Evening star., 1951-08-24
Navy Physicists Achieve
Highest HeutYet Known
Metals UsuoIIy IncombustibIe
In Oxygen Now Being Burned
By Thomos R. Henry


Navy researchers are exploring the
almost unknown world of high tempera-
lures.
group of physicists working under
an Office of Naval Research contract
at Temple University, Philadelphia, are
achieving the greatest heats ever
reached ON earth, except in the split
second of the explosion of an atomic
bomb.
They are accomplishing this by burn
ing metals ordinarily incombustible in
oxygen. Best results have been reached
with the combustion of aluminium, which
is producing temperatures of more than
$500 degrees Fahrenheit or over 5000
centigrade.
The physicists now are experimenting
with burning chromium, which theoreti-
cally should make possible heat Of
more than 10000 Fahrenheit, but this
has not yet been attained.
Report Just Submitted.
A report has just been submitted to
the Naval Research Office by DR.. Joseph
B. Conway, Russell A. Miller and AriStid
". Crosse of the Temple research team.
In the past, greatest emphasis has been
given to temperature research, and
this has resulted in reaching lows
within 1,000th of degree of absolute
zero High temperature has been left
by the wayside.
In the past temperature Of 3,l00
centigrade has been produced with the
acetylene torch and of more than 5000
degrees momentarily in the electric arc.
These are quite insignificant compared
with the temperatures which exist in the
universe. The heat at the center Of the
sun has been estimated at more than
81 million C. At the suns surface
this declines to less than 6,000--a tenn
perature now within reach in the labora-
tory.
At the instant of the explosion Of an
atomic bomb the temperature is about
100000 degrees. This drops to about
5000 within considerably less than a
second-a temperature again within
reach in the laboratory.
The burning of aluminium was first
accomplished by the Temple University
group by placing aluminium shavings
and some aluminium powder IN spe-
cial container. Pure oxygen then was
admitted through line at the top.
Under these conditions fire can be
started by tossing a lighted cigarette
into the vessel. Thereafter, the fire
can be kept up by feeding aluminium
rods into the burning mass. These
melt very quickly. forming pool Of
liquid metal which starts to steam"
Aluminium vapor burns at the surface
of the pool.
Called ''the Skating SUM-"
The brilliance of the flaming mass Of
gas is so intense that the researchers
call it "the skating sun" A pool OF
burning aluminium seems to be floating
on the surface of molten aluminium
oxide
Another method which may prove Of
more practical Importance consists Of
conveying powdered aluminium by
stream of oxygen through pipe line
to a specially designed torch. The tip
of this torch is equipped with small
pilot light which ignites the stream Of
aluminium powder and oxygen as it is
sues from the mouth of the pipe at ye-
locity of about so feet second.
flame produced by this means ap-
pears as a ball of fire burning about
two inches away from the UP OF Lne
torch with such intensity that the oper-
ator must wear an asbestos suit.
Torches of this type can be used to
cut through concrete. granite. brick
walls, fire brick, two-inch arlnor plate
and six inches of steel. Some of these
operations would be completely impos-
sible with an acetylene torch. For ex-
ample, hole two feet in diameter can
be cut by the new torches through
slab of concrete four inches thick in
about an hour.
Attempts to burn other metals still
are in an experimental stage. Tests
have been made with silicon, titanium
and chromium. The latter metal offers
fantastic possibilities Of at least dupli-
eating the temperature Of the surface Of
the sun or of the atomic bomb within
a half second or so after 1t explodes.
To date only small quantities Of alu-
minum vapor for direct use in torch
have been produced. but it Is expected
that large amounts soon will be available