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THE problem of oxidation is one that is an ever‐present source of trouble to the welder. It is particularly the case in aircraft construction, where light‐gauge metals are most frequently employed. There is also the complementary, though less obstinate, problem of carburization. Elimination of these can be effected to a certain extent by one or more of several methods. However, before dealing with their cure, some notes on the nature of oxidation and carburization may lead to a better understanding of the processes.

THE subject of welded structures in aircraft as compared with that of riveted ones necessarily affects two schools of designers. It is contended that under modern conditions and requirements the welded structure has definite merits over its rival, provided that it is tackled with the correct technique. Therefore it should be borne in mind that the welded structure must be designed for the process and not, as some designers suppose, be improvised for jobs where riveting or bolting was previously employed. Even with this limitation, there is great scope in many fields of metal construction for the use of welding.

WHILE in the previous articles the materials of construction were dealt with, no reference was made to the quality of the metal introduced by application of the filler rod.

THE materials commonly employed in the fabrication of aircraft structures are confined for the main part to steels of low carbon content (i.e., mild steel, manganese steels of a medium carbon) and chrome‐molybdenum steels. The content of carbon steels that are weldable cannot be exactly laid down, since the amount which can be contended with by the oxy‐acetylene process may rise to as much as 0.8 per cent, although this does not occur in the examples given here where only steels within the region of 0.3 per cent carbon exists.

WORK STUDY still suffers from the unenviable reputation it gained in its early days when it was regarded as little more than a device, tinged with a touch of duress, for getting a greater output from the manual worker on the shop floor. This legacy of dislike still erupts occasionally in unexpected ways.

The present writer has reviewed in AIRCRAFT ENGINEERING all but two of the Sections of the Handbook of Supersonic Aerodynamics as each has appeared; and it is a matter of some disappointment that although the first review was made over ten years ago, nearly half the handbook is still awaited. For such an important document to take so long to appear is, to say the least, unfortunate. When complete the handbook will have 21 Sections comprising six volumes; the sections are each prepared by an expert, under the general editorship of the John Hopkins University, while publication and distribution arc in the hands of the U.S. Naval Bureau of Ordnance. Of the 21 sections, there have appeared at various times and in no particular order Sections 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 12, 15, 16, and 18: they have been reviewed, singly or in groups (except for Section 15, a set of tables) in the May 1952, November 1952, November 1958, February 1960, September 1960 and January 1961 issues of AIRCRAFT ENGINEERING. Of the remaining sections, eight are in process of preparation; there is no statement about the last.

No. 1 of the year 1939. Civil Specification Memorandum No. 21 Civil Specifications No. 19 (Accumulator Cutouts or Reverse Current Relays), No. 20 (Absolute Atmospheric Pressure Gauges), and No. 21 (Voltage Regulators) have now been issued and can be purchased, price 6d. net per copy or 7d. post free, either direct from His Majesty's Stationery Office at any of the following addresses:—York House, Kingsway, London, W.C.2; 120, George Street, Edinburgh, 2; 26, York Street, Manchester, 1; 1, St. Andrew's Crescent, Cardiff; 80, Chichester Street, Belfast; or through any bookseller.

This article puts a fresh light on Jackson’s elementary curriculum in Western Australia which was a unique blend of the ‘new education’, designed to complement the Western Australia government’s economic development policies. In this respect, he followed the work of Rooper, who brought an agricultural emphasis to rural elementary education in England. In Western Australia, Jackson not only promoted the established practical forms of the ‘new education’ but, swayed by political leaders, encouraged a rural focus on the elementary government school curriculum, both for educational as well as utilitarian purposes, thereby serving the needs of the individual as well as the colonial economy.

If this journal, which is of course The Institute's official mouthpiece, appears to have put strong emphasis on the subject of Energy Conservation this year, our Editor remains entirely unrepentant! Members will recall that, way back in June, the bizarre chapter of Ekofisk first came under study in his monthly “Comment.” The Editor pointed out that oil companies, when reviewing their anti‐pollution capabilities, could do well to acknowledge that a few miles of oil‐blackened shoreline can negate overnight, the years spent polishing their public image.

A Selection of Equipment of Use in the Production and Maintenance of Aircraft, Missiles, Space Vehicles and their Components. The PERA Reamer A research report recently issued to members of the Production Engineering Research Association describes the design, performance and principal advantages of a new type of reamer designed and developed by PERA.t Outstanding improvements in the quality of reamed holes at greatly increased production rates, and longer reamer life, can be achieved with the new reamer. The potential financial savings are, in consequence, very considerable. For example, it has been estimated that a medium‐sized engineering works could save over £2,000 a year by using the PERA reamer.