Present techniques for measuring sound velocity in liquid metals have been limited by the use of transducers which cannot survive in extreme temperature conditions. These methods also require relatively long measurement times. An optical noncontacting method has been developed which may be used for extremely short experimental times and very high temperatures and pressures. This technique is being incorporated into an isobaric expansion apparatus in which a 1 mm diam wire sample in a high pressure argon gas environment is resistively heated to melt within a time period of only a few microseconds. Before instability of the liquid column occurs, thermal expansion, enthalpy, and temperature are measured. The addition of the sound velocity measurement permits a more complete determination of the thermophysical properties of the liquid metal.

The advantages of high resolution electron diffraction and imaging have been revealed in a wide variety of metallic systems, providing insight into the mechanisms of such phase transformations as ordering, spinodal decomposition, grain boundary precipitation, and the martensitic reaction. Structural discontinuities in interphase interfaces (atomic plane ledges) and grain boundaries (plane matching defects) have been identified with high precision, and compositional variations on an atomic scale have been detected, including solute segregation within approximately 10 A of a grain boundary. In the study of ceramics, primary effort has been directed toward the detection of thin intergranular films with notable success. Atomic dimension microledges have also been revealed in crystallization interfaces, polytype boundaries and transformation fronts, and compositional variations near grain boundaries have recently been recorded in lattice images of a Magnesium Sialon. It therefore appears that the technique holds equal promise for analysis of the fundamental mechanisms of crystallization, phase transformation, diffusion and solute segregation in ceramics as well as metallic alloy systems. The work presented here represents some of the potential of high resolution methods and is an initial step towards complete atomic characterization of materials. The most desirable progression of such research should lead to the attainment of …

Pretreatment of {alpha}-bungarotoxin ({alpha}-Bgt) binding sites from rat brain with cholinergic agonists causes transformation of sites to a high-affinity form toward agonist over a time course of minutes, consistent with identity of those sites as central nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChR). This agonist-induced alteration in receptor state may be correlated with physiological densensitization. Agonist inhibition of toxin binding to the high-affinity state is non-competitive, suggesting the existence of discrete toxin-binding and agonist-binding sites on the central nAChR. These results thus offer a possible explanation of observed impotency of {alpha}-Bgt toward blocking in vivo cholinergic responses in the central nervous system.

Both train speed and dollar damage have been used in transportation studies as measures of accident severity. Analysis of freight train accident data for the three year period, 1972-74 showed that, in general, as speed increases dollar damage to railroad property also increases. A greater percentage of high speed than low speed accidents result in high dollar damage. Factors, in addition to speed, that can have an important effect on accident severity include the type of accident, the kinds of railcars and other equipment involved, and the geographical environmental of the accident. Threshold levels of accident stresses (e.g., impact and puncture forces and fire temperature and duration) are required to compromise the integrity of shipping containers used for the transport of radioactive materials. Analyses of accident severity using either speed or dollar damage as a basis can provide some insights into the possible risks involved in transport of radioactive materials. however, care must be taken in the strict use of results since there is no direct correlation between either speed or dollar damage and cask failure threshold levels.

A review is given of reliable quantum chromodynamics predictions which either have or soon can be verified by experiment. Included are a discussion of the classic application of quantum chromodynamics perturbation theory and asymptotic freedom to predict scaling violations in deep inelastic leptoproduction experiments, with emphasis on the first direct experimental confirmation of the numerical values of the anomalous dimensions; a review of recent advances in developing and justifying quantum chromodynamics perturbation theory predictions for a number of physical applications not underwritten by the operator product expansion and renormalization group arguments; and mention of attempts to consider the reliability of quantum chromodynamics perturbation theory predictions, given the fact that nonperturbative effects are presumably crucial in quantum chromodynamics. 100 references. (JFP)

A number of materials in and within the proximity of buildings housing fusion energy experiments (FEE) were analyzed for their potential fire hazard. The materials used in this study were mostly: electrical and thermal insulations. The fire hazard of these materials was assessed in terms of their ease of ignition, heat release rate, generation of smoke, and the effect of thermal environment on the combustion behavior. Several fire protection measures for buildings housing the (FEE) projects are analyzed and as a result of this study are found to be adequate for the near term.

Induced radioactivity in the blanket and other parts of a fusion reactor close to the plasma zone will dictate remote assembly, disassembly, and maintenance procedures. Time will be of the essence in these procedures. They must be practicable and certain. This paper discusses the reduction of a complicated Tokamak reactor to a simpler assembly via the use of a vacuum building in which to house the reactor and the introduction in this new model of cassette blanket modules. The cassettes significantly simplify remote handling.

An unbounded fluid layer in a porous medium with an internal heat source and uniformly heated from below is studied. The layer is in the gravitational field. Linear theory predicts that the disturbances of infinitesimal amplitude will start to grow when the Rayleigh number exceeds its critical value. These disturbances do not grow without limit; but by advecting heat and momentum, the disturbances alter their forms to achieve a finite amplitude. Just like infinitesimal amplitude disturbances the degeneracies of possible solutions persist for finite amplitude solutions. This study evaluates these various forms of solutions. The small parameter method of Poincare is used to treat the problem in successive order.

Quantitative estimates of charge exchange (CE) losses during acceleration are very important in the design and operation of heavy ion cyclotrons. Such estimates have been made using a vacuum model computer code which was developed to establish vacuum requirements for the MSU superconducting heavy ion cyclotron. This code uses pressure and cross-section data to calculate the radial loss of beam due to charge exchange. Since CE cross sections and radial pressure profiles are not always well known, certain specific measurements have been made using the LBL 88-Inch Cyclotron to provide experimental data needed to test the code. These include measurements of pressure versus radius under vacuum conditions closely approximating those existing during acceleration of /sup 14/N/sup 4 -/ and /sup 40/Ar/sup 8 -/ beams. Beam intensity versus radius data demonstrating transmission losses for three beams are presented. Comparisons with theoretical predictions are given.

Torus II is a versatile, small rectangular cross section, high-beta tokamak. The operational principles of Torus II are described along with some design features. (MOW)

Atomics International and Lawrence Livermore Laboratory are involved in the conceptual design of a laser fusion power plant incorporating the lithium fall target chamber. In this paper we discuss some of the more important design considerations for the target chamber and evaluate its nuclear performance. Sizing and configuration of the fall, hydraulic effects, and mechanical design considerations are addressed. The nuclear aspects examined include tritium breeding, energy deposition, and radiation damage.

The time-dependent behavior of natural rock salt is of interest from several points of view which include the geological questions related to the genesis of anticlines, spines, domes, and other diapiric structures, as well as, the more practical questions related to the exploitation of petroleum and natural gas resources and the exploitation of the rock salt for commercial use. In addition, knowledge of the creep behavior of rock salt is of paramount importance in underground storage applications of petroleum products and nuclear wastes. The purpose of this paper is to generally discuss the time-dependent response of salt, to propose a one-dimensional model for this behavior, and to illustrate the model's capacity to simulate creep behavior using constant strain-rate test data.

A two-phase turbine, using a low-quality steam-water mixture as a working fluid, was designed, built, and tested in the laboratory. Two-phase fluids are found naturally in most geothermal fields throughout the world and can also be used in the conversion of waste heat from industrial sources. The thermodynamic and fluid-dynamic properties of such fluid mixtures are reviewed, with specific reference to the selection and design of an appropriate expander. Various types of practically realizable expanders are considered, and the choice of a single-stage, axial-flow, impulse turbine is explained. Also the basic design parameters, including sizing and blade and nozzle geometry, are described.

A high pressure, supersonic, radio frequency discharge nozzle beam source was developed for the production of intense beams of ground state oxygen atoms. An efficient impedance matching scheme was devised for coupling the radio frequency power to the plasma as a function of both gas pressure and composition. Techniques for localizing the discharge directly behind the orifice of a water-cooled quartz nozzle were also developed. The above combine to yield an atomic oxygen beam source which produces high molecular dissociation in oxygen seeded rare gas mixtures at total pressures up to 200 torr: 80 to 90% dissociation for oxygen/argon mixtures and 60 to 70% for oxygen/helium mixtures. Atomic oxygen intensities are found to be greater than 10/sup 17/ atom sr/sup -1/ sec/sup -1/. A brief discussion of the reaction dynamics of 0 + IC1 ..-->.. I0 + C1 is also presented. 12 references.

Laser induced fusion is the forerunner of a class of inertial confinement schemes in which hydrogen isotopes are heated to thermonuclear conditions in a very short period. The process is characterized by such short time scales that fuel confinement is achieved through its' own finite mass and expansion velocity, approaching 1 ..mu..m/psec for ignition temperatures of order 10 keV (10/sup 8/ /sup 0/K). With current laser powers limited to several terrawatts one readily estimates, on the basis of energy conservation, target mass, and expansion velocity, that target size and laser pulse duration are on the order of 100 ..mu..m and 100 psec, respectively. Within these constraints, targets have been heated and confined to the point where thermonuclear conditions have been achieved. This paper describes a sampling of diagnostic techniques with requisite resolution (microns and picoseconds) to accurately describe the dynamics of a laser driven compression. As discussed in each case cited, these in turn provide insight to and quantitative measure of, the physical processes dominating the implosion. The success of the inertial confinement fusion program is strongly dependent on the continued development of such diagnostics and the understanding they provide.

Crack initiation and growth in the Charpy V-notch test are investigated for controlled deflections of the specimen applied both by slow bending and by impact. Charpy test specimens were deformed to various deflections, heat-tinted to mark the crack extensions, and broken apart at low temperature to allow measurement of the crack extensions. These measurements provide estimates of crack initiation as defined by various criteria. The loading point at which crack initiation occurs depends on the particular definition being used for ''initiation,'' but in all cases it is well before the maximum load is reached. When initiation is defined as the first observable micro-initiation away from the ductile blunting of the notch root, the experimental results are in good agreement with computer modeling predictions.

Tritium released in an enclosure tends to penetrate into the wall, and subsequent outgassing hampers the cleanup operation. Diffusion theory predicts that concentration and outgassing rate for an impulse release will follow a t/sup -3/2/ power-law decay at large time, in contrast to exponential decay for an impermeable wall and t/sup -1/2/ decay for an initially-saturated wall. Experiments carried out with ordinary and tritiated water in a polymeric enclosure confirm the diffusion theory, as do data on tritium gas outgassing from painted surfaces. Two lumped parameters are important: a flow parameter and a diffusion parameter. The diffusion parameter includes the diffusivity-solubility term DS/sup 2/. If DS/sup 2/ is large, the diffusion tail will depart earlier from exponential decay. DS/sup 2/ can vary widely, and will be especially large for tritiated water in polymeric materials.

The elevated temperature corrosion behavior of iron-base ternary alloys that develop Cr/sub 2/O/sub 3/ and/or Al/sub 2/O/sub 3/ barrier scales was investigated by exposing them to a mixed gas environment at 982/sup 0/C whose PO/sub 2/ was approximately 10/sup -18/ atm and whose PS/sub 2/ was approximately 10/sup -6/ atm. The alloys containing 18% Cr and 2.5 to 5% Al had the best corrosion resistance of the alloys tested. They developed a duplex Cr/sub 2/O/sub 3//Al/sub 2/O/sub 3/ scale through which sulfur did not readily diffuse. The 18% Cr alloy containing only 1% Al formed a Cr/sub 2/O/sub 3/ scale and had poor corrosion resistance because of rapid sulfur diffusion through the scale. Alloys that contained 10% Al and 0 to 15% Cr did not have good corrosion resistance because of sulfur diffusion through the single Al/sub 2/O/sub 3/ scale which formed. Alloys with 18% Cr that contained Si as a ternary addition did not develop continuous SiO/sub 2/ layers beneath the Cr/sub 2/O/sub 3/ outer scale and exhibited poor corrosion resistance.

The effect of powdered activated carbon on stressed anaerobic digesters utilizing a sewage sludge substrate was evaluated. The addition of carbon resulted in increased methanee production and greater process stability. The degree of enhancement appeared to be proportional to carbon concentration over the dose range studied (500-10,000 mg/l). A maximum increase in methane production of about 150% was observed at the highest carbon dose. The effect of 1500 mg/l carbon, 4000 mg/l coal, and 4000 mg/l flyash on relatively unstressed digesters was also examined. Units using a sewage sludge substrate were operated at 10 and 20 day SRT's. A 12% increase in methane production was observed in a carbon dosed digester functioning at a 10 day detention time. Enhancement was not evident with carbon at a 20 day SRT. No significant improvement in methane production was obtained in any of the digesters using coal or flyash as additives. Using the experimental data, a technique was developed for estimating the efficiencies of the methane forming and acid forming steps in the anaerobic digestion process. The results indicated that in stressed systems both stages of the digestion process were enhanced by the addition of powdered carbon. In the relatively unstressed systems, when …

One element in the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material in Transit Program is a determination of the number of local law enforcement agency (LLEA) officers available to respond to an attack upon a special nuclear material (SNM) carrying convoy. A computer model, COPS, has been developed at Sandia Laboratories to address this problem. Its purposes are to help identify to the SNM shipper areas along a route which may have relatively low police coverage and to aid in the comparison of alternate routes to the same location. Data bases used in COPS include population data from the Bureau of Census and police data published by the FBI. Police are assumed to be distributed in proportion to the population, with adjustable weighting factors. Example results illustrating the model's capabilities are presented for two routes between Los Angeles, CA, and Denver, CO, and for two routes between Columbia, SC, and Syracuse, NY. The estimated police distribution at points along the route is presented. Police availability as a function of time is modeled based on the time-dependent characteristics of a trip. An example demonstrating the effects of jurisdictional restrictions on the size of the response force is given. Alternate routes between two locations …

To assess the overall effectiveness of a transportation physical protection system, computer codes which simulate armed attacks have been developed and are being used to examine a range of issues associated with road transportation systems. The paper discusses the purpose and features of three of these codes, SOURCE (which simulates the initial ambush), SABRES I (which covers the battle) and BARS (which treats the penetration of protective cargo barriers). The use of these methodologies to evaluate the value of additional vehicles, guards, armor and alternative tactics or equipment as a means of improving convoy security has recently been completed. The results which are presented demonstrate that the protection offered by the present commercial regulations for guards and vehicles is probably marginal. This could be substantially increased by the addition of armor to close escort vehicles instead of just the transporter and the use of appropriate tactics. Against the baseline threat of adversaries armed with M-16's, observation and harassment from a modest distance until re-enforcements arrive appears preferable to aggressive assault by the ambushed guard force.

Evacuation, sheltering followed by population relocation, and iodine prophylaxis are evaluated as offsite public protective measures in response to potential nuclear reactor accidents involving core-melt. Evaluations were conducted using a modified version of the Reactor Safety Study consequence model. Models representing each protective measure were developed and are discussed. Potential PWR core-melt radioactive material releases are separated into two categories, ''Melt-through'' and ''Atmospheric,'' based upon the mode of containment falure. Protective measures are examined and compared for each category in terms of projected doses to the whole body and thyroid. Measures for ''Atmospheric'' accidents are also examined in terms of their influence on the occurrence of public health effects.

A cryopump, similar to the design of those for TFTR, has been constructed for the purposes of investigating beam compatibility and possible radiation-induced outgassing. In connection with the latter objective, the process of securing approval for a fission-reactor experiment, brought to light two significant safety problems. The first concerns the possibility of deuterium combustion during a leak-up-to-air accident. From literature data and from experiments conducted by us, we are convinced that there is no hazard in this regard. The second problem concerns the possibility of condensing significant amounts of liquid oxygen in such accidents, and we are presently unable to estimate the resulting hazard.

The planned content and performance of fission product and actinide nuclide evaluations for the ENDF/B-V collection of data are reviewed. Representative values of parameters for a few nuclides are shown. 10 figures, 5 tables. (RWR)