Quarterly report on the metabolic properties of various materials, biological studies of radiation effects, health chemistry, health physics.

Ultrasonic testing has been investigated as a possible non-destructive method for checking the bond integrity of certain type fuel elements. Equipment has been developed to inspect experimental fuel elements for various research programs. Circuits have been devised to discriminate the size of defects and to map the areas which are unbonded.

The letter E. R. Irish/W. H. Swift to R.E. Burns and H. H. Hopkins, dated August 15, 1956, subject Plutonium Concentration Problems, requested information on corrosion of stainless steel, titanium, and tantalum in plutonium nitrate-nitric acid solution, with and without sulfate ion. Experimental conditions and results of tests designed to yield the requested information are given below.

Abstract. The physico-chemical methods of determining nitric acid and thorium nitrate in solutions containing these two materials were investigated. Conductimetric titration with sodium hydroxide can be used to determine nitric acid accurately. the titration of thorium nitrate requires a separate standardization of the base however, since a basic salt is precipitated rather the normal hydroxide. The titration of thorium is reproductible however, so and empirical standardization can be used. The measurement of the specific gravity and refractivity of the solutions provides a method of determining the concentrations in terms of these two variable. Equations for the concentrations in terms of specific gravity and refractively are given, both in pure solutions and in those saturated with methyl isobutyl ketone.

To calibrate a pulse height discriminator, the amplitude of the calibrating pulse must be known. If the amplitude is known, the discriminator dial may be calibrated in terms of the input signal required to just trip it. This is the purpose for which the Discriminator Calibrator was designed. It produces pulses of variable but known amplitude with a rep. rate variable from 3 pps to 4000 pps. The main use of this unit at the UCRL is in conjunction with scalers at fixed counting locations.

Survey of properties of materials which might be suitable for use in various locations in a supercritical-water reactor. Properties examined include tensile strength, rupture strength, endurance strength, Young's modulus, tensile elongation, coefficient of thermal expansion, coefficient of thermal conductivity, density, nominal composition, usual heat treatments and thermal-neutron-absorption cross sections.

The following report analyzes interactions of K+ and K- mesons and measures their lifetimes using a nuclear emulsion technique.

Abstract: "The first shielded isotope, 34th Br-82 has been isolated in fission. Its fission yield is about 3 x 10-(-5)%. This is a direct measurement of the yield of a primary fission product and gives direct information as to the distribution of nuclear charge among primary fission fragments of given mass numbers as discussed by Glendenin and Coryell."

The following report discusses laboratory investigations of the suitability of some commercially available limestone for neutralization of slightly acidic distillates.