The targeted modification of the material composition is a common procedure used to improve the parameters of the final products. This paper deals with the targeted modification of polymer systems composition using two various types of alternative fillers. The first type of alternative filler (SVD) has been obtained from energetics where it arises as a by-product of flue gas desulfurization. The second alternative filler used (KAL) is based on waste from glass production. The elastomeric systems designed for the production of car tires and solid wheels for transport systems were used in the role of modified polymer systems. Alternative fillers (SVD, KAL) have been applied as a substitution of commonly used fillers (carbon black, silica). The filler – elastomeric matrix interaction, rheology, cure characteristics, as well as hardness and rebound resilience of vulcanizates, which are important parameters for their industrial application, have been studied in the new prepared polymeric systems. The main output of the work is a new formulation of an elastomeric system for industrial applications with high rebound resilience and low rolling resistance, which is the subject of the international patent [1]. The modification of composition using raw material substitution can also bring significant environmental and economic effects.

To model the nonlinear behaviour of vibrating systems, Taylor expansion with integer powers is often used. Some systems, however, are inherently nonlinear. In the case of a non-integer real exponent, the power-law system cannot be linearised around the equilibrium position using Taylor expansion. The approach presented here provides a simple estimate of the principal frequency of free vibration in systems with power-law restoring force. Without seeking the precise mathematical form of the output waveform, we only focus on the principal frequency. The first step is the use of dimensional analysis to reduce the number of parameters. Two independent non-dimensional groups are formed and functional dependence between them is sought using numerical simulations. Once this dependence is known, the principal frequency of free vibration can be readily determined for any system properties and any initial conditions. Finally, we compare the numerical results to analytical expressions for a few restoring force exponents.

This paper is focused on the theoretical study of heat conduction in the multi-brake system of the automated guided vehicle (AGV). The study aims to compare the amount of heat generated during braking from 10 m/s until a stop in a brake system based on organic and ceramic friction material. The theoretical study of heat conduction is solved in Matlab computational software using a derived Fourier partial differential equation for nonstationary heat conduction. The results of the simulation of the heat conduction are shown in the diagrams and indicate not only the temperature dependence in the period during braking from a speed of 10 m/s to a stop but also the amount of heat accumulated in the steel disc during braking. The simulation results show that braking in both brake systems generates approximately the same amount of heat. The difference occurs in the period of thermal activity, which was influenced by the length of the braking distance. This is caused by a coefficient of friction that significantly affects the final braking result. Finally, it can be stated that the brake system based on organic material must be equipped with a steel disc with a minimum thickness of 8 mm. This is because the brake system based on organic friction material has a set temperature limit of 160 degrees Celsius. The results presented in this study will help an engineer constructor to choose the right procedures and parameters of geometry for designing the mentioned braking system for the considered AGV.

The article presents the results of the research related to the decomposition of polylactic acid (PLA)/halloysite nanotube (HNTs) biocomposites into a simple organic form. After manufacturing the nanocomposites, the evaluation of the composting process simulation was conducted using the biodegradation method. First, the selected properties of PLA/HNTs biocomposites, such as density, water absorption, and impact strength were tested. Next, the impact of the composting process on the behavior of PLA/HNTs composites was investigated from 30 to 90 days. Finally, the loss of mass of the composites, hardness, and the structural changes of biocomposites under the composting conditions before and after the composting were evaluated using SEM microscopy. The results showed that the PLA modified by HNT particles has biodegradation-friendly properties and therein is fully suitable for organic recycling. Due to this, in the coming years, it may contribute to the replacement of non-biodegradability polymers, i.e. polyolefins and polyesters, and reduction of plastic packaging wastes.

Many researchers in the developed countries have been intensively seeking effective methods of plastic recycling over the past years. Those techniques are necessary to protect our natural environment and save non-renewable resources. This paper presents the concept of an electrostatic separator designed as a test bench dedicated to the separation of mixed plastic waste from the automotive industry. According to the current policy of the European Union on the recycling process of the automotive industry, all these waste materials must be recycled further for re-entering into the life cycle (according to the circular economy). In this paper, the proposed concept and design of the test bench were offered the feasibility to conduct research and technological tests of the electrostatic separation process of mixed plastics. The designed test bench facilitated assessing the impact of positions of high-voltage electrodes, the value and polarity of the high voltage, the variable speed of feeders and drums, and also triboelectrification parameters (like time and intensity) on the process, among others. A specialized computer vision system has been proposed and developed to enable quick and reliable evaluation of the impact of process parameters on the efficiency of electrostatic separation. The preliminary results of the conducted tests indicated that the proposed innovative design of the research stand ensures high research potential, thanks to the high accuracy of mixed plastics in a short time. The results showed the significant impact of the corona electrode position and the value of the applied voltage on the separation process effectiveness. It can be concluded that the results confirmed the ability to determine optimally the values of the studied parameters, in terms of plastic separation effectiveness. This study showed that this concept of an electrostatic separator designed as a test bench dedicated for separation of mixed plastic waste can be widely applied in the recycling plastic industry.

Groundings are necessary parts included in lightning and shock protection. In the case of a surge current, high current phenomena are observed inside the grounding. They are result of the electrical discharges around the electrode when the critical field is exceeded in a soil. An available mathematical model of grounding was used to conduct computer simulations and to evaluate the influence of current peak value on horizontal grounding parameters in two cases. In the first simulations, electrode placed in two different soils were considered. The second case was a test of the influence of current peak value on grounding electrodes of various lengths. Simulation results show that as soil resistivity increases in value, the surge impedance to static resistance ratio decreases. In the case of grounding electrodes lengths, it was confirmed that there is a need to use an operating parameter named effective grounding electrode length, because when it is exceeded, the characteristics of grounding is not significantly improved during conductance of lightning surges. The mathematical model used in the paper was verified in a comparison with laboratory tests conducted by K.S. Stiefanow and with mathematical model described by L. Grcev.

The escalating prevalence of rooftop solar PVs and DC powered home appliances are the driving forces for the research in the field of DC distribution at residential level. The current research work presents comparative analyses of AC and DC distribution systems considering various scenarios for the specific purpose of efficiency/energy savings. A modern Bakersfield CA, USA home is considered for the analyses. The loads are classified according to the power demand. Rooftop solar PVs are also included in each residential building. Mathematical equations are devised for the efficiency analysis of residential buildings powered with AC as well as DC. The results reveal strong dependence of the efficiency values on the utilization/types of loads, efficiencies of the power electronic converters (PECs), solar capacity and seasonal conditions, as a function of the time of day. It is concluded that AC system presents better efficiency values as compared to the DC counterpart except during the time periods when solar power is available and when the penetration of variable speed drive (VSD) based loads is high.

The paper concerns the utilization of hydrated lime and zeolites as additives in warm mix asphalt produced with foamed bitumen. The mentioned additives were added to the mixtures in exchange for specific quantities of mineral filler, which amounted to 0.4% and 1.2% of hydrated lime or 0.4% of water-modified and 1.0% of air-dry zeolites in mineral mix. The study investigated warm-produced mixtures with 4.5% and 4.8% binder content and production and compaction temperatures set at 120⁰C and 100⁰C respectively. Additionally, reference hot and warm mixtures were evaluated. The testing included: air void content, indirect tensile strength in dry state and after one freeze-thaw cycle as well as the resulting resistance to moisture and frost damage index. The mixtures incorporating hydrated lime and lower bitumen content of 4.5% exhibited increased air voids and mostly unchanged mechanical performance when compared to the reference warm mix. Increased bitumen content has resulted in significantly improved performance in moisture resistance and compactability which could be compared to that of the reference hot-produced mixture. On the other hand, the incorporation of zeolites in the foamed bitumen mixtures resulted in all cases in increased air void content in the samples. This has apparently led to decreased indirect tensile strength, in both the dry state and after the freeze-thaw cycle. Based on the results it was concluded that the production temperature of the zeolite-bearing mixtures was too low for the zeolite water to significantly improve the mix’ workability and therefore positively affect its mechanical parameters.

The electrical properties and behaviour in constant magnetic field of fourfold expanded GaSe matrix intercalated with SmCl 3 guest were investigated by means of impedance spectroscopy and cyclic voltammetry. It was determined that the synthesized GaSe< SmCl 3> clathrate of 4-fold expansion demonstrates the coexistence of mechanisms of generation, transformation and accumulation of electric energy on a quantum level. These mechanisms are driven from external sources of magnetic, thermal and electric field without Faradaic reactions. Therefore, investigated GaSe< SmCl 3> structure is of great attraction in multivoltaics as a prototype of new class of materials. Quantum mechanical model of electro motive force of spin nature is proposed. The main focus of work lies in the prospects of synthesized clathrates for the development of power nanosources and gyrator-free delay nanolines controlled by means of magnetic field.

Very often, a digital system includes sequential blocks which can be represented using a model of the finite state machine (FSM). It is very important to improve such FSM characteristics as the number of used logic elements, operating frequency and consumed energy. The paper proposes a novel technology-dependant design method targeting LUT-based Mealy FSMs. It belongs to the group of structural decomposition methods. The method is based on encoding the product terms of Boolean functions representing the FSM circuit. To diminish the number of LUTs, a partition of the set of internal states is constructed. It leads to three-level logic circuits of Mealy FSMs. Each function from the first level requires only a single LUT to be implemented. The method of constructing the partition with the minimum amount of classes is proposed. There is given an example of FSM synthesis with the proposed method. The experiments with standard benchmarks were conducted. They show that the proposed method can improve such FSM characteristics as the number of used LUTs. This improvement is accompanied by a decrease in performance. A positive side effect of the proposed method is a reduction in power consumption compared with FSMs obtained with other design methods.

In this paper we explore the mechanics of infinitesimal gyroscopes (test bodies with internal degrees of freedom) moving on an arbitrary member of the helicoid-catenoid family of minimal surfaces. As the configurational spaces within this family are far from being trivial manifolds, the problem of finding the geodesic and geodetic motions presents a real challenge. We have succeeded in finding the solutions to those motions in an explicit parametric form. It is shown that in both cases the solutions can be expressed through the elliptic integrals and elliptic functions, but in the geodetic case some appropriately chosen compatibility conditions for glueing together different branches of the solution are needed. Additionally, an action-angle analysis of the corresponding Hamilton-Jacobi equations is performed for external potentials that are well-suited to the geometry of the problem under consideration. As a result, five different sets of conditions between the three action variables and the total energy of the infinitesimal gyroscopes are obtained.

The paper discusses service load measurements (weight of construction materials, small equipment and workers) conducted on 120 frame scaffoldings all over Poland in 2016‒2018. Despite the fact that the scaffolding should ensure the safety of its users, most accidents on construction sites are caused by fall from height. Service loads are one of the elements affecting the safety of scaffolding use. On the basis of the studies, maximum load on one platform and maximum load on a vertical scaffolding module for one day were obtained. They were treated as the random variables of the maximum values. Histograms and probability density functions were determined for these variables. The selection of a probability distribution consisted in the selection of a probability density function by means of fitting curves to the study result histograms using the method of least squares. The analysis was performed for distribution Weibull and Gumbel probability density functions which are applied for maximum values of random variables. Parameters of these functions can be used for the purposes of the reliability analysis to calibrate partial safety factors in simulation of service load during the scaffolding failure risk assessment. Besides, the probability of not exceeding the standard loads provided for frame scaffoldings for 120 weeks was established on the aforementioned basis. The results of the presented research show that in Poland there is a high probability of exceeding the permissible service loads in one year and thus there is a high risk of scaffolding damage.

Installation and operation of rail vehicles powered by multiple system voltages forces the construction of multi-system traction substation. The article describes a traction substation power supply with 15 kV output voltage and frequency Hz and 25 kV at 50 Hz. The topology of the power electronics system and the control structure of the power supply enables parallel connection of several power supplies. The selected topology and control structure ensures minimizing the rms value of the LCRL filter capacitor current used at the output of the inverters. The article analyses the influence of harmonics consumed by the active front end (AFE) rectifier used in traction vehicles on the rms current of the LCRL filter capacitor.

The study aimed to develop a system supporting technological process planning for machining and 3D printing. Such a system should function similarly to the way human experts act in their fields of expertise and should be capable of gathering the necessary knowledge, analysing data, and drawing conclusions to solve problems. This could be done by utilising artificial intelligence (AI) methods available within such systems. The study proved the usefulness of AI methods and their significant effectiveness in supporting technological process planning. The purpose of this article is to show an intelligent system that includes knowledge, models, and procedures supporting the company’s employees as part of machining and 3D printing. Few works are combining these two types of processing. Nowadays, however, these two types of processing overlap each other into a common concept of hybrid processing. Therefore, in the opinion of the authors, such a comprehensive system is necessary. The system-embedded knowledge takes the form of neural networks, decision trees, and facts. The system is presented using the example of a real enterprise. The intelligent expert system is intended for process engineers who have not yet gathered sufficient experience in technological-process planning, or who have just begun their work in a given production enterprise and are not very familiar with its machinery and other means of production.

The Lagrange-Sylvester formula is applied to the computation of the solutions of state equations of fractional continuous-time and discrete-time linear systems. The solutions are given as finite sums with their numbers of components equal to the degrees of the minimal characteristics polynomials of state matrices of the systems. Procedures for computations of the solutions are given and illustrated by numerical examples of continuous-time and discrete-time fractional linear systems.