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The dorsal sensory branch of the ulnar nerve has been found to have the appropriate size and sufficient length for use as a digital nerve graft. This donor nerve was utilised fifteen times in twelve patients for the bridging of defects in thirteen digital nerves of the fingers. After an average follow-up of 23.2 months, only one patient failed to achieve any two point discrimination in the area supplied by the involved digital nerve. The other eleven patients had an average two point discrimination of 9.5 mm with a range of 5 to 18 mm. Painful neuroma formation or loss of hand function related to the use of the dorsal sensory branch of the ulnar nerve as a donor for digital nerve grafts was not encountered.

The influence of thermal exposure at 800, 1000, and 1200°F (427, 538 and 649°C) on the tensile properties of type 304 stainless steel has been experimentally determined. Specimens were exposed in static sodium for durations of 1000, 3500 and 10,000 hr. Tests were performed at room temperature and the respective exposure temperatures at nominal strain rates from 3 × 10−5 to 10 s−1. Exposure at temperatures to 1000°F (538°C) did not greatly alter the elevated temperature strength, ductility, or strain rate sensitivity of the subject material. At 1200°F (649°C) strength properties were unchanged by exposure at this temperature while ductility was increased at the lowest strain rate and slightly reduced at the higher rates. The room temperature strength was unchanged and ductility slightly reduced after exposure for 10,000 hr at each temperature.

The elevated temperature mechanical properties of large diameter (28 in.) seamless pipe produced by roll extrusion for use as primary piping for sodium coolant in the Fast Flux Test Facility (FFTF) have been characterized. The three heats of type 316H stainless steel piping material used in this study exhibited very consistent mechanical properties and chemical compositions. Tensile and creep-rupture properties exceed values on which the allowable stresses for ASME Code Case 1592 on Nuclear Components in Elevated Temperature Service were based. Tensile strength and ductility were essentially unchanged by aging in static sodium at 1050°F (566°C) for times to 10,000 hr. High strain rate tensile tests showed that tensile properties were insensitive to strain rate at temperatures to 900°F (482°C) and that for temperatures of 1050°F (566°C) and above both strength and ductility significantly increased with increasing strain rate. Fatigue-crack propagation properties were comparable to results obtained on plate material and no differences in crack propagation were found between axial and circumferential orientations.

The high strain rate tensile properties of solution annealed Type 304 stainless steel have been determined experimentally. Tests were performed at strain rates ranging from 3 × 10−5 to 1 × 102 in./in./sec at temperatures from 600 to 1600 deg F. At temperatures to 1000 deg F, the strength and ductility are largely insensitive to variations in strain rate, whereas at temperatures from 1200 to 1600 deg F, significant increases in both strength and ductility are observed with increasing strain rate.

A photoelectron spectrometer has been used to investigate the emissions of He, Ne, and Ar discharges in order to demonstrate the usefulness of the spectrometer as a pseudo-uv monochromator. Also those emissions were identified that are intense enough to produce spurious signals in photoelectron spectra.