SCIENCE OF THE DAY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20596, 21 June 1930, Page 29 (Supplement)

SCIENCE OF THE DAY.

X-RAYS IN INDUSTRY. The research work of the Royal Institution will be materially assisted by an endowment of £20,000, which has been accepted by the institution from the trustees of the Rockefeller Foundation, on condition that an additional £50.000 be independently secured for the same purpose before June 30. 1933. The aim of the institution, Mr. Martin, the general secretary, stated recently, is to secure a sufficient sum to maintain the work of research without recourse to Government assistance. Donations are • frequently received from industrial sources. Sir William Bragg, Director of the Laboratory, is in America, where he is to receive the Franklyn Medal of the Franklyn Institute of Philadelphia, the highest honour which American science has to offer. The manner in which-X-rays aro being utilised for chemical research was explained by Dr. A. Muller, assistant director. " X-ray analysis," he stated, "is undertaken with a new microscope, by which wo can observe smaller quantities than by any of. the older methods. A general result has been to show that almost everything, including paper, is crystalline in structure.

"It is a new tool, which is gradu-. ally being adopted by industrial firms. Cotton, wool, metal alloys, coal, and explosives represent only » few of the industries which h&va found X-rays useful In the caso of heat-resisting materials, after all other methods had failed, X-rays provided a reliable method of testing samples." Pearls,. too, have been tested by this means, and are regularly sold with a guarantee to this effect. At present such work is largely empirical, but Mr. Muller says he considers that ultimately it may b& possible to influence the - delicate changes of constitution which play so important a part in the industrial world. " Yesterday's theories of the laboratory are applied to-day in industry," Dr. Muller added. " I look forward to a time when * Quantum Mechanics,' tho latest and most delicate of scientific weapons, will be applied to control the practical processes of chemical industry. Only when the architecture of the atom is more fully understood will the mora detailed control of its behaviour become possible."

EEMAEKABLE DEVICES.

The motor ship Leverktisen, of the N.D.L. and Hamburg Amerika line (7300 tons) which left Sydney for Germany, via Antwerp, recently, is furnished with remarkable scientific devices. There/is on board a wireless direction finder operated on tho Telefunken principle that nas occasioned much interest in shipping circles, for it serves a threefold purpose. It will tell accurately that position of the vessel at sea. By means of the submarine'bell system, which has been perfected since the war, it can "hear" the position of another ship up to a distance of about eight miles, thereby minimishing collision risks, and delays, in foggy weather. Depth soundings are also " heard " when a newly invented, minature torpedo explodes on contact with the sea floor. The speed of the torpedo is known in varying currents so that a stop-wact gives a precise reading and eliminates the old-fashion-ed lead-swinging. * Another interesting apparatus is what may be called the " hold smeller " which is also operated from the bridge. It is the duty of the officer on each watch to switch on a compressed air motor and place his nose in a special nose bag. By various switches, he is able to actually smell tho air in the separate holds. An additional device to the instrument is a series of blow pipes which will blow out samples of air from the liolds. It is. therefore, quite a simple mater to localise and effect a cure should any, hold catch fire or become laden with dangerous gases. .USEFUL INVENTION. A< contrivance for use jn mines has been invented by a woman in Paris. Whenever the quantity of gas in the atmosphere is greater than 1.3 per cent, the instrument sounds a warning by ringing a bell and flashing a tiny electric lamp Tests made in England as well as France are said to have indicated that the invention infallibly detects the presence of gas in the air. In France it is being used to trace leaks in household gas lines and fixtures, and to ensure that no gas escapes from loose plumbing joints when new meters are installed. The London street gas explosions of some months ago inspired the inventor.