Evening star., 1928-06-04
Sound WAVESBURN.
minus HEAT ACTION.
Hopkins Professor Finds
High.Frequency Vibrations
Can Drill Through Glass.
Correspondence of the Associated Press.

Correspondence of the Associated Press.
BALTIMORE. Md,--High frequency
sound waves can burn and cause other
miracles without heat or chemical ac-
tion.
That much has been determined by
DR.. r. w. wood, professor of physics
at the Johns Hopkins University. and
his collaboration. Alfred l.. LoomiS OF
Tsxedo. N Y. ln a series OF pioneering
experiments with sound waves OF from
2O0 200 TO 100000 vibrations a second
which are generated in an oil bath by
quartz oScillatoy operated at VoltageS
Ii The vicinity Of 5o,e0o.
Just how valuable these little known
Sssner sonic vibrations may prove TO De
In physical. chemical and biological eX-
psrlnents and practice remains largely
a matter Of speculation at this stage OF
the INVESTIGATION. but several important
practical applications already have been
indicated.
Red CorpuScIes Destroyed.
Red blood corpuScleS III physiologi-
cal salt solution arc rapidly destroyed.
Or Wood relates, the turhld liquid be-
coming as clear SIS solution OF req
aniline dye. suggesting, because OF the
absence of heat ana chemical action,
q new method which may be OF great
value 10 the biological chemist in max
.nC blood analyses.
THE Bureau Of Chemistry and Soils
al lie Department OF Agriculture Is
pyeparsng 70 utilize the sound waves IN
the asrslvSis of soils. which often is
made difficult by the sticking qualities
Of colloi6al substances clinglng to the
FEasl
from the grains Of q very difficult
Sanlple sent 10 DR.. Wood with a few
minutes application of the vibrations.
gn the usual methods. the process OF
shaking violently and whirling must be
repeated 20 or 80 times. a tedious un-
6ertakng requiring hours to ciSperSe
the colloi6s.
OIL and water are shaken into more
or less stable emulsion when subjected
to the waves. and a similar mixture OF
mercury and water can be obtained.
Chemical reactions are accelerated ana
crystaiEzations begun. effects which are
being investigated by DR.. w. T. Richards
Of Princeton. Small particles OF mat
ter suspended in water are driven to-
gether, but small living unicellular or
ganisnls are torn apart.
Fish and Frogs Killed.
Bacteria, being smaller. escape the
destructive action Of the waves, but
small Ash or frogs exposed TO them in
water are killed A liquid such as ben
1ol Is quickly agomized Heavy oil on
q vibrating tube is thrown out in Jets
Of spray resembling smoke and dense
cloud gathers which. IL lighted. pro-
cuces an effect like the sparks OF jap
anese fireworks.
The waves can be transmitted along
q glass thread o. millinaeter in dame
ter and meter or more in length" DR..
Weed asserts. land the end of the
thread. if squeezed, burns groove
II the skin"
The heat. he explains, is developed
l5v vibration only at the contact point.
and unless squeezed. the vibrating glass
thread can be held comfortably enough
with tsle fingers.
Holes can be burned through chips
oE wood or drilled through glass plate
with 9aDe-lng glass rod, 0.5 millimeter
e diameter az the tip.
II xtle top OF the rod is fused to q
bead with a fame" he says, 1t re-
mains molten after the removal Of the
fame and increases in size as the rod
below II melts. until finally it snaps on.
The sound waves are able 10 melt the
glass since they are not reflected from
the molten bead