craft power plants, totaling $74,958; 13 projects in aircraft materials, totaling $92,600; and 12 projects in aircraft structures, totaling $22,693. For the fiscal year 1943, $400,000 has been allocated for research contracts. As of December 1, 1942, contracts with universities and other educational institutions have been authorized by the executive committee of the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics as follows: 4 projects in aerodynamics, $20,000; 5 projects in aircraft power plants, $43,331; 6 projects in aircraft materials, $58,600; and 3 projects in aircraft structures, $7,460. Other projects have been approved and recommended by technical subcommittees and still others are being considered for recommendation. Before contracts are left to any school or university, the projects are studied carefully and approved by an appropriate subcommittee under the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics. Such subcommittees are made up of a group of experts from the Army and Navy, the Civil Aeronautics Administration, and other Government agencies who are familiar with the current needs for national defense. All projects are correlated with the work of the National Defense Research Committee and other similar agencies, to insure that no duplication of effort can exist. The projects are examined especially for their significance in relation to current problems of the Army and Navy air organizations. Many important improvements have been and are being made in the design and construction of military aircraft and their components through information obtained from National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics research contracts with educational institutes. Improved methods in the technique of spot welding of aluminum alloys have been developed. General application of this time saving substitute for riveting is particularly important to the mass production of 'aircraft. In another field, improved metals for turbo-supercharger wheels and buckets are being developed as a result of an accelerated program of research through National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics research contracts. The dependence of military aircraft on turbo-superchargers, the severity of service to which they are subjected, and the critical nature of the alloying materials involved in their construction make this program highly significant. Other research contracts cover projects relating to the improvement of heat exchangers required for equipping military aircraft with effective winter flying protection, the investigation of factors that lead to airplane flutter, the development of super fuels for aircraft engines and other projects of vital importance to the successful design and operation of military aircraft. The successful solution of numerous problems continually being received from the Army, the Navy, and the aircraft industry which can be successfully ard effectively prosecuted in university laboratories must not be delayed. Every possible use must be made of all of the Nation's available facilities for aeronautical research. In order to effectively carry out this program. it is necessary that an increase of $100,000 be provided for this work for the fiscal year 1944. INVESTIGATIONS AT NATIONAL BUREAU OF STANDARDS Objective. To study certain problems, especially those relating to the fundamental properties of materials, aircraft structures and aircraft fuel components and for which the National Bureau of Standards has available particularly suitable equipment and personnel. These problems are recommended by the War and Navy Departments and the technical subcommittee of the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics for investigation at the National Bureau of Standards with the financial support of the committee. Significance.-Armor and armament of military airplanes and operations requiring extreme overloads and violent maneuvers have added to the complexity of the design of aircraft structures. The necessity of simplifying structural design to ease and speed production has become more important. For these reasons there is a need for information regarding efficient application of new materials such as thin sheets of magnesium alloys and low-carbon steel. Information regarding comparative strength of types of riveted and welded joints is required. Data on the fatigue strength of a riveted wing beam compared with the fatigue strength of specimens of wing beam material should be obtained. Information is likewise needed with regard to the buckling loads and strain distribution in monocoque structures under torsional loads. In order to obtain further refinement in the design of aircraft structures it is necessary that the effects of curvature on the buckling stresses of alloy sheets be investigated The rapid expansion in facilities for the production of magnesium has made it imperative that the effects of various production methods and the presence of impurities on the elastic properties and corrosion resistance of magnesium alloys be immediately evaluated so as to insure that airplane designers provide adequate strength and life in this Nation's fighting aircraft. The production of high octane aviation fuel in quantities sufficient for the war effort is of primary importance at this time and hence any facilities available for research on this problem must be utilized to the utmost. The provision of information on very high quality blending agents is important as it is possible to stretch supplies much further by using such high quality materials in conjunction with larger quantities of lower quality materials which cannot be used at present. It is necessary to the war effort that investigation on these special problems be continued without interruption. No increase in funds for the fiscal year 1944 over the amount available for the fiscal year 1943 is requested for research at the National Bureau of Standards. LANGLEY MEMORIAL AERONAUTICAL LABORATORY The Langley Memorial Aeronautical Laboratory is the Committee's largest field station and its facilities are devoted exclusively to the solution of urgent and vital problems for the military services. The laboratory is equipped with several wind tunnels for the solution of problems relating to aircraft spinning, stability and control, compressibility phenomena, gust loads, cowling and cooling, high-speed flight, wing and propeller design, etc. In addition, there are facilities for structural, hydrodynamic, and flight research. The staff and equipment of the aircraft engine division of this laboratory are being transferred to the Aircraft Engine Research Laboratory during the present fiscal year. Wartime conditions and the resulting increase in requests from the air services for the solution of problems have increased the work load of the laboratory to such an extent that appropriations for the fiscal year 1943 are already proving to be inadequate. A request for a supplemental appropriation will accordingly be necessary. An even greater work load is anticipated in the fiscal year 1944. Funds for additional personnel and increased operating expenses must be provided to permit full 3-shift operation of all research activities. The solution of urgent military problems that are dictated by actual combat experience and the solution of new problems associated with very high-speed and high-altitude operation cannot be delayed. A total of $5,944,178 will be required for operation of the Langley Laboratory in the fiscal year 1944. Details are presented below by objects of classification. 01 Personal services.-A total of 507 additional personnel will be required in the fiscal year 1944. The majority of the new personnel is required for the Technical Service Division-mechanics, carpenters, modelmakers, instrument makers, machinists, etc. It is becoming necessary for the laboratory staff to perform more and more mechanical work of a nature which before the war could be done by the Norfolk Navy Yard or outside contractors. The increased emphasis placed on structures research requires additional mechanical personnel for the construction of test specimens and models. The operation of the iaboratory on a full three-shift basis and the urgent need for furnishing the results of the investigations in a usable form will require additional computers and clerical employees for the preparation of data and typing of reports. Salaries for the 507 additional personnel required total $1,022,080 on a full annual basis. A deduction of $100,000 from this figure has made for delays in filling the new positions. Legislative changes in salary ranges as required by Public Law 694 approved August 1, 1942, will cost $52,940. In all, $4,078,010 will be required for personal services in the fiscal year 1944. 02 Travel expenses.-An increase of $3,430 will be required for travel expenses. Wartime conditions make it essential that more frequent visits be made by technical personnel of the laboratory to the aircraft manufacturers for consultation on problems involved in the design, construction, and operation of new military aircraft. Provision must also be made for the attendance of staff members at meetings of the technical subcommittees. 03 Transportation expenses.-The increased work load of the laboratory necessitating purchase of an increased quantity of supplies and materials and a considerable amount of equipment will require a total of $12,000 for transportation in the fiscal year 1944. 04 Communication service.-The expenditure for communication service will necessarily increase not only because of the increased work load of the laboratory but also because of the need for expediting the solution of numerous technical problems by use of the long-distance telephone and telegraph. An increase of $2,750 is requested. 05 Utility services.-The continuous operation of the laboratory on a threeshift basis in the fiscal year 1944 will require a considerable increase in the consumption of electric power for the operation of the wind tunnels and other facilities. Electric power for operation of the laboratory is obtained from two sources: The laboratory's 10,000 kilowatt power generating plant and the Virginia Public Service Co. Service from the Virginia Public Service Co. is necessary when two or more tunnels are in operation inasmuch as the 16-foot wind tunnel alone draws 12,310 kilowatts at top speed. It is estimated that the laboratory's consumption of electric power will reach an average of 1,600,000 kilowatt-hours per month during the fiscal year 1944. Of this amount approximately 1,000,000 kilowatt-hours per month will be furnished by the laboratory's own power generating plant and the balance will be obtained by purchase from the Virginia Public Service Co. at an average cost of approximately $12,365 per month or a total of $152,000 for the fiscal year. 07 Repairs and alterations.-The great increase in the research activities of the laboratory will require alteration of many of the existing buildings to accommodate increased personnel, and provide for more efficient operation. In addition, the continuous use of the structures and equipment causes deterioration more rapidly than normal. A total of $189,765 is requested for repairs and alterations for the fiscal year 1944. Funds in this amount are to be used only for such repairs and alterations which are necessary for efficient operation of the laboratory and which may be accomplished without interfering with the research work of the laboratory. 08 Supplies and materials.—A total of $753,552 will be required to purpose the necessary supplies and materials for full three-shift operation of the laboratory in the fiscal year 1944, an average of $353 per employee. Fuel oil of the power generating plant, aviation gasoline, metals and aircraft modelmaking supplies comprise a large percentage of the total supplies and materials needed. 09 Equipment.-The effectiveness of a research laboratory is not only dependent upon the ability of the research workers but also upon the research facilities and equipment made available for their use. This is particularly true in the field of aeronautical research where rapidly changing techniques require new, more modern, and more accurate equipment. This coupled with the need for providing additional equipment to meet the rapidly increasing work load will require funds in the amount of $730,351 for the purchase of equipment in the fiscal year 1944. A general classification of the research projects under which work will be conducted in the fiscal year 1944 is given below: 1. Investigation of stability and control. 2. Investigation of cowling and cooling problems. 3. Investigation for increased aircraft propeller performance. 4. Investigation of factors affecting speeds of airplanes. 5. Investigation of aircraft wing devlopment. 6. External loads investigation. 7. Investigation of aircraft structural problems. 8. Investigation of rotating-wing aircraft. 9. Investigation of airplane spinning. 10. Application of research to airplane design. 11. Investigation of methods of preventing ice formation. 12. Jet propulsion. 13. Improvement of methods for study of air flow. 14. Aircraft flutter and vibration investigation. 15. Investigation of heat flow and boundary layer. 16. Theory of air flow. 17. Investigation of characteristics of flying boat hulls, seaplane floats, and stabilizing floats. 18. Investigation of planing surfaces. 19. Investigation of hydrofoils. 20. Investigation of high-speed surface craft. CONSTRUCTION AND EQUIPMENT An appropriation of $60,000 is requested for the construction of a gust tunnel at the Langley Laboratory. Details and justifications are presented below: The present National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics gust tunnel equipment was constructed as a pilot plant for design of a future gust tunnel and to provide a means of obtaining some information on the reactions of an airplane to a known gust. The information to be obtained was urgently needed for the interpretation of data on the loads applied to aircraft by atmospheric gusts and it was felt that the temporary gust tunnel would not only supply this information but would yield experience for use in the design of a permanent piece of equipment. The present gust tunnel was built in 1936 inside the full-scale tunnel building and, wherever possible, available materials and salvaged equipment were used. The gust tunnel proper was made of wood and supplied by an old squirrel cage blower which gave a maximum jet velocity of about 10 feet per second. The flight path of the airplane model was composed of a 35-foot accelerating path, a free glide of about 12 feet before entry into the vertical gust, and a decelerating distance of 10 feet in which the model had to be slowed down and caught. The length of the path and arrangement of the equipment was determined by the structure of the full-scale tunnel building. The proposed new tunnel will provide a larger air jet to permit tests of larger and heavier models in stronger gusts; will provide sufficient space for the free flight of the airplane model after leaving the gust; will provide a large accelerating distance for accelerating larger and heavier models to flying speed; and will permit a flying speed of approximately 80 miles per hour. This gust tunnel is urgently needed and it is requested that funds for its construction be provided in the fiscal year 1944. COST ESTIMATE The following is a break-down of the estimated cost of the proposed gust tunnel: Building-127,000 cubic feet, at 25 cents per cubic foot.. Motor, 60-horsepower_. Controls Heating Air compressor Fire-protection sprinklers_ Connection to utilities__. Total__. $32, 000 17,000 1,500 2,000 1,500 150 3,500 2, 350 60, 000 INCREASE IN PERSONNEL FOR WASHINGTON OFFICE Mr. WOODRUM. Let us first take up your Washington force. Will you give us a statement about that? Then Dr. Lewis can discuss the various research items. Mr. VICTORY. Mr. Chairman, we have been trying to hold down expansion in the Washington office. In view of the increase in the field services, we have been keeping the Washington office at just the minimum that is absolutely essential. We have transferred out of the Washington office every activitiy that we can efficiently conduct in the field. We now have 132 employees. We are asking for 23 additional for the fiscal year 1944. If you like, Mr. Chairman, I can give a list of the additional positions. Mr. WOODRUM. Will you say something about the need for the 23 additional people for the Washington office? What type of work do they do, and why is it necessary to have them? Mr. VICTORY. Yes, sir. We have of necessity expanded our subcommittees to meet the real needs of progress in aviation. Additional subcommittees mean more work in the Washington office. Most of the committee meetings are held in Washington, and we need engineer-secretaries, on an average of one secretary for every two committees. AMOUNT OF ESTIMATE REQUESTED OF THE BUDGET Mr. WOODRUM. Let me ask you this question: How much did you ask the Budget for and did they make any reduction in the amount requested? Mr. VICTORY. No, sir; there was an adjustment due to a different method of figuring overtime. Dr. LEWIS. Nothing on research projects. Mr. WOODRUM. Very well. Mr. VICTORY. We had a larger item in for equipment, Mr. Chairman, but in order to accelerate the procurement of equipment, it was withdrawn from the 1944 regular budget with the understanding that we would come before your committee with a supplemental estimate, probably in a week or two, so that we can get that more quickly. WORK OF N. A. C. A. SUBCOMMITTEES Mr. WOODRUM. Will you say something about what these committees are and what they do? Mr. VICTORY. These are technical subcommittees, which have the function of laying out the program of research in their respective fields, and then their recommendations are approved by the main committee. Researches are instituted either in the committee's own laboratories or in university laboratories. Mr. WOODRUM. These committees are made up of members of the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics? Dr. HUNSAKER. May I speak to that, Mr. Chairman? Mr. WOODRUM. Yes. Dr. HUNSAKER. We have been working a scheme that has been very successful for many years, twenty years, of calling on private citizens who are experts in the field to volunteer their services to act on subcommittees of the N. A. C. A., to advise the N. A. C. A. We will have one on icing. We will have one on lightning hazards to aircraft. We might bring in an expert from G. E., or Westinghouse, men who know more about lightning than anybody else. We have committees on aerodynamics, on lubrication and gasoline and fuels, structures, metals, plastics. The number will run up to 250 individual persons in and out of Government service, each of whom is believed by us to be an expert in his field, and we ask him to serve on our subcommittees to advise us. We pay them nothing except their travel expenses. Mr. FITZPATRICK. They volunteer their services? Dr. HUNSAKER. They volunteer their services; yes. Mr. FITZPATRICK. And you pay their expenses while they are here in Washington? |