This paper presents a new modification of the least-squares Prony’s method with reduced sampling, which allows for a significant reduction in the number of the analysed signal samples collected per unit time. The specific combination of non-uniform sampling with Prony’s method enables sampling of the analysed signals at virtually any average frequency, regardless of the Nyquist frequency, maintaining high accuracy in parameter estimation of sinusoidal signal components. This property allows using the method in measuring devices, such as for electric power quality testing equipped with low power signal processors, which in turn contributes to reducing complexity of these devices. This paper presents research on a method for selecting a sampling frequency and an analysis window length for the presented method, which provide maximum estimation accuracy for Prony’s model component parameters. This paper presents simulation tests performed in terms of the proposed method application for analysis of harmonics and interharmonics in electric power signals. Furthermore, the paper provides sensitivity analysis of the method, in terms of common interferences occurring in the actual measurement systems.

The aggregate applied for the wearing course has a significant influence on skid resistance of road surfaces. However, it is difficult to evaluate the behaviour of road surface in use on the basis of the Polished Stone Value (PSV) determined for the aggregate according to the so called ‘British method’. The British method, which is currently used in many countries, does not allow to determine the influence of neither the grain size of the aggregate nor the type of the wearing course on skid resistance of road surface. The present paper suggests a method for evaluation of the British Pendulum Number (BPN) for road surfaces in laboratory conditions. The authors assumed the BPN for polished slabs, made from asphalt mixtures, as the criterion. The index was measured with the British Pendulum Tester. The simulation of the process was conducted on research stand (called slab polisher) built at Bialystok University of Technology (BUT). The results of laboratory tests indicate that surfaces from asphalt concrete (AC) have slightly higher values of BPN in comparison with the values determined for surfaces made from stone mastic asphalt (SMA).