A method is developed for calculating the pressure distribution at zero lift for a class of slender configurations consisting of a wing of delta type plan form combined with a body of revolution of the same overall length. Slender-body and slender-wing theory are combined to take into account the interference between the wing and the fuselage. An expression is found for the pressure at a general point on the wing or fuselage, although some numerical integration is still needed. This expression is simplified to obtain algebraic formulae for the pressure at the wing-fuselage junction and along the top of the fuselage. A further simplification is possible when the fuselage radius is small compared with the local wing semi-span. A particular example is considered consisting of a “Newby” wing with a parabolic fuselage; pressure distributions and drag curves are calculated.

The distribution of total pressure, stagnation temperature and gas velocity is determined for the subsonic region of a supersonic jet emerging from a solid propellant rocket motor into air at rest. Measurements of Pitot pressures in the supersonic flow region have shown that the flow follows the axis of an inclined nozzle within the order of accuracy of the measurements. Nozzle cone angle, and probably the expansion ratio, affect the jet distribution significantly.

The paper describes compression tests on eight thin-walled cylinders of 3 ft. diameter and 0·035 in. wall thickness made of aluminium alloy plate. The lengths of the cylinders were either 6 ft. or 9 ft. Three of the cylinders were tested under axial compression up to buckling failure, and the initial buckling load, failing load and mode of buckling were observed. A further three cylinders were similarly tested, but these cylinders were subjected to internal pressure before applying the compressive load. The internal pressure had a twofold strengthening effect on these cylinders. Firstly, it induced a tensile pre-stress along the axis of the cylinder and, secondly, it resulted in the value of the compressive stress at which buckling occurred being greater than the buckling stress value for the unpressurised cylinders. The six cylinders were tested in a manner which allowed the end face of each cylinder to rotate about a diametral axis. A parallel platen device was used in testing the last two cylinders (in an unpressurised condition) which restrained rotation of the end faces of the cylinders. These tests enabled the effect of end restraint to be studied, and also enabled measurements of load-carrying capacity at large axial deflections to be made. The initial buckling loads, failing loads and modes of buckling observed in the tests were compared with existing large deflection theory.

Previous theoretical work on mass transfer cooling is reviewed and it is shown that this may be complemented by similar solutions that occur when the velocity outside a two-dimensional boundary layer varies as some power of the distance from the front stagnation point. The case of stagnation point flow with constant wall temperature is investigated in some detail, under the assumption that the temperature differences are everywhere small compared with the absolute temperature. Calculations on an analogue computer, supplemented by an investigation of the asymptotic behaviour, are used to determine the boundary layer development and heat transfer rates when the coolant is hydrogen, helium, steam or carbon dioxide. It is found that, on a mass flow basis, hydrogen reduces the heat transfer rate most and that steam is the next most effective of the substances investigated.

The photoelastic “stress freezing” technique has been employed to evaluate the elastic stress concentration factors associated with the fillet blend radius in a number of shouldered shafts. The full range of practical sizes of blend radius and depth of shoulder has been examined. Comprehensive results for the shaft subjected to torsion, pure bending and axial load are given in this (Part I) and in two subsequent papers (Parts II and III).

The accuracy of the graphs of stress concentration factors is better than six per cent. Comparison has been made with the existing theoretical and experimental results for each mode of loading. The results of an investigation into die limiting value of the stress concentration factor (for a particular shoulder radius) as the depth of the shoulder is increased to infinity are included in Part III.