Monthly report of the U.S. Geological Survey's trace element investigations including an outline of field work, laboratory work, and staff activities that have been completed or are in process.

Abstract: The purpose of this report is to outline the work done at the Radiation Laboratory toward the development of a magnetic field measuring device using the phenomenon of nuclear resonance. While the work described here is far from complete, it has served to indicate the limitations of the method as well as some of its possibilities. For reasons which will become apparent, the project is being discontinued. It is hoped that this report will serve as a starting point should the work be continued at some later time and that some of the mistakes already made need not be repeated.

This technical report provides supplementary information on the Brookhaven nuclear reactor. It details added safety systems, tests, expounds on information included in the original report, describes liquid wastes system, and describes different procedures for operating the nuclear reactor.

A report which covers progress on the testing of the General Engineering and Consulting Laboratory Turbine Pump No. 1 from June 16, 1948, to July 31, 1948.

This report records two samples of Xe-135 that have been isolated with activities sufficient for the measurement of the cross section of Xe by the velocity spectrometer technique.

This report discusses an analysis on the exchange reaction between iodine and unipositive iodine with pyridine.

Report discussing specifications for the design of a waste heat steam boiler "for the purpose of generating steam to operate a condensing steam turbine electric generator from the clean hot radioactive air that has cooled the atomic energy reactor of [a] laboratory under a pressure less than atmospheric."

From introduction: "The purpose of the present report is to describe briefly certain improvements that have been made in the experimental facilities and to present the results of further measurements on critical masses and spatial neutron flax distributions in Be reflected reactors having square and thin slab geometries."

Purpose: "To study the value of electrical induction methods for the measurement of liquid and interface levels."

Shock-wave equations have been evaluated for a range of Mach number in front of the shock from 1.05 to 4.0. Mach number behind the shock, pressure ratio, derivation of flow, and angle of shock are presented on charts. Values are also included for density ratio and change in entropy.

Report issued by the U.S. Bureau of Mines discussing the petroleum refineries and cracking plants throughout the United States. As stated in the introduction, "in this publication the capacities of petroleum refineries and cracking plants in the United States on January 1, 1948, are listed, according to the latest annual survey of the Bureau of Mines" (p. 1). This report includes tables, and a map.

From Summary: "Axial fatigue tests at zero mean stress have been made on 0.032- and 0.064-inch 24S-T and 0.032-inch 75S-T sheet-metal specimens 1/4, 1/2, 1, and 2 inches wide without a hole and with central holes giving a range of hole diameter D to specimen width W from 0.01 to 0.95. No systematic difference was noted between the results for the 0.032-inch and the 0.064-inch specimens although the latter seemed the more consistent. In general the fatigue strength based on the minimum section dropped sharply as the ration D/W was increased from zero to about 0.25. The plain specimens showed quite a pronounced decrease in fatigue strength with increasing width. The holed specimens showed only slight and rather inconclusive evidence of this size effect. The fatigue stress-concentration factor was higher for 75S-T than for 24S-T alloy. Evidence was found that a very small hole would not cause any reduction in fatigue strength."

From Introduction: "In this report, altitude, airplane velocity, exhaust-nozzle area, and turbine-inlet temperature were chosen and corresponding engine speed, fuel flow, and throttle pressure ratio were found. A detailed discussion of the engine analysis and the calculations used are presented in Appendix A. The derivations of the principal equations used are presented in appendix B."

Report presenting a flight investigation in natural icing conditions to determine the effect of ice formations on the performance of an axial-flow turbojet engine. Results regarding the tail-pipe temperature, engine jet thrust, and characteristics of ice formation are provided. No general conclusions can be reached from the data because the icing condition was relatively light.

"Low-speed wind-tunnel tests were made of a triangular wing with two arrangements of twin vertical fins. With these twin fins mounted either symmetrically or wholly above the wing chord plane, approximately constant effectiveness in proportion to the fin size was obtained throughout the angle-of-attack range. The addition of these fins, however, resulted in a decrease in maximum lift and a reduction in static longitudinal stability at lift coefficients above 0.4" (p. 1).

Report presenting the performance characteristics of the I-40 jet propulsion engine and an analysis for a range of altitudes and ram pressure ratios. Results regarding the component efficiencies, engine performance, generalizing factors, and windmilling drag characteristics are provided.

Report presenting the performance characteristics of the I-40 jet-propulsion engine for a range of altitudes and ram pressure ratios. Results regarding component efficiencies, engine performance, generalizing factors, and windmilling drag characteristics are provided.

Report presenting the results of an estimation of the limit forces on airfoils at supersonic speeds. The limit pressure coefficient attainable on an airfoil is shown to be about 70 percent of the pressure coefficient for a vacuum over a wide range of Mach numbers.

Report presenting the use of Von Karman's two-dimensional transonic similarity law as applied to drag data of three different thickness wings with NACA 65-series sections and aspect ratios of 7.6 over a range of Mach numbers. The correlation was found to be satisfactory, with results better in the subsonic range than in the supersonic range.

Report presenting an investigation of burner liners in a turbojet engine to determine the principal factors limiting the burner-liner service life. The investigation covered a range of engine speeds and testing was conducted to determine whether bare, ceramic-coated, or shielded thermocouples would give the most correct temperature readings.

Report presenting measurements of the chordwise pressure distributions over the 8-percent-thick wing of the XS-1 research airplane at a section near the midspan of the left wing. Data are presented for a Mach number range and a normal-force coefficient of about 0.33. Results regarding the upper-surface pressure distribution, lower-surface pressure distributions, and total section loads are provided.

Memorandum presenting a description of an axial-discharge mixed-flow compressor, which is especially adapted for jet engines because of the large mass flow per unit frontal area. The best impeller was selected on the basis of the maximum air-flow capacity, which was 19.6 pounds per second for a 14-inch-diameter impeller with a tip speed of 1480 feet per second and a pressure ratio of 3.5.

Report presenting an analysis of an axial-discharge mixed-flow compressor designed to combine the compactness, reliability, and wide operating range of a mixed-flow compressor with the high flow capacity per unit of frontal area that characterizes the axial-flow compressor. The primary objective of this design was to maximize the flow capacity for a predetermined pressure ratio. Results regarding the flow distribution at the impeller inlet, flow distribution at the impeller outlet, and impeller performance are provided.

"A flight investigation was conducted with a fighter-type airplane to determine the loss in rolling effectiveness due to wing twist, and the results are compared with the loss in rolling effectiveness calculated by use of a simplified method. The computed rolling velocities showed good agreement with experimentally determined rolling velocities throughout the Mach number range covered by the flights. Extrapolation of the flight data indicated a Mach number for reversal which agreed well with that obtained from calculations" (p. 1).