The chemical reaction of two substances (fuel and oxygen) accompanied by the formation of new substances of the products of combustion and the liberation of heat is considered. General equations are provided as well as an analysis of the equation and the distribution of products of the reaction.

This investigation is divided into two parts, the treatment of the stability problem of fluid flows on the one hand, and that of the turbulent motion on the other. The first part summarizes all previous investigations under a unified point of view, that is, sets up as generally as possible the conditions under which a profile possesses unstable or stable characteristics, and indicates the methods for solution of the stability equation for any arbitrary velocity profile and for calculation of the critical Reynolds number for unstable profiles. In the second part, under certain greatly idealizing assumptions, differential equations for the turbulent motions are derived and from them qualitative information about several properties of the turbulent velocity distribution is obtained.

"The mechanism of flame propagation has been qualitatively formulated. In accordance with this formulation, the chemical reaction initiated in some layer brings about an increase in the temperature; because of the heat conduction, the temperature is raised in the neighboring layer where in turn the chemical reaction is initiated. In this manner the flame is propagated" (p. 1).