"Methods are presented that use general correlative time-response input and output data for a linear system to determine the frequency-response function of that system. These methods give an exact description of any linear system for which such transient data are available. Examples are shown of application of a method to both an underdamped and a critically damped exact second-order system, and to an exact first-order system with and without dead time. Experimental data for a turbine-propeller engine showing the response of engine speed to change in propeller-blade angle are presented and analyzed" (p. 547).

A method is presented for the determination of the contour of disks, typified by those of aircraft gas turbines, to incorporate arbitrary elastic-stress distributions resulting from either centrifugal or combined centrifugal and thermal effects. The specified stress may be radial, tangential, or any combination of the two. Use is made of the finite-difference approach in solving the stress equations, the amount of computation necessary in the evolution of a design being greatly reduced by the judicious selection of point stations by the aid of a design chart. Use of the charts and of a preselected schedule of point stations is also applied to the direct problem of finding the elastic and plastic stress distribution in disks of a given design, thereby effecting a great reduction in the amount of calculation. Illustrative examples are presented to show computational procedures in the determination of a new design and in analyzing an existing design for elastic stress and for stresses resulting from plastic flow.

The results of an investigation of two 10-foot-diameter, two-blade NACA propellers are presented for a range of blade angles from 20 degrees to 55 degrees at airspeeds up to 500 miles per hour. These results are compared with those from previous investigations of five related NACA propellers in order to evaluate the effects of blade-section thickness ratios on propeller aerodynamic characteristics.

"A general algebraic method of attack on the problem of controlling gas-turbine engines having any number of independent variables was utilized employing operational functions to describe the assumed linear characteristics for the engine, the control, and the other units in the system. Matrices were used to describe the various units of the system, to form a combined system showing all effects, and to form a single condensed matrix showing the principal effects. This method directly led to the conditions on the control system for noninteraction so that any setting disturbance would affect only its corresponding controlled variable" (p. 581).

"The perturbation field induced by a line vortex in a supersonic stream and the downwash behind a supersonic lifting surface are examined to establish approximate methods for determining the downwash behind supersonic wings. Lifting-lines methods are presented for calculating supersonic downwash. A bent lifting-line method is proposed for computing the downwash field behind swept wings. When applied to triangular wings with subsonic leading edges, this method gives results that, in general, are in good agreement with the exact linearized solution" (p. 635).

"An investigation was conducted on a turbulent boundary layer near a smooth surface with pressure gradients sufficient to cause flow separation. The Reynolds number was high, but the speeds were entirely within the incompressible flow range. The investigation consisted of measurements of mean flow, three components of turbulence intensity, turbulent shearing stress, and correlations between two fluctuation components at a point and between the same component of different points" (p. 1).

From Summary: "A series of publications on the source-distribution methods for evaluating the aerodynamics of thin wings at supersonic speeds is summarized, extended, and unified. Included in the first part are the deviations of: (a) the linearized partial-differential equation for unsteady flow at a substantially constant Mach number. b) The source-distribution solution for the perturbation-velocity potential that satisfies the boundary conditions of tangential flow at the surface and in the plane of the wing; and (c) the integral equation for determining the strength and the location of sources to describe the interaction effects (as represented by upwash) of the bottom and top wing surfaces through the region between the finite wing boundary and the foremost Mach wave. The second part deals with steady-state thin-wing problems. The third part of the report approximates the integral equation for unsteady upwash and includes a solution of approximate equation. Expressions are then derived to evaluate the load distributions for time-dependent finite-wing motions."

"As part of a program to study the correlation between molecular structure and physical properties of high-density hydrocarbons, the net heats of combustion, melting points, boiling points, densities, and kinematic viscosities of some hydrocarbons in the 2-n-alkylbiphenyl, 1,1-diphenylalkane, diphenylalkane, 1,1-dicyclohexylalkane, and dicyclohexylalkane series are presented" (p. 55).

From Summary: "Despite the development of relatively ice-free fuel-metering systems, the widespread use of alternate and heated-air intakes, and the use of alcohol for emergency de-icing, icing of aircraft-engine induction systems is a serious problem. Investigations have been made to study and to combat all phases of this icing problem. From these investigations, criterions for safe operation and for design of new induction systems have been established. The results were obtained from laboratory investigations of carburetor-supercharger combinations, wind-tunnel investigations of air scoops, multicylinder-engine studies, and flight investigations. Characteristics of three forms of ice, impact, throttling, and fuel evaporation were studied."

"Six numerical examples are presented for steady, two-dimensional, compressible, nonviscous flow in centrifugal compressors with thin straight blades, the center lines of which generate the surface of a right circular cone when rotated about the axis of the compressor. A seventh example is presented for incompressible flow. The solutions were obtained in a region of the compressors, including the impeller tip, that was considered to be unaffected by the diffuser vanes or by the impeller-inlet configuration" (p. 141).

A method introduced by Munk is extended to prove that the light-curve slope of thin wings in either subsonic flow or supersonic flow is the same when the direction of flight of the wing is reversed. It is also shown that the wing reversal does not change the thickness drag, damping-in-roll parameter or the damping-in-pitch parameter.

From Introduction: "Recent developments in the statistical theory of extreme values (references 4 to 10) have indicated a somewhat more rational approach to the problem of predicting the probability of occurrence The present report summarizes some of these findings, indicates the method of application, and evaluates their applicability to certain gust-load problems ."

From Summary: "A determination of the dynamic characteristics of a typical turbojet engine with a centrifugal compressor, a sonic-flow turbine-nozzle diaphragm, and fixed area exhaust nozzle is presented. A generalized equation for transient behavior of the engine was developed; this equation was then verified by calculations using compressor and turbine performance charts extrapolated from equilibrium operating data and by experimental data obtained from an engine operated under transients in fuel flow."

"Available information on gust structure, airplane reactions, and pertinent operating statistics has been examined. This report attempts to coordinate this information with reference to the prediction of gust loads on airplanes. The material covered represents research up to October 1947" (p. 807).

Measurements are presented at Mach numbers from about 1.3 to 1.5 of reflection characteristics and the relative upstream influence of shock waves impinging on a flat surface with both laminar and turbulent boundary layers. The difference between impulse and step waves is discussed and their interaction with the boundary layer is compared. General considerations on the experimental production of shock waves from wedges and cones and examples of reflection of shock waves from supersonic shear layers are also presented.

"In a round turbulent jet at room temperature, measurement of the shear correlation coefficient as a function of frequency (through band-pass filters) has given a rather direct verification of Kolmogoroff's local-isotropy hypothesis. One-dimensional power spectra of velocity and temperature fluctuations, measured in unheated and heated jets, respectively, have been contrasted. Under the same conditions, the two corresponding transverse correlation functions have been measured and compared" (p. 1).

From Summary: "An apparatus for varying effective dihedral in flight by means of servo actuation of the ailerons in response to sideslip angle is described. The results of brief flight tests of the apparatus on a conventional fighter airplane are presented and discussed. The results of an investigation employing the apparatus to determine the tolerable (safe for normal fighter operation) range of effective dihedral on the test airplane are presented."

"An experimental investigation, using microscopic observation and color motion photomicrographs of the action, was conducted to determine the cause of fretting. Glass and other noncorrosive materials, as well as metals, were used as specimens. A very simple apparatus vibrated convex surfaces in contact with stationary flat surfaces at frequencies of 120 cycles or less than l cycle per second, an amplitude of 0.0001 inch, and load of 0.2 pound" (p. 135).

A method of calibrating the static-pressure source of a pitot static airspeed installation on an airplane in level flight, dives, and other maneuvers at high altitude and at transonic and supersonic speeds is described. The method principally involves the use of radar-phototheodolite tracking equipment. The various sources of error in the method are discussed and sample calibrations are included.

"From consideration of available information on boundary-layer behavior, a relation among profile thickness, maximum surface velocity, Reynolds number, velocity diagram, and solidity is established for a cascade of airfoils immersed in a two-dimensional incompressible fluid flow. Several cascades are computed to show the effect of various cascade design parameters on minimum required cascade solidity. Comparisons with experimentally determined blade performance show that the derived blade loadings are equal or higher for moderate flow deceleration and somewhat lower for large deceleration. Blades with completely laminar flow appear practical for impulse or reaction blading" (p. 117).

"The results of analytical studies of tail-pipe-burning, water-injection, and bleedoff methods of thrust augmentation are presented that provide an insight into the operating characteristics of these augmentation methods and summarizes the performance that may be obtained when applied to a typical turbojet engine. A brief description of the principles of operation of each augmentation method is given, together with curves that illustrate the effects of the principal design and operating variables of the augmentation system on the thrust and the liquid consumption of the engine. The necessity of designing tail-pipe burners with a low burner-inlet velocity, a low burner drag, and a high diffuser efficiency in order to obtain a high thrust augmentation and to minimize the loss in engine performance during nonburning operation is illustrated" (p. 593).

In order to provide engineers interested in rotating-wing aircraft, but with no specialized training in stability theory, some understanding of the factors that influence the flying qualities of the helicopter, an explanation is made of both the static stability and the stick-fixed oscillation in hovering and forward flight in terms of fundamental physical quantities. Three significant stability factors -- static stability with angle of attack, static stability with speed, and damping due to a pitching or rolling velocity -- are explained in detail.

From Introduction: "The aerodynamic heating problem assumes considerable importance at high-supersonic speeds. Sanger and Bredt (reference 1) have calculated the high-speed aerodynamic forces and equilibrium surface temperature at extremely high altitudes where the molecular mean free path is large (free-molecule-flow region) compared with a characteristic body dimension. The theoretical investigation of Lees (reference 2) on the stability of the laminar boundary layer in compressible flow indicates that the laminar boundary layer is completely stable at all Reynolds numbers at supersonic speeds for a sufficiently low ratio of surface temperature to stream temperature."

By use of the assumption that the pressure-volume relation is linear, a solution to the problem of designing a cascade for a given turning and with a prescribed velocity distribution along the blade in a potential flow of a compressible perfect fluid was obtained by a method of correspondence between potential flows of compressible and incompressible fluids. The designing of an isolated airfoil with a prescribed velocity distribution along the airfoil is considered as a special case of cascade. If the prescribed velocity distribution is not theoretically attainable, the method provides a means of modifying the distribution so as to obtain a physically significant blade shape. Numerical examples are included.