-UBLICATI

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TANDARDS

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UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

BUREAU OF STANDARDS

ANNUAL REPORT OF DIRECTOR

OF THE BUREAU OF STANDARDS

TO THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE

FOR THE

FISCAL YEAR ENDED JUNE 30, 1929 MISCELLANEOUS PUBLICATION No. 102

U. S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

R. P. LAMONT, Secretary BUREAU OF STANDARDS

GEORGE K. BURGESS, Director

Miscellaneous Publication No. 102 ANNUAL REPORT

OF THE

DIRECTOR OF THE BUREAU OF STANDARDS

TO THE

SECRETARY OF COMMERCE

FOR THE

FISCAL YEAR ENDED JUNE 30, 1929

UNITED STATES

GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE WASHINGTON : 1929

For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, Washington, D. C. Price 10 cents

BUREAU OF STANDARDS

Department of Commerce,

Bureau of Standards,

Washington, July 1, 1929.

The honorable the Secretary of Commerce.

Dear Mr. Secretary: I submit herewith a brief report upon the

work of the Bureau of Standards during the fiscal year ended June

30, 1929. The various outstanding accomplishments are grouped

according to the subjects for which the Congress had made specific

appropriations.

GENERAL ACTIVITIES

Organization.—In May the divisions of simplified practice and

building and housing were moved from rented quarters of the Department of Commerce to the Industrial Building of the Bureau of Standards, thus bringing together all the commercial standardization

group. The closer cooperation now possible between all the divisions

of the bureau and particularly between those engaged in research and

testing and in commercial standardization should prove of great benefit to all concerned. As shown in the accompanying chart, the commercial standardization group has been organized in four principal

divisions: Simplified practice, trade standards, specifications, and

building and housing.

Cooperation.—Most of the bureau's work is made effective through

voluntary cooperation of the State and municipal governments; sci- entific and professional societies; trade associations; manufacturers;

and individuals who accept the findings of the bureau and incorporate

them into a State law, a municipal ordinance, a dimensional standard,

or a standard of quality, performance, or practice. The extent of these relationships is shown by the fact that at the present time the

bureau is cooperating with over 200 scientific, technical, and industrial

organizations.

One of the most effective ways in which the bureau cooperates with

American industries is through its research associate plan, referred

to in past annual reports. At the close of the fiscal year there were

98 of these associates stationed at the bureau, representing 48 industries and associations.

Personnel matters.—As of July 1, 1929, the following will be promoted to division chiefs: E. W. Ely of simplified practice, A. S. McAllister of specifications, I. J. Fairchild of trade standards, and

H. S. Rawdon of metallurgy. Mr. Rawdon succeeds Dr. H. W. Gillett,

who accepted the directorship of the Battelle Memorial Foundation,

Columbus, Ohio. The regular staff at the close of the fiscal year

numbered 965 employees. In addition, there were 98 employees

assigned to the bureau under the research-associate plan and 9 miscellaneous assignments, including guests and details from other

branches of the Government, making a grand total of 1,072 persons. The turnover was 21 .5 per cent. There were 369 promotions and the

average salary ($2,413) increased by $170. The status of the personnel

shows an increase of 83 employees as compared with last year.

1
2 REPORT TO THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE

The contributions of members of the bureau's staff to scientific and technical progress have received public recognition in several cases. The James Turner Morehead medal of the International Acetylene

Association was awarded to H. L. Whittemore for his contributions

to the art of welding ; the Willard Gibbs medal of the American Chemical Society to C. S. Hudson, for his work on carbohydrates; the medal

of the Annual Assay Commission to W. F. Meggers for his assistance

in regulating the weight of coinage; and the John A. Penton prize of the American Foundrymen's Association to EL T. Wensel and W. F. Roeser for their method of measuring the temperature of molten cast

iron. I. C. Priest is serving as president of the Optical Society of

America.

Visiting committee.—This committee has retained its active interest

in the bureau's problems, holding two formal meetings at the bureau

this past year, and making important recommendations to the

Secretary of Commerce on the bureau's needs and policies, particularly in reference to the more adequate financial support of research,

approval of a building program, and indorsement of the bureau's

patent policies. Members of the committee have visited the bureau

frequently. The present personnel of the committee is : S. W. Stratton,

Gano Dunn, William F. Durand, W. R. Whitney, and John R.

Freeman.

International relations.—The International Advisory Committee on

Electricity met in Paris, November 20-23, 1928 ; and adopted resolutions proposing the establishment of an international system of electrical units based on the fundamenal centimeter-gram-second system.

The report of this committee was submitted to the International

Committee of Weights and Measures in February, 1929, and it is understood the conclusions were ratified by the international committee at its meeting in June. The establishment of the proposed new basis for the units will require a large amount of experimental work in the various national

laboratories and a large number of comparisons between them. Standard resistance coils and standard cells have been exchanged between

the bureau and the national laboratories of Japan and Union of

Socialistic Soviet Republics and a standard condenser has been

measured both at the bureau and at the National Physical Laboratory

of Great Britain. Other exchanges are in progress, including lamps

and thermocouple wire.

At a special meeting, called by the International Electro technical

Commission, in Paris on November 16, 1928, preliminary agreement was reached on a maximum value for conductivity of aluminum wire.

Arrangements were also made to collect information which might

serve as the basis for establishing a standard average value for this property.

In connection with the seventh plenary session of the International

Commission on Illumination at Saranac Inn, New York, September,

1928, a conference was held with representatives of the national

laboratories of France, Germany, and Great Britain looking toward

the removal of discrepancies between the practical candlepower

standards of those countries. Provisional agreement was reached on

a basic method for calibrating high-efficiency lamps. Through an

interchange of lamps and colored filters progress is being made on the

experimental work necessary to carry out this agreement.
BUREAU OF STANDARDS 3

Two members of the bureau's staff attended the meeting of the

International Union of Scientific Radio Telegraphy at Brussels in

September, 1928. The bureau will be represented at the first meeting

of the International Technical Consulting Committee on Radio

Communication to be held at The Hague in September, 1929. Six

special committees have been appointed by the Interdepartment

Radio Advisory Committee acting under the auspices of the State

Department. Members of the bureau's staff have been designated

as chairmen of three of these committees.

At an international convention in Stockholm in 1928, at which the

bureau was represented, agreement was reached on the value of the

unit of X-ray dosage and its method of measurement. International

action is also being taken on standard methods of protecting X-ray

workers, a member of the bureau's staff serving as chairman of our

national committee on this subject.

Because of urgent requests from many sources, the bureau has

taken the preliminary steps to determine the advisability of attempting to reconvene the International Sugar Commission, which has

lapsed since 1914. Scientific, technical, and standardization matters

of the highest importance to the sugar and carbohydrate industries

of the United States and other countries require consideration and

could be handled in a satisfactory manner by this commission.

Two representatives of the 'bureau will attend an informal conference on the physical properties of steam to be held early in July in

London under the auspices of the British Electrical and Allied Industries Research Association. The work in progress at the bureau

in cooperation with the American Society of Mechanical Engineers

will be discussed.

The international standards for grading wool set up by agreement

between England and the United States have been adopted by several

other countries. At the biennial meeting last spring of the International Commission on Standard Grades for American Cotton the

bureau was represented on invitation from the Department of Agriculture, which acts as the official custodian of the cotton standards.

These have been adopted by Belgium, England, France, Germany,

Holland, Italy, and Spain.

It seems probable that international agreement will soon be reached on the standard temperature of 20° C. (68° F.) for shop gage blocks

(end standards of length) as proposed by the bureau at the International Conference on Weights and Measures in 1927.

A paper on precision measurement of length has been prepared for

presentation at the World Engineering Congress, Tokyo, Japan, in

November, 1929. The paper treats precision length measurements

from the standpoint of engineering and industry, with special applications to interchangeable manufacture and automatic gaging.

Weights and measures conference.—The National Conference on

Weights and Measures, the principal agency through which the

bureau cooperates with the State and local governments on matters

of weights and measures administration, held its twenty-second annual

meeting at the bureau June 4 to 7. The conference adopted in final form a code of specifications and tolerances for grease-measuring

devices, and some amendments were also made to codes formerly

adopted relative to liquid-measuring devices, liquid capacity measures, and milk bottles. It was decided to consider at next year's
4 REPORT TO THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE

meeting codes for automatic indicating scales and person-weighing scales. Conference of State utility commission engineers.—The seventh

annual conference of State utility commission engineers was held at the bureau on May 31 and June 1, and was attended by delegates

from 25 States, the District of Columbia, and two Provinces of Canada. The subjects discussed included uniform types of rates and rate schedules, charges for fire protection, street-lighting rates,

the rise and fall of prepayment gas meters, rural-line construction and

cost, rural electrification, electric power generation, overhead wiring

and radio antennas, electric-service rules, long-distance transmission

of manufactured gas, branch line and switching transportation, and

State regulation of common-carrier motor busses.

American Standards Association.—This body has been reorganized,

and the Director of the Bureau of Standards chosen as a member of the new board of directors. The bureau is sponsor for 13 standardization projects and is represented on 71 committees having for their

object the formulation of American standards.

National Screw Thread Commission.—The activities of the commission were confined largely to revision and publication of its 1928

(third) report, Miscellaneous Publication No. 89. This is considerably enlarged over former editions and contains much new and

revised material. The basis thread 4 data for the coarse and fine thread series and for the classification of screw thread fits remain

unchanged, while the sections on special threads, threading tools, gages, and methods of gaging have been extensively revised.

American Gage Design Committee.—The work of the American Gage

Design Committee was completed, and a report covering the design

of blanks for plain and threaded plug and ring limit gages is now in

the hands of the printer. This report represents the combined efforts of manufacturers and users of limit gages. The recommendations of the committee have been approved as a commercial standard and

are already widely accepted by industry, even before the report is printed. The general acceptance of the recommendations of the

committee will result in substantial economies in the production of limit gages. Federal Specifications Board.—The board has just promulgated its six hundred and twenty-third purchase specification. These specifications are being used more and more by State and municipal governments, institutional bodies, and by industry. A large part of the

research and experimental work necessary in connection with the

formulation of specifications is done by this bureau.

Relations to Government departments.—The bureau is authorized to receive funds for specific research projects from other departments,

and in pursuance of this policy in the past year the bureau has re- ceived $339,923 for the support of 32 projects representing work for

7 Government establishments. In addition, the bureau does a great

deal of consulting, specification, and testing work for various branches

of the Government.

Publicity.—The Bureau of Standards Journal of Kesearch has completed its first year and has been well received. The subscription fist now numbers 5,620. The number of research papers published in

the Journal was 76. Including the Journal, reprints, and all other

papers in the regular series of the bureau, the total number of publi-
BUREAU OF STANDARDS 5

cations released during the year was 168. The monthly Technical

News Bulletin has been mailed as heretofore. About 170 papers have

been published in outside technical journals. There have also been

released to the press 178 short accounts of interesting achievements,

together with numerous photographs illustrating the bureau's work.

The third annual number of the Standards Yearbook was published.

Beginning on July 15, 1929, the Commercial Standards Monthly (previously issued in multigraphed form) will be enlarged and issued as a printed magazine available on a subscription basis, thus making

available information on the progress of current standardization

activities. Testing.—The testing work for the public and Government departments continues to be a heavy drain on the resources of the bureau.

The following table gives a summary of the testing activities. The

work often merges with the investigational and research fields and

requires in addition a considerable outlay for upkeep of reference and

laboratory standards. The total number of tests was 173,512, rep- resenting a fee value of $544,402.

Numbers of test items, determinations, and fee value for tests completed during th e fiscal year ended June SO, 1929

Kind of instrument or material, class of test, or nature of service rendered

Number of test items forPublic

Govern- ment

depart- ments and

State

institu- tions

Bureau

of Standards

Total number

of test items

Number

of de- termina

tions Fee value

Electrical standards, instruments, and materials.

Electric batteries Electric lamps and lighting equipment

Length-measuring devices Gages and gage steels Miscellaneous dimensional determinations Weights and balances

Scales Timepieces Volumetric apparatus Hydrometers

Density determinations, etc . Laboratory thermometers

Clinical thermometers

Pyrometers, calorimeters, etc Insulating materials

Fire-resisting materials Fuels and lubricants •_ Automotive equipment, etc Airplane engines

Optical instruments and materials Carbohydrates

Radioactive materials Engineering instruments and appliances Aeronautic instruments Aerodynamic tests of models

Physical properties of engineering materials Sound producing and measuring instruments. .. Making of special castings Fusible boiler plugs Metallographic examinations

Miscellaneous metallurgical tests Pottery and chinaware

Glass

934

Refractories and heavy clay products... Cement, concreting materials, lime, etc.

318 237

1,735

2, 050

5, 762

4

296

11. 323 876

3

2, 492

36, 333

17680

3 287

9

694

3,668

3, 329

19768 820

1, 419

907

39 3,779

146

51 1,111

40, 599

58

2326

1,489

14426

934

1,873

13 1,008 578

1 2,123

32

47

251 646

441

19657 367

11, 566

425 448

2 492

108

1, 136

233 493

406

563

101

1343860

1 217

106 657

103948

207

2, 053

3, 668

4, C95

436

2, 295

2, 978 8,317

913

368

15, 595 1.025 460 4,166

76, 932

335

149

41 1,869

15326

2, 283 1,904

1,065 1,227

643

21

2, 246

51 264

251 752

1,098 210

96 415

11, 795

3, 109

7, 686

4, 226

3, 125

11, 096

14. 711

18, 443

26, 274

4, 728

29, 861

2, 980

645

17, 422

307, 736

4, 805

149

100

10, 086 270

144

3, 394

2, 839

1,065

1,310

3, 14974

4, 40060 834

502

3, 345

2, 685

811 158 1,204

45, 491

$17, 756. 10

21, 725. 00

i 21. 668. 48

2, 312. 50

2, 255. 00

6, 433. 65

7, 826. 50

44, 020. 00

876. 00

11, 221. 70

1, 470. 25

1, 001. 00

9, 285. 10

9, 006. 95

3, 762. 50

1, 125. 00

2, 572. 10

17. 561. 50

2, 176. 00

32, 525. 00

5, 142. 50

3, 247. 50

5, 490. 00

13, 373. 00

8, 821. 00

580. 00

15, 068. 00

812. 50

1, 676. 75

627. 50

6, 067. 00

9, 370. 50

1, 514. 00

430. 00

4, 003. 00

2 110, 717. 00

1 Includes fee value of $3,687.48 for inspecting 1,401,054 incandescent lamps at various factories for other branches of the Government.

1 Includes fee value of $23,821 for sampling and shipping 1,044,093 barrels of cement. 69872—29 2
6 REPORT TO THE SECRETARY OP COMMERCE

Number of test items, determinations, and fee value for tests completed during the

fiscal year ended June SO, 1929—Continued

Kind of instrument or material, class of test, or nature of service rendered

Number of test items for

Total number

of test items

Number

of de- terminations Fee value Public

Govern- ment

depart- ments and

State

institu- tions

Bureau

of Standards

Stone and sand-lime brick 72 1,279

1, 477

6,036

1, 714

291

1, 535

388

1, 427

618

60

55

58

t 499

443

217 238

110

132

1, 360 1,542

6, 579

2, 183 375

1, 552 627

1,537 7,430

420

7,082

9, 417

17, 102

6, 342

1,351

12, 327

2, 408

5, 154

$2, 052. 50

13, 128. 50

18, 431. 00

35, 097. 00

18,374.00

2, 378. 00 22,351.00

4, 677. 50

8, 231. 75

16, 360. 50

Miscellaneous ceramic materials.. ... . . Eubber... - 26

74426

82

Textiles Paper. . ... ... Leather . . Paint, varnish, and bituminous materials. . . Chemical analysis of metals. . ... . . . Chemical tests of miscellaneous materials Distribution of standard samples

1

6, 812 Total 72, 443 93, 563 7, 506 173, 512 3 600,520 3 544,402.33

3 Of these totals 229,249 determinations were for the public, fee value $75,153.75; 348,510 determinations were for the Government department and State institutions, fee value $427,628.38; 22,761 determinations were for the bureau, fee value $41,620.20. The number of test items and determinations necessary in con- nection with the bureau's own work of research and standardization, with the resulting fee values, is not included in these totals. SALARIES ($648,146)

This fund provides for personal services of administration and

operation; the establishment, upkeep, and comparison of standards;

the development of methods of test, as well as most of the testing;

and for the determination of fundamental constants of importance in

physics, chemistry, engineering, and technology not otherwise pro- vided for. Ratio of the absolute to the international ampere.—In order to measure the absolute value of a current, the Rosa-Dorsey-Miller

current balance has been redesigned and reconstructed. A special

observing room has been prepared so that the observer need not

enter the weighing room, new piers have been constructed in the

weighing room, and an entirely new set-up has been made for measuring the ratio of the radii of the coils used in the balance. In

order to measure the current in international amperes, new standard

resistors have been constructed which are capable of carrying rela- tively large currents, and the method of measuring the potential drop

over these resistors has been improved.

Ratio of the absolute to the international henry.—The inductance of certain coils is being determined in both absolute and international

henries. One coil has been completed and measured. This is wound

on a porcelain form and maintained at a constant temperature. Two

sets of mechanical measurements have been completed and four sets

of electrical measurements. The mean value of the result is: 1 international henry = 1.00053 absolute henry, with an error of not more

than two or three in the last significant figure.

Magnetic testing and research.—Particular attention has been given

to the standardization of magnetic-testing methods and apparatus

and the preparation of suitable standard test specimens. The work

has included not only testing with fields of ordinary intensity but

also of very high and very low intensity.
BUREAU OF STANDARDS 7

Cooperative investigations on the relationship between magnetic

properties and torsion characteristics and impact tests, respectively, were undertaken.

Electrical resistance standards.—A new type of electrical resistance

standard of much greater constancy than those in general use has

been developed. The greater constancy is obtained by annealing

the resistance material, manganin, after being formed to final shape,

at a temperature of about 600° C. in carbon monoxide at a greatly

reduced pressure and effectually sealing the containing case. Standards of electromotive force.—A new standard cell bath arranged

for temperature control at any point between 18° and 35° C. has been

put in operation, and measurements made to determine how well

standard cells, new and old, follow the accepted international temperature formula. Significant deviations have been found. International comparisons have been made on cells received from Japan and

the Union of Socialistic Soviet Republics. Cells from the bureau

have been sent to Great Britain, Germany, and Union of Socialistic

Soviet Republics. Thirty-four new standard cells have been constructed at the bureau, including both acid and neutral types of

saturated cells. Comparisons of these with the bureau's standard

group showed that the new cells agree with the present standard to about one one-hundred-thousandth of a volt. The bureau's standard for voltage is made available for public use through the medium

of portable cells which are being received for certification in rapidly

increasing numbers.

Standards of candlepower.—An international photometric comparison of four blue glass filters is in progress. These glasses have already

been measured at the Physikalisch-Technische Reichsanstalt and at the National Physical Laboratory. When the measurements are completed at this bureau the glasses will be forwarded to the Laboratoire Central d'Electricite.

The Waidner--Burgess absolute standard of light.—This standard has

been realized by the use of a hollow inclosure of fused thoria in a bath of molten platinum contained in a crucible of fused thoria.

This provides a convenient standard of reference, and the measure- ments so far made indicate a satisfactory constancy and reproducibility. A preliminary value, based on 36 freezes is 58.9 candles per

square centimeter. By observing with an optical pyrometer as well

as with the photometer, data on the melting point of platinum are being obtained.

International temperature scale.—Six standard thermocouples, two

from the National Physical Laboratorj^, two from the PhysikalischTechnische Reichsanstalt, and two from this bureau, were calibrated

and have been sent to the National Physical Laboratory. Three

calibrated standard resistance thermometers have been sent to the

National Physical Laboratory for the first part of an intercomparison of resistance thermometers from the national laboratories.

Exchange of standard viscosity samples with the Physilcalisch-Technische Reichsanstalt.—The absolute viscosities of four samples of oil, received from the Physikalisch-Technische Reichsanstalt, were determined by the bureau. The average deviation from the mean values

of the two laboratories was 0.5 per cent for the two lighter oils, and

1.1 per cent for the two more viscous oils.
8 REPORT TO THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE

Constant of gravitation.—The observational work on this project

has been completed. Data for 16 values of this constant have been

obtained, 11 of which have been computed. The mean result of these 11 values is 6.668 X 10~8 in c. g. s. units.

Absolute determination of gravity at Washington.—A detailed study

has been made of previous absolute determinations, especially that

made at Potsdam. As a result of this study a tentative design for apparatus has been drawn up and construction work started. Definition of the yard and the inch in terms of light waves.—There has

been much correspondence and discussion relative to the question of defining the yard and the inch in terms of light waves. An alternative

definition of the meter as the equivalent of 1,553,164.13 wave lengths

of the red radiation from cadmium, under standard conditions, has

already been agreed to by the International Conference on Weights

and Measures, and this relation is widely accepted.

If, in addition, the yard should be accepted as equal to 0.9144

meter, or the inch as 25.4 millimeters, exactly, the present lack of agreement as to the exact relation between the units of length of the

two systems of measurement would be overcome. If, at the same

time, there might be international agreement that industrial measures

of length should have their nominal dimensions correct at a temperature of 63° F. (20° C), the problems of international interchangeability of parts would be completely and satisfactorily solved. Such

a solution is regarded by this bureau as of very great and increasing

importance.

Renewed search for a, source of homogeneous radiation.—Preliminary

to his comparison, in 1893, of the wave length of the red radiation of cadmium with the length of the international meter, Professor Michelson made an exhaustive search for the most satisfactory source of

light. The intervening 40 years have brought forth no serious competitor of the cadmium red line. The International Congress stressed

the desirability of renewing the search. In light of modern spectroscopic knowledge, the effectiveness of which lies in the extensive

classifications covering nearly all the chemical elements, the spectroscopist is enabled to select for more intensive study those lines which

from their classification are theoretically favorable.

To this end, the bureau has been engaged in measuring and classi- fying the arc and spark spectra of krypton and xenon, members of the

rare gas group which, on the whole, possess very narrow lines. At

low temperatures (liquid air) the lines of xenon theoretically should

give visible interference fringes with path differences of 50 to 100 cm. The proposed line X5649A, of krypton, proves to be unsatisfactory as a standard because it lacks intensity and is subject to reversal. Certain lines of krypton and xenon appear favorable as auxiliary

standards, perhaps, but none compare favorably with cadmium red. Interferometer equipment for ruling line scales.—Gratifying progress

has been made toward completing the equipment for ruling 40-inch

(or 1 meter) scales by interference methods. In a preliminary trial, without thermostatic control, a meter scale with lines at 10 cm. in- tervals was ruled in 50 minutes and found, on calibration, to be cor- rect within the errors of observation. In final operation, the ruling machine will be under strict temperature control and the auxiliary end gages calibrated in terms of the red

radiation of cadmium. Search is being made for a scale material
BUREAU OF STANDARDS 9

having proper thermal expansion, stable in dimensions, noncorrosive,

capable of receiving a satisfactory polish, and of homogeneous struc- ture permitting the ruling of perfect lines. A special chromium steel has been obtained which bids fair to fulfill these requirements.

Intercomparison oj line standards.—Each of the four platinumiridium meter bars of the bureau was compared with all of the others

and with invar meter bar No. 39. Meter No. 39 was also calibrated

to decimeters and each of the bureau's four decimeter bars was compared with two decimeter intervals of meter No. 39. Each decimeter

bar was also calibrated to centimeters, the first centimeter to milli- meters, and a subdivided millimeter on each bar was calibrated to tenth-millimeters. As a result of this very complete intercomparison

the bureau now has a much more accurate knowledge of both the

relative and absolute lengths of its various precise length standards

than was previously the case, and certain apparent discrepancies have

been explained and eliminated.

Intercomparison of United States and Canadian line standards.—An

intercomparison of length standards of this country and those of Canada was carried out, comparison being made at Ottawa and at Washington. The Canadian bars have since been recompared at the

International Bureau at Sevres, France, and at the National Physical

Laboratory at Teddington, England. These comparisons have con- firmed the results obtained at Ottawa and Washington, As a result there is now a very satisfactory tie-up between the various national

standards of the United States and Canada and those of the Inter- national Bureau.

Graduation and calibration of precision circles.—The construction of theodolites and transits suitable for first-order work, such as that of the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey, requires the graduation and calibration of circles of very high accuracy. The apparatus

necessary for this work is already available at the bureau, but pre- vious to the last year little use had been made of it. The apparatus

has been put in condition for use, and trial circles have been graduated

and calibrated. The results so far obtained indicate that the re- quired accuracy can be obtained.

Seconds signals by use of the photo-electric cell.—The obtaining of accurate time signals from the Kiefler clock using a photo-electric cell as a transmitting medium has been accomplished, and signals constant to about 0.0001 second are now available for distribution to the

bureau's laboratories.

Design of new pendulum.—In continuation of the research on

seconds signals, the bureau proposes to construct a pendulum which

will give accurate seconds signals by means of a photo-electric cell and to cause the cell at the same time to close a circuit which will give an impulse to the pendulum and maintain its motion. Results

so far are encouraging.

Specifications for electric time systems, fire alarms, etc.—The chief

of the time section has served as secretary of the technical committee

on Government master specifications for manual fire-alarm systems,

electric and pneumatic clock systems, and watchman's time-clock

systems. Specifications on manual fire-alarm systems and electric- clock systems have been prepared and are in the hands of the Federal

Specifications Board. Specifications for watchman's time-clock

systems will be ready shortly.
10 REPORT TO THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE

The chief of the time section has also served as a member of the

certification committee and of the examining board of the Horological Institute of America. There are now certified watch repair

men in every State, in Hawaii, Canada, and England. A total of 913 junior watchmaker's certificates and 380 certified watchmaker's

certificates have been granted to date.

Glass volumetric apparatus.—Over 15,000 pieces of glass volumetric

apparatus were submitted for test. Of this number 98 per cent was

found eligible for test, while of that tested 93 per cent passed the

test for accuracy. This is an improvement over previous years and

is especially gratifying since a large part of the apparatus submitted

is now made in the United States. Fundamental constants and properties of pure metals and their

alloys.—Work on the properties of very pure nickel, thorium, and

rhodium is well advanced. That on pure zinc and cadmium will be

incorporated in a circular now being prepared on those metals.

The effect of cold working on the hardness of pure copper and other

metals has been studied, and a report is nearly ready for publication.

An attempt is being made to find out more about the nature of the

Ai point in pure iron by means of the beta ray spectroscope. Plans

are being laid for a comprehensive study of pure iron ; what has been

taken as "pure" iron in the past is now known to have had appreciable contamination from oxygen.

Development of metallographic test methods.—An automatic polishing machine, designed and built at the bureau, has worked out very

successfully, giving, even with inexperienced operators, a better

quality of polish on specimens for microscopic examination than can

be gotten by hand save by the most tedious and painstaking effort. With the personal equation of polishing efiminated by this machine,

the way is open for the study of methods and materials used in

polishing.

Platinum metals.—Special attention has been given to methods for the accurate determination of the individual metals. Satisfactory

procedures for the determination of iridium and ruthenium were

developed, and some progress was made on the determination of osmium.

An improvement was made in the method for the purification of rhodium with respect to the elimination of minute amounts of iridium.

The development of a method for the preparation of very pure

iridium was resumed after several months' interruption.

Several lots of pure platinum and pure rhodium were prepared for the study of physical and mechanical properties of the metals.

Analytical reagent chemicals.—Forty-eight individual methods for the determination of impurities in reagent chemicals were investigated and in many cases modified or replaced by better methods.

As in past years this work formed a material part of the preparation

of specifications for reagent chemicals by a committee of the American

Chemical Society.

Accelerated weathering tests. —Additional work has been done with

accelerated tests to simulate weather decay of organic protective

coatings. Most materials can be tested with a simple cycle of fight

and rain, and data on a variety of coatings are being accumulated.

A simpler apparatus for determining the point of breakdown of an

organic protective coating on metal has been constructed.
BUREAU OF STANDAKDS 11

Tinting strength of pigments.—The tinting strength of white and

black pigments is the brightening or darkening strength, respectively;

but with chromatic pigments tinting strength is a 2-factor property.

New names for three different factors involved in tinting are suggested; namely, chromatic, darkening, and brightening strength.

A method for treating these properties photometrically or spectrophotometrically and of indicating their relative magnitude by

numerical indices is suggested.

Preparation of pure rubber hydrocarbons.—Some crystalline compounds have been obtained and some pure rubber gels of high trans- parency have been prepared.

Molding composition for airplane propellers.—At the request of the

Navy Department a molding composition has been developed for the

construction of airplane propellers for use in wind-tunnel tests. Apparatus and methods for the fractionation of petroleum into its constituent hydrocarbons.—In cooperation with the American Petroleum

Institute, new types of apparatus of increased efficiency have been

developed for the fractionation of petroleum for the purpose of finding

the amounts and nature of the constituent hydrocarbons.

BuTkley consistometer.—A new consistometer has been developed

which embodies both speed and wide range of applicability. It has

been found particularly useful in obtaining information on both the

mrworked and worked (or broken down) consistency of oils when in a plastic condition at low temperatures.

Thinfilm lubrication.—It has been shown that the apparent clogging

of capillaries 0.3 mm. in diameter by continuous flow of an oil, which

in the literature on the subject has been attributed to formation of a rigid film, is really due to impurities in the oil. Work on finer

capillaries is in progress. Rerefining of used lubricating oils.—Both automobile and airplane

engine oils have been successfully rerefined at the bureau. A commercially successful method not only saves the oil but solves the

problem of disposing of what would otherwise be a waste product.

Low-temperature investigations.—To make better provision for the

low-temperature investigations of the bureau, a new liquefier of larger

capacity was built, a new hydrogen compressor was purchased, and

cryostats for temperatures down to that of liquid air were designed

and are being constructed.

Gas thermometry.—Apparatus is being designed and constructed for use in determining the mean coefficient of expansion between 0° and

100° C. of the thermometric gases, to provide new data for calculating

the interval between the ice point and the absolute zero. The designs

include a thermometer with no unheated space, and very sensitive

pressure measuring apparatus, so that measurements may be made at low pressures. Properties of carbon dioxide.—Some additional experiments on vapor

pressure were made, and equations and tables for vapor pressure of both solid and liquid have been calculated. Apparatus for determining the pressure-volume-temperature relations has been constructed.

Molecular weights in the vapor state.—The range over which molecular weights can be determined in the vapor state has been extended

by the development of a method combining vapor pressure and

evaporation experiments. This makes possible the determination of molecular weights at temperatures at which the total pressure may be

only a fraction of a millimeter of mercury.
12 REPORT TO THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE

Orifice-meter investigations.—Cooperative orifice-meter tests sponsored by the gas measurement committee, natural gas department of the American Gas Association, with the cooperation of the Bureau of Standards and Bureau of Mines, have included tests on the effects of orifice-meter flange design; a study of the discharge coefficient of

orifices in 4-inch lines for comparison with those previously obtained

for an 8-inch line; and three series of tests for studying the effects of

high-line pressures. The results of the tests with different flange forms were fairly consistent, but because of the unexpectedly large effect shown, the

validity of the tests was questioned by some of the companies inter- ested. Further tests on the subject are to be made.

Density of creosote oils.—An investigation of the density and thermal

expansion of creosote oils was carried out at the request of the

American Wood Preservers Association, the American Society for Testing Materials, and the American Railway Engineering Association in order that the volume of creosote oils at various temperatures

might be accurately calculated. The work is being continued to include coal-tar creosote oil. Development of new apparatus for testing dilution pipettes.—A large

increase in the number of dilution pipettes submitted for test made it necessary to develop a more rapid method of test than that formerly

in use. The new method has already proven highly satisfactory in

both speed and accuracy.

Physical properties of baked products.—Last September the United

States Manufacturers of Cream of Tartar (Inc.) placed a research

associate at the bureau for the purpose of investigating the physical

properties of baked products. Attention has thus far been given

largely to a study of volume, because of the wide use of this property

in evaluating flour, baking powder, and other ingredients of baked

products. A detailed study has been made of the various methods

used in the determination of volume, and many of the sources of uncertainty in previous measurements have been discovered and

eliminated. The work is being continued and other properties, such

as color and texture, will be studied.

Temperature of drying rolls.—The bureau was requested by the

United States District Court of New York to determine the temperature of milk drying rolls, under conditions of use, as the temperature was an issue in patent litigation. A satisfactory method of making

such measurements was found and applied.

Construction of instruments and apparatus and preparation of test specimens.—The construction division took care of the requirements

for instruments and apparatus, including glass apparatus of various

designs, and woodwork required in the upkeep of buildings. Test

specimens and standard steel and alloy samples were also prepared.

Some of the apparatus built may be mentioned: Three vibration

galvanometers, stroboscope, amplifier set, six resistance frames, double

spectrometer, optical head for coincidence type thread gage, two

quadrant resolution instruments, autographic thermal expansion fur- nace, eight resistance standards, two diffuse illumination color comparators, and a large amount of special radio apparatus.
BUREAU OF STANDARDS 13

EQUIPMENT ($88,000)

Upkeep of mechanical plant.—The usual maintenance work, such as the replacement of piping, fittings, valves, etc., has been carried on. A number of changes have been made in piping layouts to facilitate connection to the new power plant.

Electrical construction and repair.—The usual maintenance work on

the electrical installations has been carried on and a great number of new electrical installations incident to laboratory expansion have

been made.

Plumbing and pipe work.—In addition to the maintenance work on

existing pipe systems, new extensions to steam, water, gas, air, and vacuum lines were made incident to the installation of new laboratory

equipment. A new water main has been installed to supplement the

water supply.

Spectrograph.—A quartz spectrograph, giving a spectrum from

2100 A to 8000 A, about 200 mm. long, was purchased for use in the

spectroscopic section.

Timepieces.—A Shortt mean-time astronomical clock with slave

clock, and a weight-driven printing chronograph with an error not

exceeding one 1/100 second, were ordered for the mechanics and sound

division.

Testing machines.—One hydraulic compression testing machine

with a capacity of 300,000 pounds and an Amsler rope-testing machine

were ordered for use in the testing of structural materials.

Machine tools.—Purchases for the bureau's instrument and machine

shops included three plain precision bench lathes, one motor-driven

shaper, and one universal milling machine, the last for use in the

Chicago master-scale depot.

Miscellaneous machinery.—Purchases of other machinery included

three vacuum condensate return pumps, one 100-kw. frequency changer

set for use with high-frequency furnace, one air-conditioning unit for

the cement section, and one 4-stage belt-driven hydrogen compressor

for the low-temperature laboratory.

GENERAL EXPENSES ($69,855)

Beat, light, and power.—Coal for heating and electricity for lighting

and power purposes have been purchased as necessary. Miscellaneous supplies.—Office and janitorial supplies, gasoline,

and lubricating oil have been provided as usual.

Library books.—The number of volumes accessioned was 1,639 (the same as last year) and 201 were canceled, maldng the total number of

accessioned volumes 33,871. Scientific and technical periodicals re- ceived number 1,056.

Travel.—Provision was made for travel on general bureau business,

not connected with any specific problem. Travel of the members

of the bureau's visiting committee was also provided for. IMPROVEMENT AND CARE OF GROUNDS ($14,431)

Improvement of grounds.—Good progress has been made in improvement of the grounds by grading and sodding, the planting of trees and shrubs, extension of sidewalks, construction of road curbing, etc

.

69872—29 3
14 REPORT TO THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE

TESTING STRUCTURAL MATERIALS ($267,058)

Plumbing codes.—A revised edition of the report of the subcommittee on plumbing codes of the building code committee was published.

These recommendations have been utilized in laws or regulations of seven States and more than 100 cities. Building codes.—The building code committee practically completed

its report on fire-resistive construction, and started to revise and consolidate the seven reports issued since 1923.

City planning and zoning.—Surveys of zoning ordinances and city

planning activities throughout the country were made and issued. A

standard city planning enabling act was published, and the standard

State zoning enabling act has now been used in the laws of 34 States. Construction economics.—A review of construction from 1919 to 1928 was written for the committee on recent economic changes of the

President's Conference on Unemployment. The article on Construction for the Commerce Yearbook, and numerous other reports on

building activity, building costs, and building materials, were pre- pared. Retail prices for building materials in 55 cities have been

issued monthly.

Home financing.—Present Home Financing Methods, a pamphlet

for prospective home builders and groups interested in improving

existing financing facilities, was printed.

Survey oj small house construction.—Data on the design, choice of materials, structural details, and general conditions relating to the

construction and sale of small houses were obtained through a field survey in 31 cities. Cooperation with other agencies on building and housing problems.-—

Cooperation was continued with Federal and State agencies and with

thousands of local governments and private organizations concerned

with building and housing. City planning and zoning, building codes,

and home-ownership problems were taken up jointly with bodies

such as Better Homes in America with its 5,700 local committees

and organizations representing architects, engineers, business, civic,

and other groups.

Arlington Memorial Bridge.—In conjunction with the Arlington

Memorial Bridge Commission, measurements of temperature, during

and subsequent to the hardening of the concrete; deformations of the

arch barrel due to changes in loading and temperature; rotations of the piers; and effectiveness of the expansion joints are being made in one of the reinforced concrete arch spans of this bridge. Both the

elastic and inelastic deformations are being determined and the

measurements are planned to furnish a check on the reliability of the

results of model tests. Durability of concrete aggregates.—Apparently there is no relation

between strength of concrete and amount of disintegration. In

several cases concrete made from aggregates which have been submitted to the sodium-sulphate and sodium-chloride treatments

showed at 15 months no gain in strength or a loss of strength compared

to the 3-month tests. In the boil and dry and untreated aggregates

there was in every case an increase in strength.

piatomaceous earth. —Fourteen samples of diatomaceous earth submitted by different producers were included in an investigation to study differences in these materials when used as admixtures in
BUREAU OF STANDARDS 15

concrete. All were found to act in much the same manner, requiring more water to give the same flow as concrete without admixtures.

The strength was in some cases slightly lowered.

Durability of bond between mortar and brick.—Cooperating with the

American Face Brick Association, an investigation of the durability

of the bond between mortar and brick has been started. This work

includes tests to determine the effects of absorption and rate of absorption of the brick, moisture content of brick when bonded, and initial curing conditions on the durability of the bond after a few months

exposure to dry, saturated, or outdoor storage, or to 50 cycles of

freezing and thawing.

Clay brick and brick masonry.—In cooperation with the Common

Brick Manufacturers' Association, the effects on wall strengths of such

factors as the physical properties of the brick, composition and properties of the mortar, and the workmanship have been determined for a wide range of the commercially important types of construction and

materials. In addition, the strength and absorptive properties of

brick from a number of sources have been determined to obtain data

useful in the development of specifications for brick. Cast stone. —Samples of cast stone from all parts of the United

States show a considerable range in properties. The number of cycles of freezing and thawing that the specimens underwent before

any signs of disintegration varied from 15 to over 500.

Slate.—Approximately 2,800 tests on about 60 samples of slate from quarries in Maine, Vermont, New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Georgia, Tennessee, and Arkansas gave the following values:

Highest Lowest Average

Absorption by weight (per cent) ..... ... 1. 63 0.1 0. 27 True specific gravity. .... 2. 90 2. 77 2. 78 Bulk specific gravity. ... . .... 2. 87 2.74 2. 76 Modulus of rupture _ 16, 160 3, 380 9, 340 Modulus of elasticity. .. ... . . ... 18, 400, 000 7, 400, 000 13, 400, 000 Maximum deflection for He inch thickness, 15.5-inch span (inch)... 0. 240 0. 081 0. 145 Abrasive hardness. ... ....... ... 15.2 6.2 8.3 Frost-action tests on 23 samples of slate are in progress, some of which have undergone nearly 4,000 freezings, These tests indicate

that slate has a high resistance to frost action.

Lime.—The compilation of data on the composition, fineness, and

available lime content of chemical quicklimes was completed. Progress

has been made in the development of an improved method for determining the soundness of lime. The present standard method requires

at least three days for a test while the improved method takes from

four to five hours. A continuous sedimentation method for determining the fineness of lime is being tried and appears to be capable of giving the desired results. Sand-lime brick.—Absorption, transverse strength, compressive

strength flat, and compressive strength on edge of representative

samples of sand-lime bricks from 27 manufacturers have been determined. Some of the brick from each lot have been reserved for a more thorough study of the absorption characteristics, after which

accelerated weathering tests will be made.

Gypsum fiber concrete.—This material, mixed in the proportions used

in practice, may be expected to have an ultimate compressive strength

of from 450 to 1,300 pounds per square inch.
16 REPORT TO THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE

Lime and gypsum.—Results indicate that the modified Vicat apparatus is superior to the Southard viscosimeter, the present standard

instrument for testing consistency of calcined gypsum. Committee

C-ll of the American Society for Testing Materials has adopted the

modified Vicat apparatus as their standard.

Tests indicate that Keene's cement to be of good quality should

have a tensile strength of over 450 pounds per square inch. The

time of set of the majority of the cements tested was between one and

four hours.

Elastic 'pointing materials.—The exposure of 60 proprietary

materials to the weather for nearly two years in the joints of coping

stone has indicated a large percentage of failures. Discolorations of the limestone near the joints due to oil penetration were found to disappear after a few months and hence this feature could not be

considered especially objectionable. The most common failure of

the materials is due to shrinkage cracks. A few of the very plastic

grades flowed from vertical joints, while others became hard and

inelastic after a period of weathering.

Waterproofing compounds.—Considerable difference has been found

in the effectiveness of commercial dampproofing and waterproofing

compounds. After seven days' curing, concrete test specimens are subjected to a 20 pounds per square inch water pressure. The

permeability as measured by the amount of water passing through

the specimen is determined at all ages up to one year. Stone preservatives.—A special study has been initiated to determine

the value of stone preservatives in preventing decay under various

conditions. Several instances of decay of stone in important buildings have forcefully shown the need for more information in this field,

since some of the building stones which have heretofore been considered to be reasonably permanent have reached advanced stages of decay within 60 years. Abrasive hardness.—Further improvements have been made

on the abrasion-testing apparatus, and data have been obtained on marble, limestone, sandstone, granite, and slate, as follows:

Ha values

Highest Lowest Average

Marble (142 tests) 34.5 7.5 17.0 Serpentine (14 tests) 97.6 12.9 42.3

24.9 1.0 9.8 Sandstone (12 tests) - 10.8 2.5 6.7 Granite (30 tests).. 75.1 37.0 56.3

Slate (94 tests) 15.2 5.8 8.1 The Ha figures given above were determined by abrading the

various materials under uniform conditions with No. 60 artificial corundum and expressing the result as a reciprocal of the volume

abraded in a given time.

Chemical testing and methods of analysis.—Approximately 2,000

samples of structural materials were tested for various branches of

the Government. Analyses of Portland cement, cast irons, steels,

alloy steels, ferro-alloys, brasses, bronzes, bearing metals, boiler

plugs, Monel metal, and light aluminum alloys were made to aid in the
BUREAU OF STANDARDS 17

development of specifications, to insure proper delivery of materials,

to detect causes of failure in service, and to determine the composition

of materials used in metallurgical research. Nickel and chromium

plated plumbing fixtures and hardware were examined, and some time was also spent in developing improved and more rapid test methods.

Cement reference laboratory.—In cooperation with the committee

on cement of the American Society for Testing Materials there has

been established a laboratory to deal with the various difficulties encountered in the testing of cement in the 300 cement laboratories of

the country. Instruction will be given to employees of cement

laboratories throughout the country in proper methods of testing,

equipment used in testing will be calibrated, and new test methods

will be studied. A staff has been assembled and the laboratory is now ready for operation.

Branch laboratories and inspection of cement.—The branch laboratories maintained at Northampton, Pa., for inspection and testing of

cement; Denver, Colo., for testing of cement and concreting materials;

and San Francisco, Calif., for testing cement and miscellaneous

materials; together with the cement-testing laboratory in Washington,

have rendered a much-needed service to Government purchasing

agencies. One million two hundred and ninety thousand five hundred

and forty-two barrels of cement were sampled and 1,073,590 barrels were shipped.

TESTING MACHINES ($41,003)

Calibration of testing machines.—Specifications have been issued

covering the manufacture and use of proving rings, of which 17,

with capacities up to 100,000 pounds, have been tested. Proving

rings which failed to meet the specifications have been studied to determine the cause of their unsatisfactory performance. Experience

has shown that proving rings are superior to any other device on the

market for calibrating testing machines.

Bridge towers.—At the request of the Port of New York Authority

the bureau has undertaken a series of strength tests on models of the

tower column sections used in the Hudson River suspension bridge.

Four columns, 24 feet in length, with a section area of about 160

square inches, have been tested to destruction. Two were made from

ordinary structural steel and two from silicon structural steel. The

former failed at loads of about five and one-half million pounds and the

latter at about eight and three-fourths million pounds. The column

strengths and coupon test specimen values were found to agree very

well. There was no indication of detail or secondary failure. Fatigue of Alclad.—In cooperation with the Aluminum Co. of America the fatigue resistance of over 120 specimens of corroded and

uncorroded Alclad and comparable duralumin sheets is being determined. Some of the specimens have been subjected to over 100,000,-

000 cycles of stress. The results indicate that the corroded Alclad

specimens have approximately the same life as the uncorroded speci- mens and that the fatigue limit of the corroded duralumin specimens

is slightly less than for uncorroded specimens.

Methods of locking screw threads.—An investigation of methods of locking screw threads is being actively prosecuted in cooperation with

the Dardelet Threadlock Corporation and other manufacturers.

Machines are now being built to apply repeated loads to either the
18 REPORT TO THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE

bolt or nut somewhat as they are applied in service. The stresses in the bolt will be measured by means of optical instruments.

All manufacturers of thread-locking devices have been requested to cooperate.

Dome of the New National Museum.—To insure the safety of a jacking operation during repairs to the dome of the New National

Museum the bureau laid out 96 gage lines on the steelwork which

were measured with strain gages morning and evening during the 40

days required for the work. The total number of readings was about

4,000. It is believed that the stresses in the steelwork were determined with an error not greater than 500 pounds per square inch.

Copper roofing.—Tests in cooperation with the Copper and Brass

Research Association show that the maximum load which can be

continuously supported by a soldered seam without eventual failure

is about one-quarter of the breaking load found by the usual tensile

test. Data have been obtained which will provide the basis for

formulas for computing the sizes of gutters required on buildings.

An investigation of a form of localized corrosion affecting open-valley

flashings has been completed. An inexpensive change in the method

of laying the flashing is suggested as a means for eliminating corrosion

difficulties. INVESTIGATION OF FIRE-RESISTING PROPERTIES ($30,213)

Fire resistance of Jiollow load-bearing wall tile. —The main series of

tests in cooperation with the Hollow Building Tile Association consisted of 167 fire-endurance tests and 4 fire and water tests of typical

wall constructions, 71 of which were made with walls between 10 and

11 feet high and 8 to 16 feet wide. This was preceded by two pre- liminary series to determine the effects of fire on individual tile units> the effects of changes in design of unit, and in the constituents and

preparation of the clay.

The results are summarized as fire-resistance periods, which are determined by the time the walls sustained load under fire exposure

and prevented the average temperature rise on the unexposed side

from exceeding 139° C. (250° F.), or the maximum rise at any point

where temperature measurements are taken from exceeding 180.6° C.

(325° F.). Freedom from cracks or openings large enough to trans- mit flame or ignite combustible materials is also required both in

fire-endurance tests and fire and water tests. The final grouping of test results is in three classes, determined by

the design of the tile. Fire-resistance periods are given for 8, 12, and

16 inch walls in each class, the values varying with the thickness and

design from 1% to 11 hours for unplastered walls and from 4 to 15

hours for walls plastered on both sides. Periods for walls assumed

to have combustible members projecting into them 4 inches from the

unexposed side ranged from 1 hour with 8-inch unplastered walls to 10 hours with 16-inch plastered walls built of tile of the designs giving

the highest results. Severity of building fires.—A burning-out test was conducted in a

fire-resistive building containing kerosene in open pans to an amount

giving approximately the same Btu content as was present in the

furniture and paper in a previous similar test with office occupancy.

Although, on account of its higher fuel value, the weight of kerosene

introduced was less than one-half of that of the wood and paper for
BUREAU OP STANDARDS 19

the companion test, the equivalent duration of the resulting fire was

the same within 10 minutes. The results indicate possibility of gaging the fire hazard of occupancies in terms of the severity of the

standard furnace test by means of the amount and fuel value of

combustibles present per unit of floor area or room volume.

Moving of large wall furnace.—As provided for by a special appropriation of $22,000, the structural framing of the large wall furnace

and shelter has been moved to a new location and reerected with

reinforced concrete inclosing walls and roof. The new furnace is designed to obtain good temperature uniformity over the wall area

exposed, and a fire control that will enable the furnace exposure to be

duplicated in successive tests and conform with prescribed standards.

INVESTIGATION OF PUBLIC UTILITY STANDARDS ($107,297)

Electrical codes.—A new edition of Handbook 4, discussion of the

National Electrical Safety Code, was issued, and a pictorial edition

of this code is in preparation. Assistance was given State commissions in Nevada and Wisconsin in preparing State codes. A 1929

edition of the electrical code combining accident-prevention and fire- prevention rules was prepared, and cooperation was rendered in the

preparation of a standard code for the use of electricity in metal

mining. The bureau assisted in the revision of the National Electrical Code of the National Board of Fire Underwriters for a 1929

edition.

Protection against lightning.—Miscellaneous Publication No. 92,

Code for Protection Against Lightning, was issued. Data collected

by the Western Actuarial Bureau were analyzed. Assistance was

given in the preparation of the report on protection against lightning

of the National Fire Protection Association.

Code for electricity meters.—The new edition of the Code for Electricity Meters, issued under a joint sponsorship of the National

Electric Light Association, the Association of Edison Illuminating

Companies, and the bureau, has been submitted to the United States

national committee of the International Electro technical Commission

as a proposed basis for an international specification for alternating- current watt-hour meters. Surveys of Government telephone service.—Methods of meeting the

telephone service requirements of activities both in Washington and

in the field have been studied. Recommendations were made for a consolidated Treasury system in Washington on completion of the

Internal Revenue Building and concerning consolidated service in

nine Federal buildings in other cities. Soil-corrosion investigation.—Approximately 1,000 samples of pipe

materials were removed from the soil-corrosion test locations and

examined. The results confirm those previously published. An

extensive investigation of protective coatings for pipe lines is under

way.

Measurement of high voltages and large currents.—The optical parts

for the large high-voltage electrometer were completed. The guard

condenser was assembled and studies of its potential distribution were made. The original beam-arrestment mechanism was discarded and

a much more accurate mechanism was designed and constructed.

Oil-cooled shunts for 1,000, 2,000, and 2,500 amperes were finished,
20 REPORT TO THE SECRETARY OE COMMERCE

with the necessary oil-cooling equipment, and a standard current transformer for currents up to 12,000 amperes was nearly finished.

A cathode-ray oscillograph for use in studying the properties of liquid

dielectrics was completed.

Fractional distillation of gases.—Study of methods for the analytical

separation of natural gases by fractional distillation, including the

definition and determination of the gasoline in the gas, was completed.

Specific gravity and density halances jor gas.—An improved balance was constructed employing a type of suspension not previously used

in this field. A balance has also been designed for the direct determination of the density of gases. Oven linings.—The corrosion of the majority of available commercial oven linings under service conditions has been determined.

Miscellaneous gas appliances.—The efficiency of storage water

heaters has been measured, methods of rating them worked out, and

satisfactory performance standards recommended. A study was made of the floor temperatures under radiant heaters with reference

to standard tests for safety in connection with such heaters.

Burners jor propane and hutane.—Successful laboratory burners for

these " bottled" gases were constructed and are now being used as models by apparatus companies.

TESTING MISCELLANEOUS MATERIALS ($47,125)

Variety of materials tested.—A great variety of chemical and physical

tests were made for Government departments on paints, varnishes,

roofing and waterproofing materials, rubber goods, packings, inks,

typewriter ribbons, carbon paper, textiles, boiler waters and compounds, detergents, chemicals, gold alloys, etc. Miscellaneous materials were tested to determine their fire hazard to guide the Steamboat Inspection Service in making rulings on the transportation of commodities on passenger vessels. RADIO RESEARCH ($55,772)

Standards of radio-frequency.—The accuracy of the bureau's fre- quency standard was considerably improved by means of piezooscillators, in which special attention was paid to temperature control

and quartz plate mountings. The error in constancy of these piezooscillators is less than 5 parts per 1,000,000. Intercomparisons between the bureau's standards and those of two other laboratories in

the United States showed agreement to 1 part per 100,000. The

transmitters used for sending out scheduled signals of standard fre- quency were reconstructed in order to permit closer frequency

setting and control, with resulting marked improvement in the

accuracy of the transmissions.

Study of piezo-electricity

.

—A theoretical and experimental study of the operation of the quartz plate in a piezooscillator was made.

The modes of vibration of a quartz plate were studied by observing

the glow discharge surrounding the plate when operating in helium

at a low pressure. Special methods of driving the quartz plate in a

piezooscillator were developed and studied.

Improvements in testing station frequency standards.—The accuracy

of testing piezooscillators used by broadcasting stations was in-
BUREAU OF STANDARDS 21

creased about ten times by using a method which gives a calibration

directly in terms of a standard piezooscillator. The temperature of the room used for testing is maintained constant at all times.

Radio wave phenomena.—The vagaries of radio wave transmission were studied by means of field intensity measurements, fading

records, and wave direction determination. Measurements were made at the bureau, at field stations, and in a traveling laboratory.

Rapid variations in the intensity of received signals were found to be

partly due to continual changes in the plane of polarization of the waves which arrive by way of various paths and combine at the

receiving station. Apparatus was developed to isolate the various

factors involved and to make possible a study of each one independently. Measurements were made on the apparent height of the

Kennelly-Heaviside layer by measuring the time difference between

the arrival of the ground wave and the upper-air wave. Radio wave propagation.—Continuous signal intensity records from

long-wave stations in various parts of the world are furnishing

information as to annual, seasonal, and diurnal variations in signal

strength and as to the properties of the Kennelly-Heaviside layer

which causes fading of signals, errors in direction finding, and other

variations in radio propagation.

Correlation of radio with other natural phenomena.—When averaged

over long periods, daylight signal intensity appears to vary directly

while daylight static varies inversely with solar activity and the

disturbances in terrestrial magnetism. Correlations with weather

are very marked in the case of static and less marked in the case of signal strength.

Assistance to Federal Radio Commission.—Technical assistance,

including preparation of data, was given the Federal Radio Commission. At the request of the commission the services of the chief

of the radio section were made available for a period of four months,

during which he served as chief engineer and organized the engineering

division of the commission.

COLOR STANDARDIZATION ($10,950)

Fixing upon a standard "white."—The spectrum colors, such as red

and green, are specified by their wave length, but white must be

fixed by agreement. Various suggestions are as yet open to selection

" White" shall be defined as the color (a) which a sufficient number

of observers, having normal color vision, select by preference; or

(b) of the sun's radiation (outside the atmosphere); or (c) of a completely overcast sky; or (d) of an equal energy spectrum; or (e) of a " black" body when the ratio of its luminosity to its total radiation

is a maximum, about 0.14. Of these, (b), (c), and (e) have been the subject of intensive study

which, it is believed, will soon culminate in a generally acceptable

specification for white.

Spectrophotometry measurements fundamental to the photometry of

practical light sources.—Color differences between various light sources

in common use entail a direct comparison of intensities. Calibrated

optical filters for equalizing the color have proved effective. From a recent interlaboratory comparison in this country of

several such filters it was concluded that: (1) Consistent values

may be obtained by the spectrophotometric method in the measure69872—29 4
22 REPORT TO THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE

ment of the intensities of deeply colored light; and (2) such values

agree more or less satisfactorily with the averages obtained by the

so-called flicker and equality-of-brightness methods of photometry.

Blue niters are now being evaluated by the national laboratories of

England, France, Germany, and the United States, by means of

which the relative efficiencies of vacuum and gas-filled lamps may

be expressed on a common basis in all four countries.

Lovibond glasses.—The calibration of 65 of the "35-yellow" Lovibond glasses, used in the color grading of edible oils, which has been

conducted in cooperation with the American Oil Chemists' Society, was completed and a publication issued. The effect of temperature

changes on the readings with red and yellow glasses was also determined and was found to be small. More than 1,000 red glasses have

been calibrated in terms of the bureau's standards and reported to the owners. The results of these calibrations are now being collated

and prepared for publication.

INVESTIGATION OF CLAY PRODUCTS ($49,370)

Investigations on architectural terra cotta.—In cooperation with the

National Terra Cotta Society the resistance of terra cotta to weathering was determined. Factory tests are being developed to assist terra- cotta plants in inspecting their ware before it leaves the factory.

The best method of setting terra-cotta ashlar on buildings was

studied. Filled terra-cotta facing adds considerably to the strength

of walls and apparently justifies reckoning filled terra cotta as a portion of the thickness of walls. In brick-backed construction, if mortars are improperly used, the

expansion of the brick masonry tends to pull apart the terra-cotta ashlar and thus open the terra-cotta joints. This expansion is capable of producing a considerable pressure on the terra-cotta facing

unless expansion joints are provided.

Refractory bricks and clays.—Test data obtained on 27 fire clays

and 14 brands of fire-clay bricks indicate that the temperature of firing of these materials has a decided influence on their physical properties,

which in turn affect the fife of the refractory when subjected to thermal shock. Preliminary recommendations have been made as to desirable properties for saggers to increase their life. Resistance to abrasion of metals, suitable for dies, to the flow of plastic

clay.—A marked difference has been found in the wearing qualities of

different metals. For example, it was found that for the same

length of clay column extruded the losses by abrasion of carbonchrome steel and cast iron (both widely used in the industry) were

as 1 to 12. Investigation of hollow-iuare dies.—Density of the clay column is affected more by slight changes in the ratio of water to dry clay—that

is, from 1 to 2 per cent—than by a change of 25 per cent in die length

or 50 per cent change in die taper. Die lubrication plays an un- important part in reducing the power consumption, but materially

improves the column by preventing torn corners and developing

smoother surfaces generally. The most efficient hollow-ware dies for medium plastic clays are those having tapers less than 6° and a total length of not over 3 inches or less than 2 inches and cores not over iy2 inches or less than 1 inch in length.
BUREAU OF STANDARDS 23

Application of light-colored vitreous first coats to sheet iron and steel.—

The following procedure for applying a light-colored vitreous enamel

directly to sheet iron or steel was developed

The metal is first prepared for enameling in the usual manner. It

is then dipped in a 4 per cent solution of cobalt nitrate at about 95°

C. and allowed to remain until hot. Upon withdrawal, the hot

metal quickly dries, after which it is placed in a furnace at about 300°

C. for five minutes, when the cobalt nitrate apparently decomposes

and the metal simultaneously acquires a coating of its own oxide and

of cobalt oxide. Both of these oxides when at the surface promote

adhesiveness, and it appears that practically any enamel composition

which is satisfactory in other respects will adhere well when the iron

is prepared in this way.

Cast iron for enameling purposes.—The gas which causes blisters in an enamel when applied to some iron castings appears to be

principally C02 , with some CO admixed. This evolution of gas may

occur without damage at certain stages of the enameling process, but

from a blistering iron continues through the critical stage of the

enameling during which the relatively thick finish coat of enamel is fused and too viscous to permit free escape of the gas. The evolution of gas during the critical period appears to be caused by the breakdown of combined carbon and its recombination with oxygen, and is controlled by the amount and condition of the combined carbon pres- ent in the surface of the casting to which the enamel is applied.

Experiments have shown that it is possible to modify the nature of

this surface layer so as greatly to reduce blistering through the addition of certain elements to the iron, notably silicon, which diminishes

the proportion of combined carbon.

Use of feldspar in white ware.—Ten similar vitreous white-ware

bodies, maturing at cone 14, were prepared and their properties

determined. The kind of feldspar used and the calcination of differ- ent components appear to have very little effect on the physical

properties, except in cases where the feldspar evidently lost its fluxing power in calcination.

Crazing of semiporcelain dinnerware.—Thermal expansion was

measured on pieces of plates as received and on pieces of the same

plates after they had been treated in the autoclave. The first ex- pansion of each piece after it had been given the autoclave treatment was lower than its expansion before, thus showing that the ware had

absorbed some water during treatment. There was also a material

increase in weight. Specimens with a high water absorption, with two

exceptions, crazed during the autoclave treatment. Improved apparatus for testing chinaware.—A modified pedulum

apparatus, using one 5-ounce hammer, for testing the resistance of

chinaware to impact and chipping has been designed and built to obviate cLifficulties encountered in the use of the apparatus specified

in United States Government Master Specification for Vitrified

Chinaware, No. 243a.

Columbus laboratory.—At the Columbus branch there were secured

during the year data showing the elasticity and thermal dilation of about 110 white-ware glazes. This work was undertaken to secure

factors which might enable one to calculate these physical properties

from the composition of the glazes. The 17 representative English

china clays are being studied for use in the white-ware industry.
24 REPORT TO THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE

The data will be compared with representative china clays of domestic

origin. The cooperation with the American Society of Mechanical

Engineers on the study of power-house refractories was continued

with satisfactory results. Studies of a special white-ware body in

which fluxes are being introduced indicate the possibility of lowering

maturing temperatures for certain types of white ware. The study of

26 representative alluvial and glacial clays and shales to determine

the characteristics which indicate their usability was well advanced.

STANDARDIZING MECHANICAL APPLIANCES ($29,677)

Testing of engineering instruments.—The volume of work in the

calibration of water current meters and other engineering instruments

has increased by 40 per cent in the past fiscal year and by over 100

per cent in the past three years.

Fire-extinguishing^ appliances.—The testing and investigation of

fire-protection appliances for the Steamboat Inspection Service has

been extended to include certain types of complete extinguishing

systems for ships, as distinguished from portable apparatus. .Construction and performance specifications were drawn up for portable

extinguishers of the foam type.

Performance specification for numbering machines.—The experimental study of the durability of numbering machines, resulting in the

formulation of a performance specification for machines of the lever

type for the use of the Federal Specifications Board, has been extended

at the request of the Post Office Department to develop performance

specifications for other types of numbering machines.

Automatic postal machines.—The bureau has cooperated with the

Post Office Department in studying the possible extension of the use

of time and labor saving automatic postal machinery.

Elevator safety interlocks.—Additional commercial examples of

interlocks have been tested. The data are made available, as a basis

for their approval for use on installations in their respective jurisdictions, to certain regulatory bodies, as, for example, the Government

departments, State governments, and casualty insurance companies.

Accelerometer testing equipment.—Equipment for testing accelerometers has been designed and constructed. This consists of a rotating

disk with provision for photographing the dial of an instrument under

test when a reading is desired.

INVESTIGATION OF OPTICAL GLASS ($27,420)

Production of optical glass.—Thirty-nine pots of six different kinds

of optical glass, borosilicate crown, barium flint, medium flint, dense

flint, light barium crown, and ordinary crown, were made to determine melting procedure which will consistently yield glass of good

quality.

Blanks numbering 25,910 and weighing approximately 3,500

pounds were molded and annealed, the majority being used by the

Navy Department.

Physical properties of glass as affected by thermal treatment (including

annealing).—Additional values for the increases in refractivity and

density per degree centigrade decrease in the effective annealing

temperature, and a slight revision of some of the values previously

reported have resulted from new data. Some of the more reliable

tentative values are:
BUREAU OF STANDARDS 25

Type of glass

Increase in refractivity and

density per degree centi- grade decrease in effec- tive annealing temperature

Range of

effective annealing temperature

for which

values were

determined

Refractivity Density (° C)

Medium flint 0. 000024

. 000036

. 000048

. 000032

. 000047

0. 00016

.00027

. 00028 .00017

. 00033

350-460

360-440

470-540

500-570 500-570

Dense flint Borosilicate crown

Ordinary crown _. Light barium crown

Viscosity of glass.—It has been found that the viscosity-temperature

relations of light barium crown and borosilicate crown glasses can be expressed by the equation:

Log. M = C-~^b2 - (1,400- T

2

) in which ju = viscosity, T= temperature (° C), and A, B, and G

are constants having the following values for the two types of glasses

Borosilicate crown, A = 8.53, 5 = 700, (7=10.53, and light barium

crown, ^1 = 8.22, £ = 600, (7=10.18.

Relations between chemical composition, density, and index of refrac- tion of glasses.—A series of glasses was made by melting mixtures of

pure silica and soda ash in a specially designed platinum resistance

furnace. The composition of these glasses varied from approximately 50 per cent silica, 50 per cent soda to 80 per cent silica,

20 per cent soda.

The density of these glasses can be quite accurately computed

from the expression:

D = 0.3293 (Pa -30)°-4486 + 0.01873 (Pb) 1 ' 0802 in which Pa and Pb are the percentages of silica and soda, respectively.

The work on index of refraction necessitated a modification of the

method of measurement because some of these glasses are too hygroscopic to permit grinding and polishing in the ordinary way.

INVESTIGATION OP TEXTILES, ETC. ($54,144)

Method for testing yarns.—An improved multiple strand method

for testing yarns has been devised, in which 100 or more lengths

arranged parallel to one another under the same tension may be

broken simultaneously, thus giving average results for a considerable

amount of material. Auxiliary equipment has been built which

permits testing with the yarns wet with any liquid and at any temperature, thus simulating conditions existing during the process of

manufacture, laundering, or cleaning.

Wool meter.—A simple portable instrument for grading raw wool

has been devised. Results obtained with it agree to better than 2

microns with laborious, time-consuming, microscopical measurements.

Properties of parachute fabrics.—A study of the properties of silk parachute fabrics, for the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, shows that parachute silk of American manufacture is equal

to or better than imported cloth. Specifications for parachute fabric

have been prepared.
26 REPORT TO THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE

Laundry 11 winter damage."—A type of laundry damage, prevalent

in the New England States in the wintertime, known as winter

damage, was investigated at the request of the Laundry Owners'

National Association. It was found that a slight modification of

the laundry procedure will materially decrease this damage.

Dyes.—The fading of dyed textiles in sunlight transmitted by

various glasses showed that the ultra-violet in sunlight which is not

transmitted by window glass has relatively little fading action on most fabrics. The fastness to washing of dyed fabrics was studied,

and a machine for making laboratory tests was built in cooperation

with the American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists

which has adopted it as a standard for the association. The spectral

reflection of dyeings was studied with reference to the dyeing process. Postage stamps.—Cooperative work with the Bureau of Engraving

and Printing on United States postage stamps was undertaken at the request of the Secretary of the Treasury, to effect any possible

improvements in the manufacturing processes or in the quality of

the stamps. One complete printing, gumming, and drying unit is being used for experimental purposes, and thorough laboratory tests are being made of the raw materials and the finished product.

Paper currency.—A publication was prepared which describes

further developments in the manufacture of currency paper, including

the use of various combinations of linen and cotton fibers, and the

effect of variations in the cooking, bleaching, beating, and sizing

operations.

Paper quality standards.—Chemical and physical tests, including

accelerated aging tests, of representative commercial writing and

book papers are being made. One of the important indications of

the tests is that the processing of the fiber, irrespective of its source,

is the most important factor in its rate of deterioration.

Paper-testing methods.—A recommended procedure for determining

the bulk of paper was developed. Modifications in the design of

bursting strength testers were suggested to assist in overcoming some

of the variables of such instruments. The cooperative work with

the Technical Association of the Pulp and Paper Industry on development of official association test methods resulted in the completion

of methods for gloss, opacity, and bulk.

Miscellaneous.—Experiments have been conducted on a humidityrecording instrument for use in paper laboratories, on methods of

measuring gloss and brittleness, and on several unusual papers and

paper-making fibers. The use of sawdust and waste papers has been

found feasible in the manufacture of roofing felts. On the other

hand, rayon, which is commonly found to some extent in papermaking rags, was found to have no paper-making value. Some1 investigations have been made on building board from compressed

wood, flax from New Zealand, insulating board from licorice root,

and a very strong paper made from mitsumata fiber, submitted by

the Imperial Government Printing Bureau of Japan.

SUGAR STANDARDIZATION ($58,227)

Hard refined levulose production.—The semifactory-scale plant is practically completed. The problem of washing the artichoke tubers

and removing foreign material has been successfully solved, and the

hydraulic press station has been improved.
BUREAU OF STANDARDS 27

About 10 tons of cleaned artichokes were worked and the juice

concentrated for dilution later in the experimental operation of the

plant. Further study of the 8 per cent of substance which does not

convert to levulose revealed the presence of a group of new disaccharides, one "of which has been recovered in crystalline form. This

sugar is composed of two molecules of levulose and has been named

difructose anhydride. As no system of analysis of products containing levulose is in existence, the bureau has carried forward the development of such a system to the point where it is now available for plant control.

Color research in sugar 'production.—The transparency^ and optical

stability of sugar solutions for spectrophotometric analysis have been

studied, and the methods for obtaining them have been improved and

the time of preparation reduced. A method of preparing the asbestos

fiber used for the filtration has been worked out so that only two

hours are required for a step which formerly required several days.

Testing of sugars.—The testing of sugars and sugar products, as well

as of polarimetric equipment used in pure research and in the in- dustries, was continued on an augmented scale. The scientific supervision of the collection of the duty imposed by the tariff act on sugars, molasses, etc., vested in the bureau, has been continued by means

of daily exchange samples of sugar and molasses. In response to

industrial requests a table of weights per gallon of sugar solution at the standard temperature of 20° C. has been developed and a supplementary table of weights per gallon at different temperatures

computed.

GAGE STANDARDIZATION ($40,713)

Measurement and certification of master gages.—There has been a

considerable increase in the number of gages submitted for test. The largest volume of work has been submitted by the petroleum

oil industry which has sent master gages for well-casing threads,

rotary tool joints, rotary drill pipe, line pipe, and sucker-rod gages. An increasing number of gages have also been submitted by manufacturers of machine tools and automobile accessories.

Cooperation with standardizing todies.—The bureau has cooperated

with the National Screw Thread Commission in carrying out re- searches on the strength of screw threads and in preparing and editing

the 1928 report of the commission; with the American Gage Design

Committee in preparing standard designs for gage blanks; with the

American Petroleum Institute in fixing tolerances for master gages

and products used in the production of petroleum oil; and with the

Diamond Core Drilling Manufacturers Association in standardizing

equipment used in diamond core drilling operations.

New and improved methods have been devised and utilized in the

measurement of gages. Particular attention has been given to the

setting up of standard conditions and equipment for the measurement

of screw-thread gages. Standard method of determining pitch diameter of thread gages.—

Disputes frequently have arisen between gage maker and the purchaser and user of thread plug gages with regard to values of pitch

diameter of the thread obtained by the wire method of measurement.

This method is almost universally used and its intrinsic accuracy is satisfactory from a practical viewpoint. While a difference in the

value for pitch diameter may be due to inaccurate wires or measuring
28 REPORT TO THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE

instruments such differences may arise from variations in the method

of determining the diameter of the wires or the use of widely different, or excessive contact pressures. The bureau, after consulting with some of the gage makers, has adopted definite limits for contact pressures and a standard method for determining diameter of the wires

used. These standard methods together with specifications for

measuring wires have been adopted by the National Screw Thread

Commission.

INVESTIGATION OF MINE SCALES AND CARS ($13,688)

Tests of mine scales.—The mine scale test equipment of the bureau

made tests of 153 mine scales in the eastern coal fields. Fifty scales, or 32.7 per cent, were within tolerance, while 103, or 67.3 per cent, were found to be incorrect.

The general results, in comparison with results of other years, show

no appreciable changes which might be interpreted to indicate consistent betterment of weighing conditions at coal mines. In sections

of the eastern coal regions, since recent dissolution of previously

existing labor agreements, a noticeable trend toward the system of

payment by contract or by car is apparent.

METALLURGICAL RESEARCH ($51,614)

Foundry sands.—In cooperation with various rubber companies

and with foundries a study has been made of special rubber cements

and of rubber latex as a binder for foundry core sand. Such binders

give cores of high permeability which allow the use of fine sand and

consequent smooth finish on the cored surfaces. The cores burn to

loose sand, which is extremely easy to remove from the casting, thus

greatly reducing difficulties in cleaning out the cores. Core strengths

equivalent to those obtained with linseed oil core binders can be

reached with the rubber-bonded cores. Foundry practice.—Work in cooperation with the Steel Castings

Development Bureau, and with the Bureau of Mines, on causes for

low ductility in steel castings continues.

In cooperation with the American Foundrymen's Association a study has been started of methods for determining the shrinkage of

metals and alloys during freezing; that is, on the propensity to give

unsound castings because of internal shrinkage. Methods of determining the fluidity of metals—that is, their ability to fill a mold

during casting—are likewise being investigated.

Rail steel.—The endurance properties of steel from rails taken from

track after service have been compared with those of steel from rails from the same ingot before service. The endurance properties of

steel from rails that have failed by transverse fissures have also been

studied. Fissures apparently arise from tiny cracks present in the

rail before service. Further work on endurance properties of failed

rails and of alloy and heat-treated rails is in progress, as is work on

the relation between endurance values determined by axial loading

instead of in rotary bending.

Active work on the properties of rail steel at high temperatures is being continued. A large proportion of the rail steel examined has

a range of brittleness at high temperatures, in which the steel is both

weak and of low ductility. While it is not yet certain that cooling

stresses exerted as the rail passes through this temperature range are
BUREAU OF STANDARDS 29

responsible for the " shatter cracks'' that appear to be the nuclei

responsible for transverse fissures, there is enough evidence that the

cracks have some thermal source to justify much further work along

this line. High-speed tool steel and the machindbility of steel.—A report on a new method of evaluating the ability of tool steels to take light cuts

(finish turning), and on the effect of nickel, cobalt, arsenic, antimony,

copper, tin, aluminum, titanium, or tantalum in high-speed steel,

both in roughing and finishing cuts, is in press. A study of the behavior

of tungsten carbide tools has been started. Bearing bronzes.—The effect of zinc as impurity of copper-tin-lead

bearing bronzes for automotive use has been studied in cooperation

with a research associate from a manufacturer of bearings, and a paper

describing the work is in press. Zinc is by no means as harmful as is often supposed. Work on the effect of nickel, antimony, and phosphorus in these bearing bronzes is in progress.

Substitutes for platinum.—The working of pure rhodium, and of alloys of platinum and rhodium high in rhodium has been successfully

accomplished, and these alloys are showing up well in service as furnace windings. Information on the properties of alloys and on

their utility as cheaper substitutes for pure platinum and other

platinum alloys is nearly ready for publication. Work is in progress on the quality of various platinum alloys for laboratory crucibles.

Corrosion of metals.—Results of a study of laboratory corrosion test methods for zinc-coated steels have been published, and a paper on

the effect of aeration in electrolytic corrosion testing is in press. Apparatus for the study of the effect of aeration in submerged corro- sion testing is in operation. The study of corrosion of nonferrous

screen wire cloth and corrosion of zinc-coated products when exposed

to the weather has been continued in cooperation with the American

Society for Testing Materials.

Specifications.—The usual cooperation has been given to the Federal Specifications Board and to technical societies in preparation of specifications for metals, metallic products, molding and core sands,

and foundry supplies.

HIGH-TEMPERATURE INVESTIGATION ($10,401)

Comparison of older temperature scales.—After the adoption of the

international temperature scale a comparison was made between the

thermoelectric portion of this scale and the three other thermoelectric

scales which had been used by the bureau since 1912. None of the

older scales differed from the international scale by more than 0.3° C.

The freezing point of copper on the international scale was determined

as 1083.0° C. and that of the copper-silver eutectic as 779.4° C.

Thermoelectric properties of platinum-rhodium alloys.—The emf

against platinum of a series of these alloys with rhodium content from

1 to 100 per cent was determined over the range 0° to 1,200° C.

Freezing point of nickel.—The location of this point makes it a very

convenient one for the calibration of the standard optical pyrometer.

The temperature was found to be constant and reproductible, the

average found for each of two separate lots being 1,454.9° C, which

when rounded to 1,455° C. is believed not to be in error by more than

1° C.
30 EEPOET TO THE SECEETAEY OF COMMEECE

SOUND INVESTIGATION ($11,469)

Acoustic properties of building materials.—The demands upon the new reverberation chamber for measuring the sound absorption of

materials used in the interior finish of auditoriums are already greater

than can be promptly met. One reason for this is the development

of the talking picture, which has suddenly directed attention to the

acoustic quality of existing theaters which had been built with no

consideration of this point. A large number of measurements have

been made to develop a lime plaster that shall be a good absorber of

sound. These experiments have given promising results but are not

yet completed. Panels of stud and steel construction have been

tested for their soundproof character. The soundproofing of airplane

cabins has been studied and flight tests have been made with the cooperation of the Navy Department and of the Army Air Corps.

Tuning fork investigation.—-The behavior of tuning forks made of

materials other than steel has been studied to find some material

which will produce a fork free from certain errors inherent in steel,

especially the effect of amplitude of vibration upon frequency. Incidentally, it has been necessary to study somewhat extensively the

effect of the character of the mounting upon the period of a tuning

fork. INDUSTRIAL RESEARCH ($203,627)

Properties of water and steam.—In cooperation with the American

Society of Mechanical Engineers, experiments yielding data on the

heat capacity of water over the range 0° to 270° C. were completed.

Observations were taken over intervals of 10° C. and values of the

heat content or enthalpy of saturated water at 10° intervals have

been obtained, each value being the result of nine or more complete

determinations.

Kepresentative values follow:

Enthalpy Enthalpy

Temperature, °C. Mean cal/gram Temperature, °C. Mean cal/gram 10 10. 03 150 150. 88

30 29. 99 200 203. 99

50 49. 94 250 259. 11 100 100. 00 270 282. 76

Experimental data on latent heat at 100°, 130°, 150°, and 200°

have been obtained.

Properties of petroleum products.—In cooperation with the American

Petroleum Institute, the correlation of existing data on important

properties of these products has been completed and the experimental

work is designed to furnish data now lacking. Measurements of the

thermal expansion and compressibility of petroleum products over the

range 0° to 300° C. and 1 to 50 atmospheres are in progress. A calorimeter for measuring specific and latent heats of petroleum products

has been constructed, assembled, and tested. Thermal conductivity of insulating materials.—A new apparatus for

making measurements of conductivity at lower temperatures was

built and used to make measurements on a number of typical insulating and building materials over the range of temperatures from — 30° to +70° C. The conductivities increase with temperature at

rates of 0.2 to 0.4 per cent per degree centigrade. Measurements of conductivity of loose fibrous materials showed that conductivity
BUREAU OF STANDARDS 31

increases as the packing becomes very loose. The conductivities of some of these materials, particularly asbestos fibers, are unexpectedly

high. Comparison of conductivity tests by other laboratories by

means of calibrated specimens showed average deviations of about

3 per cent, which is satisfactory for commercial purposes.

Efficiency of street car reduction gears.—Comparative tests have been

made on two spur gears and one worm gear type in cooperation with

the American Electric Railway Engineering Association, improved

methods of testing and new equipment having been specially developed

for the purpose.

Quenching media.—In hardening steel by quenching, in heat treat- ment, it is often desired to cool the steel at a rate intermediate between

the rate obtained by quenching in water or aqueous solutions and by

quenching in oil. The use of hot aqueous solutions, while it has some

drawbacks, appears to solve the difficulty in at least some cases. Metal spray.—The method of coating a metal or some material like wood or paper with another metal to produce a surface more resistant

to moisture, or with other desirable properties, has drawbacks in

that it is sometimes impracticable to roughen the surface which is to receive the coating so that it will adhere properly. There is a ten- dency for the coating to be porous. By the use of special rubber

cements the adhesion can be much improved and the pores filled. Experimental specimens have been produced which have satisfactorily withstood severe corrosion or exposure tests in cooperating

plants which have to combat corrosion of chemical vapors or liquids.

Gases in metals.—Work on the problem of determining the tiny

amounts of oxygen, hydrogen, and nitrogen in iron and steel has been

centered on overcoming some of the remaining difficulties in the

analytical methods and a determination of their limitations. Both vacuum fusion and "residue" methods have been studied, the latter in close cooperation with the Bureau of Mines. A study of the ways

in which nitrogen combines with iron has been completed.

Heat-resisting alloys.—Long-time tension ("flow" or "creep")

tests on several alloys of industrial importance and similar tests on a

series of alloys of nickel, chromium, and iron were made in cooperation

with the joint committee on high temperature properties of metals

of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and the American

Society for Testing Materials, as well as with a research associate

from a manufacturer of alloy steels. These alloys are the foundation

upon which most of the industrial alloys for service under extreme

temperature conditions are built. Further work on these alloys,

including a study of the effects of various other elements, is contemplated.

Wear-resisting alloys.—The wear resistance of chromium plating,

applied under different conditions of deposition, and of the new

nitrided steels has been studied, using the gage wear tester, previously

developed at the bureau. A rather comprehensive study of a commercial wear tester made abroad, which uses sand as the abrasive,

has not so far shown much promise in that method of testing, as it does not distinguish sharply between metals known to vary in wear

resistance in actual service. Health hazards in chromium plating.—In cooperation with the

United States Public Health Service a study was made of the effects of chromic acid spray upon the health of the operators and the meth-
32 REPORT TO THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE

ods and degree of ventilation required to eliminate such hazards.

The results showed that with reasonable precautions there is no

serious hazard in this industry.

Thermal expansion.—The thermal expansion of magnesium and some of its alloys, as well as of tantalum, rhodium, and amber, have

been determined. Determinations of the thermal expansion of

chromium and fused quartz are now in progress.

Elastic hysteresis research.—Progress has been made in determining

the source of the discrepancy in the values of the elastic hysteresis

modulus when obtained by measuring the deflection of bars under load

and by observing the damping of tuning forks. The measurements

of damping give values twice as great as the deflection method. It has been found that the damping of a tuning fork is unchanged when

the fork is mounted rigidly, suspended by strings, mounted on rubber,

or mounted rigidly and unbalanced by adding weights to one prong.

Attention will now be given to further experiments employing the

deflection method.

Optical heterogeneity oj fused quartz.—Various parts of a single

piece of clear fused quartz, from which it was planned to make a standard of refractive index for testing refractometers, were rigorously investigated as to uniformity of refractive index throughout

the mass of the sample. The variations found were not only small,

but the nature of their distribution indicated that an annealing

process might entirely remove them.

Properties oj flames.—The properties of flames which affect their

stability and efficiency are being studied. An investigation will soon

be finished of the relative proportion of carbon monoxide and hydrogen

in the gases from flames in which combustion is nearly but not quite

complete.

Heat of formation of sulphur.—The heat of formation of sulphur

dioxide, at 25° C. and atmospheric pressure, from rhombic sulphur

and gaseous oxygen was found to be +296,890 ±200 absolute joules

per mole, or dividing by the factor 4,185, this value becomes 70,940

g-cal15 . Heat of formation of nitric acid.—A method and apparatus for

determining directly the heat of reaction between nitric acid and

hydrogen to form nitrogen and water has been perfected and measure- ments of this thermochemical constant are under way.

Identifications.—Attention has been given to the identification of typewriting, handwriting, bullets, cartridge cases, and firearms. The

bureau's purpose is to establish standards which may be regarded as reasonable minimum requirements for equipment and training for carrying on this work. On numerous occasions the bureau has

assisted other departments of the Federal Government in problems of identification.

Fading of dyes.—A spectrophotometric method has been perfected

for the quantitative measurement of the degree of fading of dyed fabrics. Tentative standard methods for determining the fastness to washing of dyed fabrics have also been developed, and a machine

embodying these methods has recently been placed on the market.

Sole leather.—Tests recently completed show that sole leathers first tanned with chromium salts and then retanned with vegetable materials wear from 25 to 75 per cent longer than the ordinary vegetable

tanned sole leathers now chiefly used.
BUREAU OF STANDARDS 33

Acid in leather.—Leather prepared with one particular tanning

material has lasted two years without appreciable deterioration,

although it contained 3 per cent sulphuric acid. Leather prepared

with another material snowed deterioration in samples containing

about 1 per cent sulphuric acid. It appears that the resistance of

leather to deterioration by sulphuric acid is influenced by the vegetable material with which it is tanned. A study of the effects of relative humidity upon the deterioration of leather by sulphuric acid

indicates that deterioration takes place at a greater rate with high

than with low humidities.

This project is sponsored jointly by the Tanners' Council of America and the American Leather Chemists Association, and cooperation is effected through an advisory committee representing these

organizations.

Influence of temperature and humidity on the physical properties of

rubber compounds.—In cooperation with the American Chemical

Society an investigation has been completed of the effect of temperature and relative humidity upon the physical properties of rubber as exemplified by the stress-strain relation and the resistance to abrasion. The effect of relative humidity and temperature upon the

resistance to abrasion is of interest to the industry, for it concerns the

seasonal tire wear as well as the standardization of the laboratory

procedure in determining this property.

Sponge rubber.—A survey of the manufacture of sponge rubber has

been made, using samples of sheet sponge of different types obtained

from several sources. This investigation covers hardness, porosity,

strength, permanent set, water absorption, buoyancy, hysteresis under

compression, cushioning properties, and heat insulation.

Abrasion tests for rubber.—A new abrasion-test machine has been

designed and built, and data on its performance are being obtained.

Rubber floor tile.—A report covering the properties of rubber floor

tile has been prepared and discussed at conferences with manufacturers and users. Further work is planned to make available definite

information regarding the physical properties desirable in rubber floor

tile and the conditions of service for which it is best adapted.

Properties of electrical insulating materials.—This research has been

largely confined to the electrical properties of compounds of sulphur

with pure rubber hydrocarbon. A series of 17 compounds has been

studied in which the sulphur content varied from to 32 per cent in

steps of 2 per cent. The dielectric constant, power factor, and

resistivity of each member of the above series were measured at approximately temperatures from —77° to +102° C, the dielectric

constant and power factor being measured at 60, 1,000, and 3,000

cycles. A comparative method for measuring the thermal conductivity of electrical insulating materials has been developed.

Storage-battery investigation.—Experiments to determine the effect of expanders as well as variations in the treatment of plates after pasting have been made. The causes of corrosion of positive plates

in large storage batteries, such as those used in submarines, are being

studied. An investigation to determine the possibility of using other

material than antimony to harden the lead of the grids has been

begun.

Wind pressure on structures.—Measurements of the wind pressure on a relatively smooth cylindrical stack 10 feet in diameter and 30
34 REPORT TO THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE

feet high in a natural wind have shown a pressure corresponding to approximately 10 pounds per square foot (projected area) at a speed

of 100 miles per hour. On the brick stack of the bureau's power

plant values corresponding to 15 to 17 pounds per square foot at 100

miles per hour have been noted. The wind pressure in model tests

is known to increase with the height-diameter ratio and with roughness, and the same appears to be true of large structures in natural

winds. For general use the bureau can not at present recommend

any reduction below the commonly used figure of 20 pounds per

square foot at 100 miles per hour.

Spectrochemical analysis.—New descriptions of the arc and spark

spectra of lanthanum, chlorine, bromine, iodine, arsenic, krypton,

and4 xenon have been prepared. These have led to the classification

of nearly all the lines in the first (arc) spectrum of each and have

given information as to the most sensitive lines for spectrochemical

detection and quantitative estimation of small quantities, of the

elements. In each, excepting arsenic, the main features of the second

(spark) spectrum have been found, and the strongest spark lines

classified. About 100 samples of metals, alloys, salts, and miscellane- ous materials were examined by spectrographic methods. Impurities were identified in proof gold of the Bureau of the Mint and a higher

standard of proof is now being maintained by the spectroscopic

method of testing.

Atomic structure investigations.—The rate of disappearance of ions

and electrons in an ionized gas by recapture of the electrons has long

remained an unknown quantity in ionization problems. Attention

has been centered on measurements of this probability of recombination. The intensity of the radiation resulting from the capture

process is a convenient measure of the rate of recombination. The

results give reliable values for the relative probabilities of capture

for electrons of different speeds into various atomic levels, while a study of the converse process, ionization of atoms by light, fixes the

absolute value of the probabilities.

Photographic emulsions.—An investigation relating the hydrogen

and bromide ion concentration with the sensitivity of the emulsion

shows that these control sensitivity directly, as well as through their

effect on the efficiency of both nuclear and dye sensitizers. Experiments on sensitization by sulphites indicate that this is peculiarly

dependent on removal of soluble bromide. The study of the effect of washing and coating pH was therefore extended to include the

effect of bromide ion concentration. A study of a particular dye

bath has been made to develop correct principles governing the use

of two dyes.

Research associates.—The following table gives the names of associations and manufacturers cooperating with the bureau under the

research associate plan, together with the number of associates and

the problems on which they are engaged:
BUREAU OF STANDARDS

Research associates at the Bureau of Standards 35

Assigned byAmerican Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists, W. E. Hadley, secretary, care of Clark Thread Co., Newark, N. J. American Chemical Society, rubber section, Mills Building, Washington, D. C. American Dental Association, Columbus, Ohio American Electric Railway Association, care of R. H.

Dalgleish, president, Capital Traction Co., Washington, D. C. American Electroplaters Society, George Gehling, secre- tary-treasurer, 5001 Edmund Street, Philadelphia, Pa. American Face Brick Association, 130 North Wells

Street, Chicago, 111. American Foundrymen's Association, Cleveland, Ohio.. American Gas Association, 342 Madison Avenue, New

York, N. Y. American Petroleum Institute, 250 Park Avenue, New

York, N. Y. American Society of Mechanical Engineers, 29 West

Thirty-ninth Street, New York, N. Y. American Society for Testing Materials, 1315 Spruce

Street, Philadelphia, Pa. Asphalt Shingle and Roofing Institute, 285 Madison

Avenue, New York, N. Y.

Associated Knit Underwear Manufacturers of America

(Inc.), 329 Main Street, Utica, N. Y.

Atlas Lumnite Cement Co., 25 Broadway, New York, N. Y. Brown Co., Berlin, N. H

Bunting Brass & Bronze Co., 715-755 Spencer Street, Toledo, Ohio. Bureau of Efficiency, Washington, D. C

Cast Iron Pipe Research Association, 566 Peoples Gas

Building, Chicago, 111. Celite Co., Los Angeles, Calif Celotex Co., 645 North Michigan Boulevard, Chicago,

111. Cerro de Pasco Copper Corporation, 44 Wall Street, New

York, N. Y. Committee on Glass, E. C. Sullivan, chairman, Corning

Glass Works, Corning, N. Y. Common Brick Manufacturers Association of America,

2121 Guarantee Title Building, Cleveland, Ohio. Copper and Brass Research Association, 25 Broadway, New York, N. Y. Cotton Textile Institute (Inc.), 320 Broadway, New

York, N. Y.

Dardelet Thread Lock Corporation, 120 Broadway, New

York, N. Y. Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, London, England.

Elevator Safety Code Committee, subcommittee on

research, approval, and interpretation, American

Standards Association (formerly American Engineering Standards Committee), 29 West Thirty-ninth

Street, New York, N. Y.

Engineering Foundation, 29 West Thirty-ninth Street, New York, N. Y. Hugh L. Cooper Co., 101 Park Avenue, New York, N. Y

Indiana Limestone Co., Bedford, Ind

International Association of Electrotypers of America, George C. Stock, field secretary, Leader Building, Cleveland, Ohio.

International Education Board, 61 Broadway, New

York, N. Y. Marine Underwriters Committee, 82 Beaver Street, New

York, N. Y.

Metalloid Co., 53 West Jackson Boulevard, Chicago, 111 Midvale Co., Nicetown, Philadelphia, Pa

National Association of Glue Manufacturers, J. B,. Powell, consulting secretary, Armour Glue Works,

1355 West Thirty-first Street, Chicago, 111. National Association of Hosiery & Underwear Manufacturers, 334 Fourth Avenue, New York City. National Lead Co., 105 York Street, Brooklyn, N. Y...

Number Specific project

Assisting in study of methods for test- ing fastness to light of dyed fabrics. Physical testing of rubber. Study of dental materials. Testing of oils for use on street railways.

Spotting out of plated finishes. Prevention of stain on brick structures. Liquid shrinkages in metals. Methods of testing gas appliances to determine their safety. Thermodynamic properties of petro- leum products; corrosion in pipe

lines. Steam tables. Cement testing. Relative values of different fibers used

in roofing felt. Standardization and simplification of underwear sizes. Properties of high alumina cement. Permanency of papers. Testing of bronze. Durability of currency paper. Study of cause of soil corrosion of cast- iron pipe. Investigation of workability of concrete. Heat transmission of materials. Development of new uses for metallic bismuth. Research in physical properties of glass. Sound measurements and compression

tests of brick walls. Investigation of safe loading of corru- gated copper roofing, etc. Study of specific uses for cotton materials. Investigation of Dardelet lock thread. Research in Portland cement.

Elevator safety equipment; develop- ment of methods and instruments;

construction, maintenance, operation, etc. Preparation of bibliography on wire

rope. Clays in concrete mixtures.

Properties of Indiana limestone; waterproofing, discoloring, etc. Nickel electrotyping.

Spectroscopic research. Investigation of spontaneous combustion in jute fibers, etc. Study of composition and absorptive

properties of metalloid and similar

clarifying agents. High-temperature testing of metals. Glue for use in paper sizing. Development of methods of measuring

hosiery; standardization of twist with

respect to dye application. Research in pigments.
36 REPORT TO THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE

Research associates at the Bureau of Standards—Continued

Assigned byNational Research Council, Washington, D. C

National Terra Cotta Society, 19 West Forty-fourth

Street, New York, N. Y.

Phillips Petroleum Co., Bartlesville, Okla

Portland Cement Association, 33 West Grand Avenue,

Chicago, HI. Society of Automotive Engineers, (Inc.), 29 West Thirty- ninth Street, New York, N. Y.

Steel Castings Development Bureau, 500 Stock Exchange

Building, Philadelphia, Pa.

Steel & Tubes (Inc.), Cleveland, Ohio

United States Manufacturers of Cream of Tartar (Inc.), 39 West Thirty-eighth Street, New York, N. Y. Welded Steel Tubes (Inc.), 224 East One hundred and

thirty-first Street, Cleveland, Ohio.

Specific project

8 Testing materials; structure of the

alkali atoms; insulating liquids. M

3 Investigation of architectural terra

cotta.

1 Design of burners for propane^gas.

7 Constitution and hardening of Port- land cement.

4 Vapor lock; cooperative fuel research.

1 Research in steel castings.

3 Tension and compression tests of steel tubing.

1 Physical and chemical characteristics

of baked products.

1 Preparation of reports on tubes. TESTING RAILROAD-TRACE AND OTHER SCALES (§49,085)

Railroad-track scales.—A total of 726 tests of railroad-track scales

in 23 States was made. Of this number 434 were owned by railroads,

288 by industries, 4 by the Federal Government, and 1 by a municipality. Fifty-four scales were adjusted to improve their weighing

accuracy, and faulty mechanical conditions in 12 scales were corrected

by bureau inspectors.

Track-scale test results.—Of the scales tested 71.8 per cent were

correct within the prescribed tolerance. The average error for all scales tested was 0.20 per cent of the applied test loads. Both of the

figures establish new records for accuracy. Corresponding figures for

the preceding year were 70 and 0.23 per cent, respectively.

The comparative standing of the eastern, southern, and western

districts with regard to the proportion of correct scales is represented

by the respective values 68.2, 65.4, and 75 per cent. Master-track scale tests.—Fifteen of the 19 master-track scales in use throughout the United States were tested. With the exception of

two scales which had undergone overhauling or modification since the

last preceding test, all proved to be accurate within the " maintenance

tolerance" which allows maximum weighing errors of approximately

0.02 per cent of the test load values.

Track scales for weighing grain.—Ninety-seven of the scales tested

this year were in grain weighing service and therefore subject to a

special tolerance fixed by the Interstate Commerce Commission.

Forty-three scales or 44.3 per cent were within the tolerance. The

average weighing error for all scales was 0.15 per cent. Repeated

tests of grain weighing track scales show that the majority of this equipment is not adapted for service under the special tolerance

requirement and that frequent repair and adjustment of the equipment do not compensate for deficiencies of design or construction.

Test car calibrations in the field.—Twenty-seven track-scale test cars were weighed by substituting them against the standard weights

of the field units. This service is extended at remote points where

transportation of a test car to a master scale would be impractical

or where the test car wheel base exceeds the rail length of the conventional master scale. Recently, several cars of long wheel base
BUREAU OF STANDARDS 37

type have been modified to allow ready conversion to a short wheel

base.

Bureau master scale and test car depot.—New load -bearing blocks of improved design were made and installed in the longitudinal extension

levers of the master scale at Clearing. With the exception of more or

less slight functional variations, the performance of the scale has

since been satisfactory.

Forty-four track-scale test cars received at the depot this year were

weighed and adjusted to standard weight value. A seal designating

formal certification of the car as a test weight was affixed to each car designed and built according to approved standards.

Research and investigation.—A cooperative activity with the National Scale Men's Association resulted in a set of specifications

formally approved by that association for the repair of heavy

capacity scales. Cooperation with States in weights and measures matters.—Formal

conferences of State and local weights and measures officials have been

attended in Indiana, Maine, Massachusetts Michigan, Minnesota,

New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsjdvania, Texas, and Virginia.

Incident to these meetings, conferences have been held with officials in Alabama, Delaware, Georgia, and Tennessee.

Cooperation with other Government departments.—Numerous consultations have been held with representatives of other Federal departments and of the District of Columbia on questions of weighing

scales, measures, etc., and a considerable amount of equipment has

been examined or tested for the agencies mentioned.

STANDARDIZATION OF EQUIPMENT ($192,123)

General conferences on simplified practice.—Sixteen general confer- ences were held to adopt simplified practice recommendations. The

first general conference in connection with a new service of the division

of simplified practice resulted in the adoption of a regional recommendation. Simplified practice recommendations have been accepted

covering 98 commodities and 14 simplified practice recommendations

and 1 regional recommendation are now in process of acceptance.

Printed recommendations have been issued for 88 commodities.

Number of acceptances to simplified practice recommendations.—

total of 1,199 acceptances have been received from trade associations

and other organized groups, as well as individual acceptances from

20,790 manufacturers, distributors, and users. Revision and reaffirmation conferences.—Forty-one conferences were

held by the members of the industries concerned, resulting in the

revision of items in 10 of the simplified practice recommendations

already in effect and the reaffirmation of 31 recommendations, or 75.5

per cent. This shows an increasing stability in simplified practice

recommendations over last year when only 25, or 67.5 per cent of the

37 recommendations reviewed, were reaffirmed without change.

Adherence to simplified practice recommendations.—Field surveys

showed that the average degree of adherence for 26 commodities was

85.43 per cent. This compares favorably with the figure for the

previous year which was 86.86 per cent and covered 30 commodities.
38 REPORT TO THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE

Degree of adherence obtained hy actual survey

S. P. R. No. Commodity Degree of adherence

S. P. R. No. Commodity Degree of adherence

Per cent Per cent

1 Vitrified paving brick 70. 10 48 Shovels, spades, and scoops 96.62

4 Asphalt 91.00 50 Bank checks and other com6 Files and rasps 93. 14 mercial instruments 82.64

7 Face and common brick __ 89.00 51 Die-head chasers 100.00

17 Forged tools 93.00 52 Staple vitreous china plumbing

20 Steel barrels and drums 90.83 | fixtures 88.77

22 Paper .. . 64.78 54

60 Sterling silver flatware 94. 89

26 Steel reinforcing bars 96. 21 Packing of carriage, machine,

28 Sheet steel 94.28 and lag bolts 67.14

29 Eaves trough and conductor 61 White glazed tile and unPipe - 93. 55 glazed ceramic mosaic 86. 63

30 Roofing ternes 100. 00 62 Metallic cartridges 99.00

31 Loaded paper shot shells 80. 45 75 Composition blackboard 86.54

38 Milling cutters 54. 40 79 Malleable foundry refractories

.

64.31

41 Insecticides and fungicides 82. 00

43

46 Paint and varnish brushes 85.64 | Average 85.43 Tissue paper 76. 50 I

Field surveys in progress.—Surveys of existing varieties are in progress for 20 industries.

Benefits of simplified practice.—Correspondence from the acceptors

of simplified practice recommendations continues to bring in interesting examples of savings that are being effected. The ultimate

realization of the potential benefits of simplified practice by the consumers of the country will, of course, take some time, but indications, of which the following is a sample, clearly illustrate that none of the claims made for it are beyond the realm of probability:

On the item of shovels alone we are pleased to advise that, due to the elimination of a vast number of sizes and styles, our inventory on this line has been cut

practically in two, without any complaints whatever from the consuming trade. This proved of such benefit to us that after the inventory was straightened out and the old sizes disposed of we were able, in January of this year (1929), to reduce our prices to the consuming trade ranging from $1 to $2.50 per dozen. Regional recommendations.—The division of simplified practice has

been developing a new service to industry, in the form of regional

recommendations. Hitherto the work has been confined to projects

which, from their inception, were national in scope. It has, however,

become increasingly evident that there is a large field for service in

programs covering only a part of the United States. Obviously, some

limit must be set up beyond which the bureau can not be expected to

go, and for the present it has been decided to limit this new activity

to (a) natural products or commodities, the nature of which varies

in different parts of the country, and (b) to programs which hold

forth a definite promise of ultimately developing into national

recommendations.

During the last quarter a general conference was held for the development of one such regional recommendation, covering screen

sizes and terminology of high-volatile bituminous coal in the Great

Lakes region.

Commercial standards.—This classification covers standards of grade, quality, measurement, tolerances, and other specification

requirements established voluntarily by industry as a basis for marketing and certifying various commodities. In cooperation with the

Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce standards are translated

into foreign languages as a basis for promoting foreign trade.
BUREAU OF STANDARDS 39

^'Fifteen general conferences were held, covering the following commodities: Surgical gauze, steel pipe nipples, wrought-iron pipe nipples, standard weight malleable iron or steel screwed unions, plain

and thread plug and ring limit gage blanks, builders' template hardware, brass pipe nipples, regain of mercerized cotton yarns, domestic

and industrial fuel oils, diess patterns, boys' blouses, waists, shirts,

and junior shirts, men's pajamas, wall paper, diamond core-drill

fittings, and hickory golf shafts.

|§ A satisfactory majority of acceptances have been received and the

success of the following projects has been announced: Stoddard sol- vent, staple porcelain (all clay) plumbing fixtures, steel pipe nipples,

wrought-iron pipe nipples, brass pipe nipples, regain of mercerized

cotton yarns, and dress patterns.

The following four commercial standards have been issued in printed

form: Clinical thermometers (CSl-28), Stoddard solvent (CS3-28),

staple porcelain (all-clay) plumbing fixtures (CS4-29), steel pipe

nipples (CS5-29) : Radiator investigation.—To develop a logical basis and test for the

rating of radiators used for heating purposes, a test room of average

size was built, having one wall exposed to a refrigerated space, corre- sponding to the exterior wall of a building. In testing a radiator

measurements are made of the useful heat output as well as the total heat output. The latter determines the capacity of the radiator,

and the former is a measure of its effectiveness as a heater. The two

factors are essentially independent, but it is hoped that they can be

combined in such a way as to form a logical basis for ratings.

Standardization oj fire-control instruments for the Army.—The Ord- nance Department of the Army has adopted the plan of standardizing

optical systems to govern the design of future fire-control instruments, which was proposed some years ago by a member of the bureau's staff. This will apply to all optical instruments controlled by

the Ordnance Department and will result in greatly simplifying the

problems of design, production, and maintenance.

Dry-cell standardization.—Qualification tests on dry cells collected

at intervals of approximately six months have been in progress

continuously.

Specifications jor storage batteries.—Attention has been given to

tests of storage batteries to obtain information necessary in preparing

specifications for automotive and other types of batteries. While

good progress has been made on the specifications for battery per- formance, the tests to determine quality of the cases are proving a

serious obstacle.

Safety codes.—A report on dry cleaning was prepared for the National Safety Council. Sponsorship for the safety code for aeronautics was discontinued. In connection with the elevator safety code

a handbook for elevator inspectors has been prepared. Members of the staff have participated actively in the work of the safety code

correlating committee and in sectional committees preparing and

revising safety codes for various industries. Codes for refrigeration,

window washing, woodworking, factory lighting, street traffic signs,

signals, and markings, and for floor openings, railings, and toeboards, were completed. Work was continued on codes for walkway surfaces, conveyors and conveying machinery, and colors of gas-mask

canisters.
40 REPORT TO THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE

Directories of laboratories.—In a second revised edition of the

Directory of Commercial Testing and College Research Laboratories

data are given concerning the laboratories in 196 colleges, and 294

commercial testing laboratories, with 94 branch laboratories or

offices. A directory of all Federal governmental testing laboratories

has been prepared for the use of the Federal Government purchasing

agents.

Specifications in various industries.—The second volume of the bureau's encyclopedia series, entitled " Standards and Specifications for Nonmetallic Minerals and Their Manufactures," has been prepared

for printing.

Cooperation with public purchasers.—In connection with the compilation of material for the National Directory of Commodity Specifications and the Standards Yearbook, and the inauguration of the

so-called certification plan, the bureau has cooperated with the public

purchasing officers in all of the 48 States and with all of the State

highway commissions. It has established contact with more than

15,000 additional public purchasers for all of the cities throughout

the country, all of the municipalities having the city-manager form of

government, and many counties, public schools, hospitals, and other

public institutions.

Facilitating the use of specifications.—The certification plan has

been so extended as to include commodities covered by a total of 248

United States Government master specifications. More than 7,500

separate requests for listing as willing to certify to compliance with the

specification requirements have been received from about 2,000 manufacturers. Self-identifying quality-guaranteeing labels are now being

used by manufacturers of certain staple lines of merchandise to show

that they comply with the requirements and tests of certain of the

specifications.

STANDARD MATERIALS ($10,824)

Distribution of standard samples.—A direct result of the use of the

standard samples of ores, metallurgical products, and pure chemicals prepared and distributed by the bureau is a saving of thousands

of dollars a year through improved manufacturing operations and

the avoidance of costly disputes based on faulty analysis. The

standard sample fund is unique in that the return to the United

States Treasury in fees and accumulated stocks of salable samples

has always exceeded the appropriation. In 1928 and 1929 $16,062 was received from the sale of 7,336 samples and approximately

$45,000 worth of standard samples were added to the salable samples on hand.

INVESTIGATION OF RADIOACTIVE SUBSTANCES AND X RAYS

($31,741)

Measurement of X-ray dosage.—A precise measurement of the

intensity (power) of X rays is one of the most difficult problems

associated with the study and application of this radiation. In

therapeutic applications measurement of the dose administered is of prime importance, yet it was not until the 1928 international conference on X rays at Stockholm that a unit for expressing X-ray

dosage and its method of measurement was agreed upon. Inasmuch

as leading laboratories were then at variance in their measurements
BUREAU OF STANDARDS 41

of the same radiation by as much as 4 per cent of the magnitude

involved, the bureau has been engaged in identifying the possible sources of the existing discrepancy, and has met with considerable

success. The theory of the measurement remains unquestioned,

but sufficient precautions do not appear to have been taken to insure

that experimental conditions fulfilled the requirements of the theory.

X-ray and radium protection.—The (1928) International Congress on Radiology adopted proposals on X-ray and radium protection

which various national committees have been formed to promulgate.

A member of the bureau's staff was appointed chairman of our

national committee.

Tests of radioactive preparations.—Upon these tests the prices of the

preparations are based. During the year 1,050 preparations, ranging

in radium content from 0.05 to 100 mg. and totalling 11,300 mg., were tested. UTILIZATION OF WASTE PRODUCTS FROM THE LAND ($53,148)

Vfall board from cornstalks. —The bureau continued to operate

the plant at Ames, Iowa, in cooperation with the Iowa State College,

for the manufacture of insulating board from cornstalks. With new

types of equipment recently installed wall board has been made with

a thickness of % inch and twice as strong as any insulating board on

the market. An insulating board designed for refrigerators, 2 inches

thick without lamination, can also be made.

Small-scale experiments have been completed on the manufacture

of pressed board from cornstalks, which is intended to be used as a

substitute for lumber.

A process has been developed for the manufacture of a new material

called maizolith, which is also made from cornstalks and has many

characteristics of hard rubber or vulcanized fiber. Manufacture of xylose.—Laboratory work on the manufacture of

xylose from cottonseed hulls has been completed. The bureau has

erected and is operating a semicommercial factory at the plant of

the Federal Phosphorus Co., Anniston, Ala., in cooperation with

the University of Alabama and the Alabama Polytechnic Institute.

The factory is designed to make 100 pounds of xylose per day.

This factory started operation on March 16. It is planned to use other raw materials, such as peanut shells and corncobs, and to reduce cost and improve efficiency.

Samples of xylose are being supplied to interested individuals

and concerns who are assisting in finding a market for the material.

There is a possibility of it being used in the dyeing and tanning

industries, for use in foodstuffs, for manufacture of chemicals, explosives, furfural, and for manufacture of alcohol to be used as sol- vent for lacquer, etc. Utilization of cornstalks.—A field survey of the economic possibility of using cornstalks as an industrial raw material has been

completed by an economist retained for the purpose. This included

a study of the cost of collecting cornstalks, of the cost of manufacture of insulating board and wall board from competitive materials,

and of the probable expansion of the markets of these products.

Miscellaneous.—Many preliminary investigations of other types

of waste land products have been conducted. A study of the Texas
42 EEPOET TO THE SECRETARY OP COMMERCE

sunflower indicated small possibility of the industrial use of this plant at present.

Cotton burs were found to be high in potash and therefore valuable

as a fertilizer. Experiments with artichoke tops show that they can be used for

the production of a strong brown paper.

Peanut shells contain a considerable quantity of xylose, and it is possible that the fiber left after the extraction of the xylose may

have some value.

Complete chemical and microscopical analysis of wheat straw have

been completed, the stem and the nodes being analyzed separately.

Based on this information we have now started to investigate the

paper-making qualities of straw. The acid which is produced by the oxidation of xylose has certain

characteristics which may make it of value in the tanning and dyeing

industries. The bureau has produced this acid in the laboratory

and is now investigating the optimum conditions for its manufacture.

INVESTIGATION OF AUTOMOTIVE ENGINES ($26,833)

Automobile engine acceleration.—The effect of fuel characteristics

and operating conditions on engine acceleration has been studied.

To evaluate the influence of engine design, specified acceleration

tests will be repeated by request on representative engines at the

laboratories of certain automobile companies. These field tests will conclude one phase of the joint motor-fuel research started seven years

ago in cooperation with the American Petroleum Institute, the National Automobile Chamber of Commerce, and the Society of Automotive Engineers.

Phenomena of combustion.—Using the soap bubble as a constant

pressure bomb, an intensive study in cooperation with the National

Advisory Committee for Aeronautics has been made of the explosive

reaction with oxygen of butane and of composite fuels containing

butane as one constituent. The results show that the relations

already found to hold for simple gases and their mixtures hold also for complex hydrocarbon molecules. The equivalent reaction order

of a composite fuel may be determined from the reaction orders of

its components, and the velocity constant of the fuel may also be

determined from the velocity constants of those components.

Antiknock characteristics of fuels.—The bureau is cooperating with

representatives of the automotive and petroleum industries in an

organized attempt to reach agreement upon satisfactory methods of

measuring and expressing the tendency of motor fuels to knock or detonate. Specially designed detonation test engines have been dis- tributed to the laboratories represented on the committee and each

laboratory will make the same series of preliminary tests with this engine on six special fuels. The ultimate object is the general adoption of a common test engine and procedure as a tentative standard.

Gasoline volatility.—The final form of the correlation between the

distillation curves of the American Society for Testing Materials and

the complete equilibrium air-distillation data for 38 fuels, gains accur- acy by taking into account the slope of the distillation curve, and

appears to furnish a comprehensive answer to the problem of equilibrium volatility of hydrocarbon fuels of any degree of complexity in

the temperature range covered ,by gasolines. This basic investiga-
BUREAU OF STANDARDS 43

tion should be supplemented by a study of the differences between

volatility under equilibrium conditions and under nonequilibrium

conditions such as exist in automotive engine manifolds.

Vapor lock in airplane fuel systems.—The investigation of vapor

lock began with a study of the contribution of the various constitu- ents of a gasoline to the total vapor pressure, when every opportunity was given for bubbles to form. Bubble formation and growth under

typical flow conditions are at present being studied.

Engine tests of lubricating oils. —A six-cylinder bus engine has re- cently been set up for testing automobile engine oils under constant

conditions, a reference oil being used to serve as a check on changes

taking place in the engine itself. Tests thus far have been confined

to the reference oil. Vibration of motor vehicles.—Vertical accelerometers are used by

the Bureau of Standards hi estimating the comparative riding qualities of motor vehicles. They are also used by the Bureau of Public

Roads in estimating the vertical impact forces which tend to wear

out the road surface. A machine for calibrating such instruments

has been set up at the Bureau of Standards, and the two bureaus are cooperating in the calibration of various types of vertical accelerometers. Automotive headlighting . —The bureau has continued to cooperate

with the Society of Automotive Engineers in the investigation of

headlighting from the automobile driver's point of view. The light

spread required for safe driving at various speeds over typical roads was determined photographically. A multiple-element photometer

has been developed for estimating the approximate light intensity

thrown in the driver's eyes when meeting another car on the road.

Cooperative investigations in the automotive field.—The appropriation for the automotive work is not sufficient to carry on investigations of fundamental importance in this field. However, it has been

used as a nucleus for cooperative research in which other branches of the Government and industrial associations have joined. Some valuable research has thus been made possible.

INVESTIGATION OF DENTAL MATERIALS ($5,421)

Physical and chemical properties of dental materials.—The investigation of the physical and chemical properties of inlay materials,

amalgams, plasters, and waxes has continued, and purchase specifications have been drawn up for these materials. Assistance has been

given to dental colleges, manufacturers, and dental testing laboratories

in the design, selection, and installation of testing equipment for

dental materials.

Cooperative dental research.—The dental research in cooperation

with the American Dental Association, which was begun last year, has been continued and most satisfactory relations have been maintained. The $7,500 per year appropriated by the association for this

work has made possible the establishment of one full-time research

associateship and the part-time employment of two additional men. The progress made has been most gratifying to the bureau and, it is believed, satisfactory to the association. Defective dental materials

and technics have been pointed out to the profession and to manufacturers, and improvement in the quality of certain materials is already apparent.
44 REPORT TO THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE

POWER-PLANT EQUIPMENT ($100,000)

Equipment.—The boiler-room, installation has been completed with

the exception of two boilers which are to be moved from another

location and for which a contract has been placed. Steam connections to the old plants have been completed and the new boiler

plant will be in full operation beginning July, 1929.

Cooling pond.—Although the power-plant building proper was

completed last year, one unit of the water-spray pond was completed

this year. This pond will serve as a source of supply for condenser

circulating water and will, when put in service, greatly conserve our water supply.

TRANSFERRED FUNDS ($339, 923)

Organization and projects.—During the year funds were transferred

from the following branches of the Government covering the projects

listed

:

Aeronautics Branch, Department of Commerce:

Lighting of airways.

Radiobeacons.

Testing of commercial airplane engines. Bureau of Engraving and Printing:

Electrodeposition problems.

Paper currency. Postage stamps. Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce: Preparation of directories of

specifications. Coast and Geodetic Survey:

Development of seismometers.

Making of special castings.

National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics:

Aerodynamics.

Fatigue of duralumin.

Light alloys for aircraft. Power plants.

Steel and duralumin tubing. Substitutes for parachute silk. Navy Department:

Aircraft instruments.

Airship girders. Altitude control of carburetors. Corrosion of metals.

Gas-cell fabrics for airships. Gaseous fuels for aircraft. General aeronautical fabrics. Ignition systems for aircraft engines.

Production of optical glass. Storage batteries for submarines.

War Department : Application of supercharger to Curtiss airplane engine.

Bomb ballistics. Development of machine guns. Embrittlement of duralumin.

Experimental length gages. Problems of friction and lubrication. Radio transmission. Many of these projects were supported partly by bureau and

partly by transferred funds. The more important of these have

already been described under the appropriate bureau fund. Important investigations supported wholly by transferred funds include

the following:
BUBEAXJ OF STANDARDS 45

Type testing of commercial airplane engines.—The importance of

testing new designs of commercial engines before permitting their use

in licensed aircraft is shown by the fact that of 24 engines received for

test 12 failed, 5 were withdrawn, and 7 were approved. The failures were due in many cases to faults which would have been evident to the manufacturer had he done more adequate preliminary testing.

Three engines which failed initially were corrected and have passed a second test. Engine-testing equipment, including three complete

torque stand units, has been installed at Arlington Farms. This plant

takes the place of a single test stand at College Park and will permit

testing on the average of one engine a week.

Effect of spark character on ignition ability.—A single-cylinder test- ing engine is being used under controlled operating conditions to ascer- tain whether one type of spark is superior to another in its ability to

ignite the mixtures which actually occur in engines. Methods have

been devised for estimating the " dryness" of the explosive charge at the end of the compression stroke and for comparing the "sphere of

influence" of different sparks. The efficiency of aircraft ignition sys- tems shielded to prevent interference with radio communication is also being studied. This work was supported jointly by the National

Advisory Committee for Aeronautics and the Bureau of Aeronautics

of the Navy Department.

Prevention of embrittlement of duralumin by corrosion and of deterio- ration of magnesium alloys by corrosion.—Two more technical notes on the progress of the work, which is supported by the Navy Department, War Department, and National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, have been published by the last-named organization. Two

other progress reports were published.

Exposure tests at the bureau, Hampton Roads, Va., and Coco Solo,

Canal Zone, on bare and coated duralumin and magnesium or magnesium alloy specimens are in progress. A total of 2,373 exposure or

control specimens remain to be tested. So far no thoroughly satis- factory protective coating has been found other than pure aluminum,

which has so far been applied only to duralumin. All exposure and

laboratory tests continue to show that duralumin quenched in cold

water and naturally aged is greatly superior to that quenched in hot

water or oil, and to that aged at elevated temperatures. The Alclad

duralumin is extremely resistant to the type of corrosion that causes embrittlement. Even under repeated flexure and corrosion combined,

the most severe set of conditions that can be met, the Alclad duralumin was vastly superior. Under severe corrosion and in repeated flexure at 10,000 pounds per square inch hot-water quenched duralumin

broke in 5 daj^s, cold-water quenched lasted 30 days, but became

brittle in 7 days, while Alclad duralumin was unharmed after 24 days

and ran 65 days without breaking. The life of the Alclad duralumin

when tested at three times the stress, 31,000 pounds per square inch, was about the same as the cold-water quenched bare durlaumin at 10,000 pounds per square inch. Alclad duralumin is an outgrowth,

in commercial hands, of fundamental data obtained by the bureau in

this cooperative work, on the good protection afforded by an aluminum coating, and is now in wide commercial use in aircraft.
46 REPORT TO THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE

Nickel deposition.—A study of the colorimetric and electrometric

methods of measuring the pH or acidity of nickel-plating solutions was conducted, and the corrections to be applied to colorimetric

readings were determined.

Iron deposition.—Experiments on the electrolytic production of iron printing plates have been continued. One unit for carrying out

this process is just being installed at the Bureau of Engraving and

Printing.

Gas-cell fabrics

—Practical tests of gas cells constructed with the new gas-cell fabric developed at the bureau have shown that the

rubber film in the fabric needs improvement. Considerable time

has been spent in the factory where the large-scale production of this fabric has been undertaken, in order that the experience gained at the

bureau might be translated into industrial practice. Some pre- liminary tests indicate that a new type of gas-impermeable material,

quite different from the fabric referred to above, offers considerable

promise. It will be further investigated.

Aircraft in commerce—Radio.—In cooperation with the Aeronautics Branch of the Department of Commerce a new visual type of beacon transmitter was developed, marking out any number of courses, up to 12, at any desired angles. Changes were made in the

visual receiving indicator to improve its operating characteristics

and to adapt it to the use of the new beacon. A method for aiding

landing in fog was designed and the equipment constructed. Methods

of shielding airplane engine ignition systems were studied ; in cooperation with the aircraft and radio industries a shielding assembly was

developed which is satisfactory from an airplane operating standpoint

and also effective from a radio standpoint. Manufacturers of radio

receiving sets for use on airplanes submitted preliminary designs of

their sets and suggestions were made as to improvements in design.

The development of a direction finder for use aboard aircraft, with

visual indication, was begun. A complete installation of shielding

and radio receiving equipment was made on an airplane of Pitcairn

Aviation (Inc.).

Lighting of airways.—A series of field observations on an experimental beacon consisting of a neon lamp, an incandescent lamp

with red color filter matching the neon color, and a clear incandescent

lamp, was made during foggy weather. It was found that neon light

has no superiority over light of the same color and intensity from

incandescent lamps as regards visibility through fog, haze, rain, or

clear air. A series of tests on different methods of illuminating wind-indicator

cones is in progress, and an improved reflector system for lighting the

indicators has been developed.

Vertical component seismometer.—A design has been completed and

construction started on a vertical component seismometer for the

Coast and Geodetic Survey. This seismometer is to be equipped

for electromagnetic and optical magnification and electromagnetic

damping and will form a companion instrument to two horizontal

component seismometers of the type previously developed in this bureau.

Wind-tunnel turbulence.—Measurements of the turbulence in the

bureau's three wind tunnels have been completed. It has been

found that the effects of turbulence afford a fairly complete explana-
BUREAU OF STANDARDS 47

tion of the discrepancies in the results obtained in different wind

tunnels with the airship models circulated by the National Physical

Laboratory.

High-speed airfoil tests. —Results of measurements of the aerodynamic characteristics of 24 airfoils at speeds up to and slightly above

the speed of sound have been published by the National Advisory

Committee for Aeronautics.

Aileron investigation.—Results of work for the Aeronautics Branch of the Department of Commerce on the effect of variation of chord and

span of ailerons on rolling and yawing moments in level flight has

been published by the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics.

Strength of aircraft tubing.—The strength of tubing has been found

to depend greatly upon the yield point of the material. As the yield

point of the tubing used in this investigation was considerably higher

than the specified minimum, it seems possible to raise the yield point

requirements and thus use higher stresses with safety.

Airship girders.—Further developments have been made leading to more economical inspection testing of these girders. Comparative

tests at the bureau and the Goodyear Zeppelin Corporation have been

carried out in connection with the new 6,500,000 cubic-foot airship

now building for the Navy.

Aircraft instrument investigation.—Investigations to provide a basis

for the specification of performance of aircraft instruments have been

carried out for the Bureau of Aeronautics on bank indicators, alti- meters, tachometers, air-speed indicators, oxygen equipment, and

bakelite cases. GENERAL RECOMMENDATIONS

There was set forth in last year's report a detailed statement of some of the more urgent needs of the Bureau of Standards for its future development, and this program has been indorsed by the

visiting committee. It includes more adequate support for fundamental research relating to standards and the determination of

fundamental constants of importance to science and industry, including further development of cooperative research with industry; the

further extension of the commercial standards group in its program of cooperation with business; and a building program.

The building program includes a hydraulic laboratory, the authorization for which passed the Senate but was not reported out of committee in the House at the last session of Congress ; the remodeling of

the North Building, which has heretofore been a combination of power plant and shop building into a structure to house all the

bureau's shops ; the construction of a greatly needed central administration building to relieve much-needed space for laboratories in other

buildings and provide suitable quarters for the commercial standards

group which was recently transferred from down town, resulting in very

serious congestion, and also providing for adequate space for library,

auditorium, and the central administrative functions; and a building

for high-voltage standardization, testing, and research, of special

design to enable the bureau to carry out such operations at 1,000,000

volts. To meet the needs of the Federal Radio Commission and keep

pace with requirements in the increase of accuracy of radio trans- mission, provision should be made for sending and receiving stations

in the suburbs of Washington. There also will be required eventually
48 REPORT TO THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE

a building to house the fire-resistance work of the bureau; a new

mechanical laboratory suitably designed to house heavy equipment

for tests and investigation of large structures; enlargement of the

dynamometer laboratory for research relating to automotive and

aircraft engines; enlargement of the laboratory for low-temperature

research; and provision should eventually be made for a building to take care of expanding work* particularly relating to precision meas- urements in the weights and measures field. As pointed out in previous reports, increased facilities and personnel

are needed at the branch laboratories of the bureau in order to handle

in a more satisfactory manner work relating to testing for the various

Government departments, and in particular provision should be made

for testing on a more comprehensive scale Government purchases of cement and other commodities.

Provision has not yet been made for establishing at the bureau a

first-aid station, not only for accidents but for supervision of workers

in such fields as radium, X rays, and furnace and chemical operations.

I feel strongly that provision for such a station will greatly help the

morale and health conditions of the employees working in these fields. Very truly yours,

George K. Bwrgess,

Director, Bureau of Standards.
APPENDIX

GENERAL FINANCIAL STATEMENT

During the fiscal year 1929 the bureau expended and accounted for funds

aggregating $2,751,798.05, including $339,923.05 received by transfer and reim- bursement from other departments for special researches. The amounts and objects of each appropriation for the past fiscal year and

two previous fiscal years, together with disbursements, unpaid orders outstanding,

and unexpended balances for each appropriation are shown in the following

tables

:

Disbursements, liabilities, etc., 1929, 1928, and 1927 appropriations

Appropriation Total appropriation Disburse- ments Liabilities

1929

Salaries Equipment . General expenses Improvement and care of grounds

Testing structural materials Testing machines

Metallurgical research Investigation of optical glass Standard materials Investigation of textiles *.. Sugar standardization Gage standardization High-temperature investigation Testing railroad scales Investigation of fire-resisting properties Testing miscellaneous materials Investigation of public utility standards Eadio research... Industrial research Sound investigation Investigation of clay products

Color standardization

Investigation of radioactive substances and X rays. Standardizing mechanical appliances.. Investigation of mine scales and cars Standardization of equipment

Investigation of automotive engines...

Utilization of waste products from the land , Investigation of dental materials. . Power-plant equipment

Testing structural materials, 1929-30 Appropriations transferred from other departments which are available for the current year: Aircraft in commerce

Party expenses, Coast and Geodetic Survey,

1929 Incidental expenses of Army

National Advisory Committee for aeronautics. Air Corps, Army

Signal Service of Army

Materials and miscellaneous expenses, Bureau

of Engraving and Printing, 1929-

Aviation, Navy

Export industries, Bureau of Foreign and

Domestic Commerce

General expenses, Coast and Geodetic Survey,

1929 Air navigation facilities Appropriations transferred from other departments which are available for a period of two years: Gages, dies, and jigs for manufacture Ordnance stores, ammunition, 1929-30 Ordnance and ordnance stores Safeguarding dome of rotunda, 1929-30 Automatic rifles, 1929-30 Total

See footnotes at end of table.

$648, 146. 00 188,014.11

2 71, 761. 60

14, 431. 00

3 268, 653. 68

41, 003. 00

51, 614. 00

27, 420. 00

10, 824. 00

54, 144. 00

* 61, 027. 00

40, 713. 00

10, 401. 00

49, 085. 00

30, 213. 00

47, 125. 00

5 107, 715. 19

6 56,429. 03

? 205, 679. 78

11, 469. 00 49,370.00

10, 950. 00

31, 741. 00

29, 677. 00

13, 688. 00

8 192, 584. 51

26, 833. 00

53, 148. 00

5, 421. 00

100, 000. 00

12, 500. 00

» 140, 360. 00

2, 000. 00

10, 000. 00

43, 372. 15

11, 500. 00

1, 800. 00

15, 000. 00

66, 140. 00

2, 640. 00

200. 00

15, 700. 00

2, 750. 00

1, 000. 00

12, 000. 00

3, 000. 00

2, 555. 00

$587, 844. 79

65, 181. 28

53, 754. 78

11, 390. 06

223, 373. 54

36, 066. 50

42, 761. 85

23, 229. 42

9, 631. 48

48, 268. 50 50,963.54

36, 499. 89

7, 249. 99

42, 633. 22

27, 009. 14

42, 373. 75

95, 221. 93

51, 674. 32

162, 648. 40

10, 117. 28

43, 417. 92

10, 785. 52

27, 850. 86

24, 196. 04

8, 316. 66

164, 199. 58

25, 904. 01

41, 704. 17

4, 439. 70

69, 180. 89

459. 60

125, 802. 14

1, 710. 00

8, 066. 24

33, 762. 20

7, 398. 40

1, 741. 27

12, 738. 11

53, 399. 80

2, 066. 64

200. 00

4, 494. 73

1, 466. 67

265. 00

8, 005. 00

1, 320. 05

916. 63

$55, 668. 40

22, 753. 45

17, 944. 73

3, 027. 39

39, 736. 92

4, 205. 66

6, 369. 77

3, 837. 17

1, 022. 90

5, 775. 54

10, 013. 91

3, 549. 67

2, 119. 16

6, 253. 70

2, 619. 30

4, 642. 55

11, 074. 39

4, 658. 20

41, 349. 36

1, 192. 85

3, 722. 57

144. 87

3, 786. 66

5, 067. 16

5, 233. 52

23, 509. 98

554. 23

7, 599. 08

818. 30

30, 670. 73

216. 66

14, 151. 51

217. 75

1, 903. 89

9, 582. 29

4, 083. 13

40. 67

2, 120. 54

12, 525. 63 542.84

11, 187. 73

560. 00

128. 78

617. 00

493. 32

2, 751, 798. 05 2,311,701.' 387, 293.

49
50 EEPOET TO THE SECEETAEY OF COMMERCE

Disbursements, liabilities, etc., 1929, 1928, and 1927 appropriations—Continued

Appropriation Total appropriation Disburse- ments Liabilities

Salaries Equipment

General expenses Improvement and care of grounds

Testing structural materials Testing machines

Metallurgical research Investigation of optical glass Standard materials Investigation of textiles Sugar standardization Gage standardization High-temperature investigation Testing railroad scales.. Investigation of fire-resisting properties Testing miscellaneous materials Investigation of public utility standards... Radio research

Industrial research Sound investigation Investigation of clay products

Color standardization

Investigation of radioactive substances and X rays

.

Standardizing mechanical applicances Investigation of mine scales and cars Standardization of equipment

Investigation of automotive engines

Utilization of waste products from the land

Investigation of dental materials Power-plant equipment

Sugar standardization, 192S-29 Standardization of equipment, 192S-29 Radio research, 1928-29

Salaries, 1928-29 Color standardization Furnaces and shelter. 1928-29 Appropriations transferred from other departments which are available for the current year: Aircraft in commerce

Incidental expenses of the Army

Compensation of employees, Bureau of Engraving and Printing Export industries, Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce

National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics

Aviation, Navy

Air Corps, Army

Signal Service of Army

Air navigation facilities .. Appropriations transferred from other departments which are available for a period of two years: Ordnance and ordnance stores Ordnance stores, ammunition, 1928-29 Air Corps, Army

Automatic rifles, 1928-29 Gages, dies, and jigs for manufacture

Total.

S572. 060. 00

88. 000. 00

if 71, 856. 36

13. 000. 00 " 241. 897. 38

is 38, 025. 00

13 48, 414. 92

20, 520. 00

10, 000. 00

40. 700. 00 " 50, 960. 00 38,320.00

9, 740. 00

47, 000. 00

28, 100. 00 44,000.00 n 100, 2S2. 46

49, 800. 00

i* 175, 860. 00

10, 580. 00

47, 000. 00

10, 000. 00

29, 540. 00 27.800.00 12 800.00

i" 130. 135. 50 « 27, 700. 00

50.000.00

5, 000.01)

100. 000. 00

25, 000. 00

15, 000. 00

30. 000. 00

35, 000. 00

5. 000. 00

22. 000. 00

if 110, 000. 00

10, 000. 00

11, 000. 00

2, 820. 00

34, 900. 00

77. SO0L 00 2.500.00

1. 800.00

234.50

12, 000. 00 1.000.00

500.00

2. 000.00

2, 750. 00 2,540,096.12

1927

Salaries.- Equipment

General expenses Improvement and care of grounds

Testing structural materials Testing machines

Metallurgical research Investigation of optical glass Standard materials Investigation of textiles Sugar standardization Gage standardization High- temperature investigation Testing railroad scales Investigation of fire-resisting properties.. Testing miscellaneous materials

Investigation of public utility standards.

567,

88, 2071.

12.

; i 233,

38,

•9:3. 20.

10, "36, a 40,

38,

y. 39,

28, 44, 103.

320. 00

GOG. 00

968. 31 000.00

186. 12 000.00

140. 00

520. 00 000.00 000.00

900. 00

320.00

740. 00 000.00

100.00

090.00

000.00

S57I. os,:, 41

86, 215. 35 7a 502. 33

12, 883. 53 241,064.54

37. 753. 37

48, 229. 18

20, 457. 48

9, 922. 19

40. 462. 49

SO, 692 «a

38. 214. 76

9. 732. 09

46, 965. 27

27. 82L 02

43. 985. 05

100, 009. 23

49. 669. 96

175. 411. 69

10, 517. 65

46, 579. 21

9, 829. 64

29, 212. 33

27. 633. 33

12, 750. 64

130, 091. 49

27. 345. 94

49. 732. 27

4, 983. 60

98. 081. 23

23, 189. 19

13, 502. 30

18, 534. 79

32, 661 76

3. 480.63

6, 419. 03

108, 608. 27

9, 910. 79 10,913.94

2. 765. 82 34.605.16 I 76. 727. 01

2, 419. 00 1,695.42 | 234. 50

11, 775. 44

896. 06

425.

1, 836. 63

2. 616, 62

n. 571. 15 154.16

221.00

1. 830. 00

1. 789. 23 1,265.73 11,426.40 2 274. 97 863.74

15, 571. 30

S74. 21

5.00

55.00

2. 491. 655. 74 , 901. 89

556. 424. 91

86. 119. 82

70. 223. 49

11, 811. 31

228, 209. 02

37, 380. 72 I 42.700.49 I 19,' 787. 24 ! 9,880.96 j 35,260.52 ! 40,559.13 I 37.644.82 1 9,437.82 ; 3S,141.03

26,926.37

42, 254. S4 99,148.19 See footnotes at end of table.
BUREAU OF STANDARDS 51

Disbursements, liabilities, etc., 1929, 1928, and 1927 appropriations—Continued

Appropriation Total appropriation Disburse- ments Liabilities

1927—Continued

Radio research

Industrial research Sound investigation Investigation of clay products

Color standardization

Investigation of radioactive substances Standardizing mechanical appliances

Investigation of mine scales and cars Standardization of equipment

Investigation of automotive engines Sugar standardization, 1926-27 Master track scale and test car depot

Building for power plant Appropriations transferred from other departments which are available for the current year: Compensation of employees, Bureau of Engraving and Printing Export industries, Department of Commerce...

Advisory committee for aeronautics Engineering, Bureau of Engineering Automatic rifles, 1927-28 Signal Service of the Army

Aircraft in commerce

Oil, gas, and oil-shale investigation, Bureau of Mines

Aviation, Navy

Air Service of the Army

General expenses, Coast and Geodetic Survey..

Incidental expenses of the Army

Ordnance stores ammunition, 1927-28 Construction and repair, Bureau of Construction and Repair

Conference on oil pollution of navigable waters,

1925-1927 Field Artillery armament

Air navigation facilities. Appropriations transferred from other departments which are available for a period of two years: Ordnance and ordnance stores Gages, dies, and jigs, for manufacture

. Air Service of the Army

Total.. 2,474,589.73 , 2,419,051.62

$49, 800. 00

** 179. 820. 00

10, 580. 00

47, 000. 00

9, 000.00

9, 540. 80

2« 28, 215. 00

12, 800. 00

26 116, 000. 86

25, 000. 00

25, 000. 00

50, 000. 00

200, 000. 00

14, 000. 00

4, 500. 00

34, 000. 00

2, 500. 00

2, 000. 00

1, 800. 00

93, 809. 25 " 5, 410. 00

81, 900. 00

7, 425. 00

400. 00

11, 750. 00

1, 000. 00

1, 750. 00

28 2, 482. 19

5, 000. 00

1, 613. 00

13, 400. 00

5, 750. 00

1, 000. 00

$48, 173. 91

176, 475. 71

10, 070. 01

44, 603. 18

8, 345. 65

9, 281. 53

26, 763. 29

12, 440. 42

109, 734. 74

24, 330. 60

24, 346. 62

49, 524. 59

194, 060. 88

13, 949. 76

4, 355. 60

33, 835. 43

2, 416. 01

1, 946. 45

1, 790. 40

93, 518. 54

5, 375. 00

81, 494. 15

7, 274. 16

352. 20

11, 489. 05

983. 50

1, 743. 59

2, 385. 00

4, 533. 19 1,613.00

13, 327. 38

5, 719. 90

887. 50

D.00

00

Includes reimbursements and transfers received from other departments as follows:

1 $14.11. 16 $3,540.

2 $1,906.60. n $135.50.

3 $1,595.68. " $2,700.

4 $2,800. i« $500 transferred back to Aeronautics Branch.

« $418.19. 20 $3,613.31.

« $657.03. 2i $3,186.12.

7 $2,052.78. 22 $1,000.

8 $461.51. 23 $2,800.

9 $360. 24 $5,700.

i° $2,001.36. 25 $415.

11 $1,897.38. 26 $1,000.86.

12 $25. 27 $1,395.

13 $274.92. 28 This fund was reappropriated from the unin14 $2,800. cumbered balance of the 1926 appropriation.

16 $282.46.