain-ring base shroud and a circular-arc boattail fairing reduced the loss in net propulsive force experienced with a cylindrical nacelle installation of the plug nozzle.

Report presenting a tank investigation to determine the effects of hydro-skis as load-alleviation devices for landing a seaplane in waves. Results regarding the basic model without hydro-ski, effect of longitudinal location of hydro-ski, effect of landing trim, effect of hydro-ski dimensions, effect of landing speed, effect of vertical location of hydro-ski, effect of wave height, effect of angle of incidence, effect of aerodynamic stability, and consideration of hydro-skis as a ditching aid are provided.

"The thermal stability of pentaborane has been determined in the temperature range 329 degrees to 419 degrees Fahrenheit by measuring the increase with time in the formation of nonvolatile residue. A relationship was established between the thermal stability and the temperature. The expression permitted extrapolation to obtain the stability of pentaborane at either high temperatures and short times or at ambient temperatures and long times" (p. 1).

From Summary: "The procedure currently employed by the NACA Lewis Laboratory in the design of transpiration-cooled strut-supported turbine rotor blades is discussed. The strut is the internal blade supporting member and also serves to partition the blade into separate cooling-air passages. Orifices in the blade base, which meter the cooling-air to each internal passage, are used in conjunction with a constant chordwise permeability."

Engine performance is better for constant outer-spool mechanical-speed operation than for constant inner-spool mechanical-speed operation over most of the flight range considered. Combustor and afterburner frontal areas are about the same for the two modes. Engine performance for a mode characterized by a constant outer-spool equivalent speed over part of the flight range and a constant outer-spool mechanical speed over the rest of the flight range is better that that for constant outer-spool mechanical speed operation.

Inserting a splitter plate in the subsonic diffuser caused a pressure-recovery loss of about 1 percent for an inlet with a long nearly constant-area throat section. The loss was due to the increased surface area. Another inlet, which had a comparatively rapid area increase immediately after the throat, experienced pressure-recovery losses of 5 and 6 percent at Mach numbers of 1.8 and 2.0, respectively, and about 1 percent at Mach 1.5.

An investigation of the performance and operating characteristics of two variable-thrust injectors over a wide thrust range using mixed oxides of nitrogen and ammonia. Specific impulse, characteristic velocity, thrust coefficient, and overall efficiency are presented as functions of thrust. A maximum thrust range of 12 during one run was obtained with a triplet impinging-jet injector.

Report presenting an investigation of the thermal-shock effect of water-spray impingement upon turbine rotor blades subjected to rated engine operating conditions using external water-spray cooling. Turbine-blade cooling water was turned on and off in cycles which employed either sudden or gradual injection of cooling water. Results regarding blades modified and unmodified for rotating injection are provided.

This report follows a manuscript report made in January 11, 1952, and provides results of a survey that gives corrections as well as suggestions for new and local sources of aggregate material in comparison to the original report. These reports were made in response to a heavy desire of improvement in reactor design and shielding.

Report presenting an investigation of a fin-stabilized scale model of the NACA RM-10 missile at a Mach number of 1.62. Measurements were made of the lift, drag, and pitching moment of the finned body over a range of angles of attack. Comparisons with the results from other testing facilities are also provided.

Report presenting an investigation in the 8-foot transonic tunnel to determine the effects of twist and camber on the aerodynamic characteristics of a sweptback wing-fuselage configuration. The wing had 45 degrees sweepback of the 0.25 chord, an aspect ratio of 4, a taper ratio of 0.6, and NACA 65A-series airfoil sections with 6-percent thickness distribution parallel to the plane of symmetry. Results regarding the lift characteristics, drag characteristics, and pitching-moment characteristics are provided.

"This memo shall be an attempt to write down in a consistent manner some expressions for conversion ratio so that a comparison can be made with regard to a uniformly loaded core versus a flattered zone surrounded by an unloaded region. The discussion will be limited to the type of loading that is at present being considered for the reactor - a checkerboard array of MTR fuel elements and feed elements; the unloaded reactor will consist of fuel elements only."

Report discussing the rolling of thorium rods. Abstract: "Thorium rods, 1-7/16 inch in diameter, were rolled from Ames castings. The billets were roughed down in diamond-grooved rolls and finished in hand-rounding rolls. Remelted chips as well as primary-metal castings were rolled, and both yielded satisfactory rods. The surface quality of the rods was generally excellent, and the machined slugs were free of seams."

Technical report investigating the corrosion resistance of thorium and thorium alloys containing from 2 to 6% chromium, columbinium (niobium), titanium, zirconium and titanium-zirconium in distilled water at 95ºC. The true effects of the various alloy additions could not be determined because of the more marked effect of cold working. [From Abstract]

"An investigation has been conducted in the Langley 20-foot free spinning tunnel to study the relative behavior in descent of a number of homogeneous balsa bodies of revolution simulating anti-personnel bombs with a small cylindrical exploding device suspended approximately 10 feet below the bomb. The bodies of revolution included hemispherical, near-hemispherical, and near-paraboloid shapes. The ordinates of one near-paraboloid shape were specified by the Office of the Chief of Ordnance, U. S. Army" (p. 1).

From Introduction: "The effect of flame-holder and fuel-system design on the burner performance and the effect of altitude and flight Mach number on over-all performance with a fixed-area exhaust nozzle are reported in reference 1 to 4. Altitude performance characteristics of a tail-pipe burner having a converging conical burner section are presented in this report. Tail-pipe burner performance at several flight conditions is given in both tabular and graphical forms and compared with performance of the standard engine and of the tail-pipe burner reported in reference 2."