BOOK REVIE ws
280
carbon Combustion, Guenther vonElbe. 10.
Space Heating Rates and High Temeprature
Kinetics, W. H. Avery. 11. A Theory of
Space Requirements for Combustion Behind
Grids in a Closed Duet, Joseph Jennissen.
The above survey papers include discus-
sions of combustion instability with’ special
reference to liquid and solid propellant roc-
kets. This problem has plagued engineers
since the beginning of modern rocket de-
velopment.
The introduction by Professor Hoyt C.
Hottel is especially pertinent in which he
states “the adequacy of our engineering
knowledge of combustion is for engineering
purposes in large measure tested by our
ability to determine the space requirement
for combustion” ; and this is directly or in-
directly the subject of many of the papers.
In reviewing these papers it is obvious
that considerable progress has been achieved
in correlating the reactivity of complex
hydrocarbon molecules within the processes
of energy transfers among the bands within
the molecule. About half of the 45 con-
tributed papers on chemical kinetics deal
with the combustion of hydrocarbons.
This book is indispensable as a reference
source of information to anyone in the com-
bustion field. F. L. JACKSON
FUNDAMENTALSOF TRANSPORTATION
ENGI-
NEERING,by Robert G. Hermes and Martin
I. Ekse. 520 pages, diagrams, 16 X 24 cm.
New York, McGraw-Hill Book Co., Inc.,
1955. Price, $8.50.
This book covers an ambitious program
in various fields of transportation, mainly
viewed from the civil engineering aspect. It
includes road building and highway location,
airport layouts and runways, railroad engi-
neering with discussions on permanent way
and motive power performance characteris-
tics, rivers and harbors, and, finally, pipe
lines and belt conveyors. The book is mainly
of a descriptive nature, though some prelimi-
nary design data are included.
In the opinion of the reviewer, the book is
not a fundamental exposition on the various
phases in transportation engineering. It ia-
[J. F. I.
eludes compiled data, but without careful
analysis and interpretation.
In the section on railroad engineering per-
taining to locomotive performance, the A. R.
Eng. Assoc. performance data are used, with-
out any technical discussion of the limitation
of these formulas. The power curves in
terms of horsepower per ton on drivers is
an assumed “statistical” exponential curve in
terms of a speed ratio, where the basic speed
is determined at the point where the maxi-
mum adhesion output per ton at drivers
equals 0.632 of 80 per cent of the rated out-
put per ton at drivers. The validity of this
method is at best questionable, since the re-
lation of adhesion limits and power capacity
are fairly arbitrary. The continuous rating
depends upon the heating limitations and
motor proportions. The continuous torque
at rated speed gives the rated output and this
is limited by engine output. The starting
tractive force, in turn, depends upon the per-
missible overload torque relative to its con-
tinuous rating and this in turn must be com-
patible with limiting adhesion. The speed
range, physically, is some definite factor of
the continuous rating speed. The output
characteristics of modern Diesel electric
locomotion is more nearly of a constant out-
put curve against speed except in the ad-
hesion or starting range, where the output
increases nearly linearly with speed, and at
extreme speeds where there is some falloff
in power. Again with steam locomotives,
cylinder performance is limited by boiler ca-
pacity. With adequate boiler capacity, cyl-
inder performance gives very closely a linear
dropoff in tractive force and a corresponding
parabolic power curve and not an exponen-
tial curve. Again, a more fundamental an-
alysis is needed to even approximately arrive
at the performance characteristics of a loco-
motive.
The danger of a book of this type, in
seeking an over-all review of fundamentals,
is the inadequacy of space for a careful and
sufficient presentation of the topics consid-
ered, and the necessity of presenting much
statistical and catalogue data for some, with-
out sufficient analysis for its justification.
RUPEN EKSERGIAK