Recent methods are described for electropolishing aluminum and aluminum alloys. Numerous references are included of electrolytic micrographic investigations carried out during the period 1948 to 1952. A detailed description of a commercial electrolytic polishing unit, suitable for micrographic examination of aluminum and its alloys, is included.

A discussion is given of the application of Fourier series techniques to the problems of linearized supersonic flow. The formulation presented is an extension of the doublet type of "fundamental solution" to higher order types of singularity. The equations developed have application to wing theory but are primarily of importance in wing-body interaction problems. A specific example of a wing-body interference problem is discussed in light of the presented methods.

An experimental investigation is made of the turbulent flow of water in pipes with various degrees of relative roughness. The pipes range in size from 25 to 100 millimeters in diameter and from 1800 to 7050 millimeters in length. Flow velocities permitted Reynolds numbers from about 10 (sup. 4) to 10 (sup. 6). The laws of resistance and velocity distributions were obtained as a function of relative roughness and Reynolds number. Mixing length, as described by Prandtl's mixing-length formula, is discussed in relation to the experimental results.

"The existing theory of detonation is critically examined. It is shown that the considerations with which the steady value of the velocity of detonation is chosen are not convincing. In connection with the problem of the process of the chemical reaction in a detonation wave, the objections raised against the conceptions of Le Chatelier and Vieille of the 19th century with regard to the ignition of the gas by the shock wave are refuted" (p. 1).

The technical memorandum briefly summarizes the growth of interest in aeroelastic phenomena as aircraft speed increased and wing designs changed for faster aircraft. Different types of aircraft vibrations are then introduced, and the mathematical basis for the theory behind them is described. Special attention is given to static oscillations, wing flutter, and the flutter of skin panels. The last section of the memorandum deals with the prevention of flutter by design specifications.

From Summary: "In the paper "The Mutual Interference of Boundary Layers," the authors investigated the problem of the interference of two planes intersecting at right angles on the boundary layers formed by the motion of fluid along the line of intersection of these planes. In the present paper, the results of the preceding one are generalized to the case of planes intersecting at any angle. The motion of a fluid in an angle less than 180 degrees is discussed and the enlargement of the boundary layers near the line of intersection of the planes, the limits of the interference effects of the boundary layers, and the corrections on the drag are determined. All computations are conducted by the Karman-Pohlhausen method for laminar and turbulent boundary layers. The results are reduced to tabulated form."

"The case of the horizontal cylinder is of particular importance in the study of heat transfer by free convection for the following reasons: In the first place, next to the rectangular plate it represents the simplest two-dimensional case; and second, a very wide range of measurements is possible, from the finest electrically heated glow lamp wires to pipes heated by liquids or gases flowing through them" (p. 1).

"The method described in the present report makes it possible to obtain interferometer records with the aid of any one of the available Schlieren optics by the addition of very simple expedients, which fundamentally need not to be inferior to those obtained by other methods, such as the Mach-Zehnder interferometer, for example. The method is based on the fundamental concept of the phase-contrast process developed by Zernike, but which in principle has been enlarged to such an extent that it practically represents an independent interference method for general applications. Moreover, the method offers the possibility, in case of necessity, of superposing any apparent wedge field on the density field to be gauged" (p. 1).

The investigations carried out in a previous report (NACA TM 1325) concerning the flow about ring-shaped cowlings were extended by taking a circulation about the cowling into consideration. The present second report treats bodies of infinite length with approximately smooth entrance. The circulation was caused by distributing vortex rings of constant density over a stream surface extending to infinity. Furthermore, the influence of a hub body on such cowlings was dealt with.

The equations of motion for an airplane penetrating a gust are derived using a few simplifying assumptions. Calculations of loads for different static longitudinal stability on two German airplane models, HC 45 and HS 122, are compared with flight tests. Good agreement is obtained between the trend of the flight tests and the calculated values; however no absolute comparison was possible between the flight tests and calculations.

A comprehensive survey of the elastic modulus of binary alloys as a function of the concentration is presented. Alloys that form continuous solid solutions, limited solid solutions, eutectic alloys, and alloys with intermetallic phases are investigated. Systems having the most important structures have been examined to obtain criteria for the relation between lattice structure, type of binding, and elastic behavior.

Drag tests at zero lift have been made at Mach numbers from 0.7 to approximately 0.95 in the high speed wind tunnel of the Institute of Aerodynamics, ETH, Zurich, on a group of untapered wings of aspect ratio 3.25, having sweep angles of 0 degree and 35 degrees. For each sweep angle, a series of geometrically similar models was tested at a constant Reynolds number to provide a verification of computed tunnel blocking corrections. Tests were also made for wings having thickness ratios of 0.09 and 0.12 and the results compared with results predicted by von Karman's similarity law.

The present paper gives the results of measurements of the resistance of a plate placed parallel to the flow in the range of Reynolds numbers from 10 to 2300; in this range the resistance deviates from the formula of Blasius. The lower limit of validity of the Blasius formula is determined and also the increase in resistance at the edges parallel to the flow in the case of a plate of finite width.

For determination of the elastic constants of airplane tires which are required for the numerical calculations of the shimmy properties of nose and tail wheels, deformation measurements were carried out on four different tires. For this purpose, the tires were loaded in each case with a normal load and then with a lateral force, a tangential force, and a moment. Moreover, the weight and the mass moment of inertia about a vertical axis were determined for the various tires.

This paper, which is presented in three parts, is an analytical study of the behavior of landing gear shock struts, with various types of assumptions for the shock-strut characteristics. The effects of tire springing are neglected. The first part compares the behavior of struts with linear and quadratic damping. The second part considers struts with nonlinear spring characteristics and linear or quadratic damping. The third part treats the oleo-pneumatic strut with air-compression springing without damping and with damping proportional to velocity.

"According to experience, a certain supersaturation is required for condensation of water vapor in the homogeneous phase; that is, for inception of the condensation, at a prescribed temperature, the water vapor partial pressure must lie above the saturation pressure. The condensation starts on so-called condensation nuclei. Solid or liquid suspended particles may serve as nuclei; these particles may either a priori be present in the gas phase (dust, soot), or may spontaneously be formed from the vapor molecules to be condensed themselves" (p. 1).

"This document contains reproductions of technical papers presented by staff members of the NACA Laboratories at the NACA Conference on Aerodynamics of High-Speed Aircraft held at the Langley Aeronautical Laboratory November 1, 2, and 3, 1955. The primary purpose of the conference was to convey to contractors of the military services and others concerned with the design of aircraft the results of recent research and to provide those attending with an opportunity to discuss these results. The papers in this document are in the same form in which they were orally presented at the conference to facilitate their prompt distribution" (p. vii).