Report discussing an improvement program on lithium mass spectrometers.

From purpose of report: The primary purpose of this report and its appendices is to transmit to the AEC the principal results of the experimental and engineering work done on the low-temperature process and to describe the factors which led to the designs finally adopted.

Abstract: "The thermal and electrical conductivities of a series of Pu-Al alloys have been determined in the range 0.12 atomic percent Pu. The conductivities are approximately proportional to the volume of free aluminum."

Abstract: This report describes an advanced sodium-cooled, graphite-moderated nuclear power plant which utilizes high-pressure, high-temperature steam to generate electricity at a high thermal efficiency.

Abstract: It has been proposed that a fuel element containing porous uranium be used for moderately high temperature applications. In an effort to determine the structural integrity of this type of fuel body, thermal cycling tests have been conducted on porous uranium.

Report describing technical progress on the design and construction of an Organic Moderated Reactor Experiment (OMRE), to be operated at the National Reactor Testing Station in Arco, Idaho. "This is the first report of the series and coves the period from the initiation of the project to July 31, 1956. Also included as an appendix to the report is a detailed description of the OMRE facility" (p. 3).

From abstract: Impact tests on the Mark III Hanford safety element indicate that the design is mechanically adequate and does not constitute a personnel hazard.

Technical report with short reports on (1) Effect of radiation on water and aqueous systems; (2) Gas evolution from uranyl solutions; (3) Effect of radiation on solid compounds; (4) Instruments; and (5) Scattering.

From Summary: "The effects of primary and runback ice formations on the section drag of a 36 deg swept NACA 63A-009 airfoil section with a partial-span leading-edge slat were studied over a range of angles of attack from 2 to 8 deg and airspeeds up to 260 miles per hour for icing conditions with liquid-water contents ranging from 0.39 to 1.23 grams per cubic meter and datum air temperatures from 10 to 25 F. The results with slat retracted showed that glaze-ice formations caused large and rapid increases in section drag coefficient and that the rate of change in section drag coefficient for the swept 63A-009 airfoil was about 2-1 times that for an unswept 651-212 airfoil. Removal of the primary ice formations by cyclic de-icing caused the drag to return almost to the bare-airfoil drag value. A comprehensive study of the slat icing and de-icing characteristics was prevented by limitations of the heating system and wake interference caused by the slat tracks and hot-gas supply duct to the slat. In general, the studies showed that icing on a thin swept airfoil will result in more detrimental aerodynamic characteristics than on a thick unswept airfoil."

Report presenting tests to determine the recovery of total pressure attainable at a range of Mach numbers, which were performed with models with twin-scoop inlets situated on the sides of a long forebody. Results regarding ducts without slots and ducts with slots are provided.

Report presenting the results of a free-flight investigation of two drag research models equipped with canopies for a range of Mach numbers from 0.8 to 1.5. The main difference between the models was the location of the canopy, which was at the 15-percent fuselage station on one model and the 25-percent fuselage station on the other. The additional drag due to the canopies was about 10 to 20 percent of the total configuration drag at supersonic speeds.

Memorandum presenting a description of a method of telemetering skin temperature using a small resistance wire pickup with a time constant of less than 0.003 second to determine boundary-layer heat-transfer coefficients. An evaluation of the accuracy of the method of measuring the heat-transfer coefficient is given for a particular application.

Memorandum presenting wind tunnel tests to determine the aerodynamic characteristics of a semispan wing with a modified NACA 0012-64 section and a 26.6-percent-chord, plain, trailing-edge aileron. Results are shown for the wing with the 0.229-chord line unswept and swept back 45 degrees and for a Mach number range from 0.40 to 0.925.

Studies were made to determine the effect of ice formations on the section drag of a 6.9-foot-chord 36 degree swept NACA 63A-009 airfoil with partial-span leading-edge slat. In general, the icing of a thin swept airfoil will result in greater aerodynamic penalties than for a thick unswept airfoil. Glaze-ice formations at the leading edge of the airfoil caused large increases in section drag even at liquid-water content of 0.39 gram per cubic meter. The use of an ice-free parting strip in the stagnation region caused a negligible change in drag compared with a completely unheated airfoil. Cyclic de-icing when properly applied caused the drag to decrease almost to the bare-airfoil drag value.

"Flutter tests of sweptback cantilever wing models have been made in a small intermittent two-dimensional supersonic tunnel where the testing technique involved changing the structural parameters so that the models would flutter at the tunnel design Mach number of 1.3. Data for 21 models covering sweep angles from 30 degrees to 60 degrees and with varying parameters are included" (p. 1).

Report presenting the use of Theodorsen's propeller theory to calculate the performance of a dual-rotating propeller with nonideal load distributions. Results regarding the propeller characteristics were made for several blade-angle settings and flight Mach numbers.

Report presenting the effects of blunting the trailing edge or rounding the leading edge on the lift, drag, and pitching-moment characteristics of a plane tapered wing in combination with a body at a range of Mach numbers. Results regarding the effect of wing nose shape on the aerodynamic characteristics are also provided,.

Report presenting the results of an investigation of a missile model with extensible control surfaces and small-span fins. Normal-force, axial-force, and pitching-moment coefficients based on body cross-sectional area and diameter are given for various control deflections up to a maximum of 30 degrees.

From Introduction: "The purpose of this report is (1) to describe the performance of each component over a range of altitudes, (2) to show the effect of flight conditions on operating point of each component, and (3) to summarize briefly the effects of changes in component performance with flight condition on the over-all engine performance."

Report presenting an investigation in which the inlet-guide-vane setting of a 10-stage compressor was reduced in order to approximate more closely the design absolute entrance flow angles to the first rotor. In order to determine the effects of these changes, the performance of the inlet stage was obtained simultaneously with the overall compressor performance for both the original and reduced incidence angles. Results regarding the compressor performance, inlet-stage performance, and effect of guide-vane resetting on compressor performance are provided.

Memorandum presenting transition tests made in free-flight on a slender body of revolution at Mach number 3.5, wall to free-stream temperature ratio of unity, and with a noiseless and zero-turbulence air stream. The parameter which was varied was surface roughness. Results regarding tests at a Reynolds number of 12 million and 24 million, bursts of turbulence, surface roughness, effect of angle of attack, and time dependence of the transition point are provided.

"The lateral-directional-stability derivatives of a body in combination with several triangular wings were determined at subsonic and supersonic speeds. The wings used in the investigation were of aspect ratios 2 and 4 and thickness ratios of 3 and 5 percent. One of the wings of aspect ratio 2 was cambered and twisted. The results indicate that at supersonic speeds the effects of plan form on the lateral-directional-stability derivatives for the plane wings were predicted satisfactorily by linearized theory and that the effects of thickness were small" (p. 1).

Report discussing an investigation of two 45 degree swept blades in low-speed cascade tunnels at a range of angles of attack and various combinations of inlet-air angle and solidity. The isolated wing method used to design the blade predicted the twist distribution and camber shape necessary to obtain an almost uniform spanwise loading.

A theoretical analysis is presented for obtaining, by use of Theodorsen's propeller theory, the load distribution along a propeller radius to give the optimum propeller efficiency for any design condition. The efficiencies realized by designing for the optimum load distribution are given in graphs, and the optimum efficiency for any design condition may be read directly from the graph without any laborious calculations. Examples are included to illustrate the method of obtaining the optimum load distributions for both single-rotating and dual-rotating propellers.