The bonding state of the asphalt layers in a road pavement structure significantly affects its fatigue life. These bondings, therefore, require detailed tests and optimization. In this paper, the analyses of the correlation between the results of laboratory static tests and the results of fatigue tests of asphalt mixture interlayer bondings were performed. The existence of the relationships between selected parameters was confirmed. In the future, the results of these analyses may allow for assessment of interlayer bondings' fatigue life based on the results of quick and relatively easy static tests.

In this work, an assessment and comparison of the quality of selected bentonites and bentonite mixtures was made. The samples consisted of available foundry materials used for bonding green sands. Determining the homogeneity degree and specific surface area of the grains allowed us to compare the examined materials and determine their influence on other parameters. On the basis of a thermal analysis of the bentonites or bentonite mixtures, the changes occurring in the sample during its heating were determined. Determining the potential for ion exchange and montmorillonite content enabled us to assess the binding properties of the materials. The preparation of six green sands with different bentonites or bentonite mixtures gave us the opportunity to assess the changes in apparent density, permeability, compressive strength and friability as a function of humidity, and the impact of different materials on the mentioned parameters. Their charts were analyzed, and the molding sand with the addition of bentonite or a bentonite mixture was selected for which these parameters are favorable. On this basis, the best-presented binding material was assessed and selected.

The paper presents test results for the assessment of the tracer content in a three-component (green peas, sorghum, maize) feed mixture that is based on the fluorescent method. The homogeneity of mixtures was determined on the basis of the maize content (as the key component), which was treated with fluorescent substance: tinopal, rhodamine B, uranine and eosin. The key components were wet-treated with fluorescent substances with different concentrations. Feed components were mixed in a vertical funnel-flow mixer. 10 samples were collected from each mixed batch. Samples were placed in a chamber equipped with UV light and, then, an image recorded as BMP file was generated. The image was analysed by means of the software programme Patan. On the basis of the analyses conducted, data on the maize content marked with a fluorescent marker were obtained. Additionally, the content of the key component was determined in a conventional manner – using an analytical scale. Results indicate the possibility of using this method for homogeneity assessment of the three-component grain mixture. From these tests, fluorescent substances that can be applied in the case of maize as a key component, together with their minimum concentrations, were identified: tinopal 0.3%, rhodamine B 0.001%.

Bentonite is clay rock, which is created by decomposition of vulcanic glass. It is formed from mixture of clay minerals of smectite group,

mainly montmorillonite, beidellite and nontronite. Its typical characteristics is, that when in contact with water, it intensively swells. First

who used this term was W.C. Knight in 1887. The rock had been named after town Fort Benton in American state Montana. For its

interesting technological properties and whiteness has wide technological use. Bentonite is selectively mined and according to its final use

separately modified, which results in high quality product with specific parameters.

In the beginning of 21st century belong bentonite moulding mixtures in foundry to always perspective. Mainly increased ratio of ductile

cast iron castings production cannot be ensured without the need of quality bentonite. Great area of scope remains to further research of

moulding materials, which return also to bentonite producers.

The work determined the influence of aluminium in the amount from about 0.6% to about 8% on graphitization of cast iron with

relatively high silicon content (3.4%-3.9%) and low manganese content (about 0.1%). The cast iron was spheroidized with cerium mixture

and graphitized with ferrosilicon. It was found that the degree of graphitization increases with an increase in aluminium content in cast

iron up to 2.8%, then decreases. Nodular and vermicular graphite precipitates were found after the applied treatment in cast iron containing

aluminium in the amount from about 1.9% to about 8%. The Fe3AlCx carbides, increasing brittleness and deteriorating the machinability of

cast iron, were not found in cast iron containing up to about 6.8% Al. These carbides were revealed only in cast iron containing about 8% Al.

Casting quality depends on many factors including the quality of the input materials, technology, material securing and last but not least, the mould into which the casting is casted. By pouring into a single-shot mould, based mainly on 1st generation binders, is is a very important factor. Basically, a bentonite mixture represents either a three- or four-component system, but each component of the system is a heterogeneous substance. This heterogeneity punctuates mainly a non-stationary heat field, presented throughout the whole process of the casting production. The most important component is a binder and in the case of first generation binders mostly bentonites are used - clays that contain minimum of 80% of montmorillonite

In the design of asphalt mixtures for paving, the choice of components has a remarkable importance,as requirements of quality and durability must be assured in use, guaranteeing adequate standardsof safety and comfort.

In this paper, an approach of analysis on the aggregate materials using fractal geometry is proposed. Following an analytical and an experimental approach, it was possible to find a correlation betweencharacteristics of the asphalt concrete (specific gravity and porosity) and the fractal dimension ofthe aggregate mixtures.

The studies revealed that this approach allows to draw the optimal fractal dimension and, conse-quently, it can be used to choose an appropriate aggregate gradation for the specific application;once the appropriate initial physical parameters are finalized.

This fractal approach could be employed for predicting the porosity of mixed asphalt concretes,given as input the fractal characteristics of the aggregate mixtures of the concrete materials.

Increasing environmental pressure against waste disposal, particularly fine waste surface storage and concern about mining damages have resulted in an increase in the popularity of a fly ash, tailing and binding agent mixture used as compaction grout of roof fall rocks in a gob area of longwalls. Backfilling of voids forming as a result of exploitation with the fall of roof with mixtures containing fine-grained industrial wastes is a common practice in coal mines. It is aimed at achieving numerous technological and ecological advantages as well as at controlling mining hazards. Research on hydraulic transport of fine-grained slurry conducted to date focused mainly on issues related to the analysis of the conditions related to pipeline transportation. The processes concerning the propagation of mixtures within the gob, on the other hand, remain largely unknown. The process of flow of fine-grained slurry through the caving is subject to a series of factors related, among other things, with the properties of the applied wastes and mixtures, the characteristics of the gob as well as the variability of these properties during the flow through the gob and in time. Due to the lack of sufficient knowledge pertaining to the changes taking place in the gob and in the slurry while it penetrates the gobs, no methods allowing for the design and optimization of the gob grouting process have been established so far. The paper presents the selected results of laboratory tests regarding the flow of ash and water mixtures in a model of a gob, pertaining to two selected types of fly ash produced in hard coal combustion, particularly concerning the impact of the type of the ash and the density of the slurry on the effectiveness of the gob grouting process.

The paper presents results of a study concerning ammonium and nitratc(V) fixation by soil irrigated with municipal wastcwatcrs ( 1 - 60 mm and 2 doses - 120 mm) and estimation or the possibility or using organic soil and grass-mixture for the wastewater treatment. It was found that the studied soil and the plant applied showed a very high capacity or binding ammonium ions (up to 96%), and lower in the case ofnitrates(V) (up to 71 %). It was also demonstrated that the single irrigation dose was better utilized compared to the double dose.

Biological diversity within a mixture field allows for better use of habitat and agro-technical conditions by the mixtures, which can be seen by higher and more stable yields than varieties sown separately. Our studies were conducted in the growing seasons 2011/2012–2014/2015 as field experiments with four winter barley varieties (Bombaj, Gil, Gregor, Bażant) and three, two- and three-component mixtures (Bombaj/Gil, Bombaj/Gregor, Gil/Gregor/Bażant). Seven different chemical treatments with fungicides were applied. The aim of this study was to compare the different varieties of winter barley with their mixtures for resistance to powdery mildew infection. To achieve this aim the logistic model for the analysis of data was used. Of the varieties under consideration, the best and the most resistant variety was Gregor, while the weakest and the most susceptible to diseases (powdery mildew) was Gil. This variety was also significantly weaker than any of the other mixtures taken into account. Moreover, it was so weak that when it was included in mixtures with other varieties, it weakened these mixtures as well.

Twenty-eight two-, three-, four-, and five-component amine mixtures have been evaluated as possible activators of CO2 absorption into aqueous carbonate/bicarbonate solutions. Measurements were per- formed using a pressure autoclave with a sparger at conditions close to industrial ones. On the basis of these results, a formula for a new, more efficient amine activator named INS13 was developed. The activator was tested both in a pilot plant and on an industrial scale in an ammonia plant producing 300 tons/day of ammonia. Activator INS13 was applied in a number of ammonia plants in Poland and abroad.

Many modern processes for the production and casting of metals and their alloys are carried out in protective gas atmospheres, which protect them, for example, from oxygen pollution. This applies, for example, to titanium, magnesium or aluminum alloys. Most liquid alloys are comprised of constituents that differ in vapor pressures, resulting in harmful phenomenon during melting due to evaporation of some of its components. This harmful process may be limited by the selection of a suitable gas atmosphere in which the liquid metal treatment process is carried out. In the paper, results of study on the impact of the type of gas atmosphere on the rate of evaporation of zinc in argon – hydrogen mixtures are presented. It should be noted that such mixtures are used, for example, in metal welding processes, in which it is also possible to evaporate a component of the so-called liquid metal pool. The research results showed that the rate of zinc evaporation increases with the increase of hydrogen content in the gas atmosphere.

The paper presents the results of experimental heat transfer and pressure drop during condensation of the single component refrigerant R134a and zeotropic mixtures R404A, R407C, and R410A in tube minichannels of internal diameter from the range 0.31–3.30 mm. The local values and the average of heat transfer coefficient and pressure drop in the whole range of the change in mass quality were measured. On the basis of the obtained test results there was illustrated the influence of the change of mass vapor quality, the mass flux density, and the inner diameter of channel on the studied parameters. These results were compared with the calculation results based on the relations postulated by other authors. The discrepancy range was ± 50%. On the basis of given test results own correlation was developed to calculate the heat transfer coefficient and pressure drop of tested refrigerants which presents the obtained results in a range of discrepancy of ±25%.

Speaker‘s emotional states are recognized from speech signal with Additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN). The influence of white noise on a typical emotion recogniztion system is studied. The emotion classifier is implemented with Gaussian mixture model (GMM). A Chinese speech emotion database is used for training and testing, which includes nine emotion classes (e.g. happiness, sadness, anger, surprise, fear, anxiety, hesitation, confidence and neutral state). Two speech enhancement algorithms are introduced for improved emotion classification. In the experiments, the Gaussian mixture model is trained on the clean speech data, while tested under AWGN with various signal to noise ratios (SNRs). The emotion class model and the dimension space model are both adopted for the evaluation of the emotion recognition system. Regarding the emotion class model, the nine emotion classes are classified. Considering the dimension space model, the arousal dimension and the valence dimension are classified into positive regions or negative regions. The experimental results show that the speech enhancement algorithms constantly improve the performance of our emotion recognition system under various SNRs, and the positive emotions are more likely to be miss-classified as negative emotions under white noise environment.

The paper attempts to determine the impact of fuel impurities on the spark discharge energy and the wear of the spark plug electrode. Spark plugs were analyzed in two typical configurations of the ignition system. A number of tests were conducted to determine the wear of the spark plug electrode exposed to different types of impurities. The spark discharge energy for new and worn spark plugs was determined through calculation.

The paper includes the TG-DTG thermogravimetric air-testing of a cellulose mixture modified with the additives of expanded vermiculite or expanded perlite. A thermal degradation test was carried out at 1000°C with a simultaneous qualitative analysis of the emitted gases. During the thermal degradation process, the thermal effects were also measured. The research results indicate that expanded vermiculite or expanded perlite do not emit toxic gases during thermal degradation. The cellulose mixture modification, with the additives of expanded vermiculite or perlite, does not result in the creation of new gaseous compounds in the process of thermal degradation. A s investigated below, the mixtures tested in this article find application in gating systems for supplying liquid metal in no-bake moulds. Such cellulose-based material solutions shall allow the foundry industry to introduce less gas vaporising technologies within the entire casting production process.

This paper deals with production of safety inlay for steam locomotive valve by the Patternless Process method. For the moulds creation was used moulding mixtures of II. generation, whereas binder was used a water glass. CNC miller was used for creation of mould cavity. Core was created also by milling into block made of moulding compound. In this article will be presented also making of 3D model, setting of milling tool paths and parameters for milling.

The main bulk density representation in the molding material is opening material, refractory granular material with a particle size of 0.02

mm. It forms a shell molds and cores, and therefore in addition to activating the surface of the grain is one of the most important features

angularity and particle size of grains. These last two features specify the porosity and therefore the permeability of the mixture, and

thermal dilatation of tension from braking dilation, the thermal conductivity of the mixture and even largely affect the strength of molds

and cores, and thus the surface quality of castings. [1]

Today foundries, which use the cast iron for produce of casts, are struggling with surface defects on the casts. One of these defects are

veining. They can be eliminated in several ways. Veining are foundry defects, which arise as a result of tensions generated at the interface

of the mold and metal. This tension also arises due to abrupt thermal expansion of silica sand and is therefore in the development of

veining on the surface of casts deal primarily influences and characteristics of the filler material – opening material in the production of

iron castings.

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).

The use of shredded tyre in civil engineering applications is a significant potential end use market. The reuse of tyre chips may not only address growing environmental and economic concerns, but also help to solve geotechnical problems associated with low shear strength. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the properties of tyre chips and tyre chips – sand mixture, and to find the mixture with the highest shear strength. In this study, an experimental testing program was undertaken using a large – scale triaxial apparatus with the goal of evaluating the optimum percentage of tyre chips in sand. The effects on shear strength of varying percentage of tyre chips and varying confining pressure were studied. Tyre chips content was suspected to have influence on stress – strain and volumetric strain behaviour of the mixture. Some tests were conducted to check the influence of number of used membranes, of saturation and compaction, on sample properties.

The exploitation and processing of lignite in the Bełchatów region is connected with the formation of various mineral waste materials: varied in origin, mineral and chemical composition and raw material properties of the accompanying minerals, ashes and slags from lignite combustion and reagipsum from wet flue gas desulphurisation installations. This paper presents the results of laboratory tests whose main purpose was to obtain data referring to the potential use of fly ashes generated in the Bełchatów Power Plant and selected accompanying minerals exploited in the Bełchatów Mine in the form of self-solidification mixtures. The beidellite clays were considered as the most predisposed for use from the accompanying minerals , due to pozzolanic and sorption properties and swelling capacity. Despite the expected beneficial effects of clay minerals from the smectite group on the self-settling process as well as the stability of such blends after solidification, the results of physical-mechanical tests (compressive strength and water repellence) were unsatisfactory. It was necessary to use Ca (OH)2, obtained from the lacustrine chalk as an activator of the self-settling process It was necessary to use lacustrine chalk as an activator of the self-solidification process. The presence of calcium will allow the formation of cement phases which will be able to strongly bond the skeletal grains. Also, the addition of reagipsum to the composition of the mixture would contribute to the improvement of the physico-mechanical parameters. The elevated SO4 2– ion in the mixture during the solidification allows for the crystallization of the sulphate phases in the pore space to form bridges between the ash and clay minerals. The use of mixtures in land reclamation unfavourably transformed by opencast mining in the Bełchatów region would result in measurable ecological and economic benefits and would largely solve the problem of waste disposal from the from the operation and processing of lignite energy.

Fly-ash is a form of production waste produced as a result of the burning of coal for energy production. Millions of tonnes of this waste are produced worldwide every year; hence it is extremely important to dispose of it in a useful way, including through treating the initial raw material to obtain a material of higher quality. The aim of the present work is to determine the suitability of processed fly-ash from lignite for reinforcing (stabilizing) soils used in the building of road foundations and embankments. The results provide a method of recycling this waste while at the same time obtaining new materials and technologies for use in road building. This is an important issue both environmentally and in terms of the positive effect that processed fly-ash can have on the stability of road structures.

This article presents the results of experiments carried out using fly-ash produced from lignite at the P¹tnów Power Plant. This ash was first modified (activated) using a Wapeco magnetic activator, and then used to produce hydraulic binders (with the addition of cement) and soil-binder mixtures. These mixtures were made using natural soils from seven different deposits in the Lubuskie region (western Poland). They were stabilized using two hydraulic binders (strength ratings 3 MPa and 9 MPa) added in different amounts (6% and 8% relative to the mass of the soil). During the experiment, a determination was made of the increase in the strength of the analysed samples (after 14, 28, and 42 days) and the increase in the bearing ratio (immediately after consolidation and after 7 days).

Interpretation of the results of the experiment made it possible to assess the dynamics of the increase in compression strength and load-bearing capacity of various soils stabilized with hydraulic binders produced from lignite ash, and to indicate possibilities for the use of these materials.

The analysis showed that it is possible to use these binders for the stabilisation of soils, enabling soils formerly considered to have weak load-bearing capacity (clayey sand; clayey, sandy gravel; clays) to be classified as fully usable in road construction.

In agriculture, the mixing of pesticides in tanks is a common practice. However, it is necessary to previse possible physical-chemical implications of this practice, which may affect the efficiency of the treatments performed. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of the addition of acaricide to insecticidal spray mixtures on the formation of spray droplets and the interaction with citrus leaves. The experimental design was totally randomized, in a (2 × 3 + 1) factorial scheme for seven treatments. Factor A corresponded to the spray mixture used (isolate or in the mixture). Factor B corresponded to the insecticides tested (lambda-cyhalothrin + thiamethoxam, phosmet, and imidacloprid) and the control consisted of a spray mixture with spirodiclofen only. Nine replications were performed for characterization of the spray droplet size spectrum and four replications for the analysis of the surface tension and the contact angle. The mixture of pesticides showed positive results in terms of application safety. The addition of acaricide to insecticide spray mixtures reduced the surface tension and contact angle of droplets on the adaxial surface of orange leaves. There was an increment in volume median diameter (VMD), a significant reduction in the volume of droplets with drift-sensitive size and improvement in the uniformity of droplet size. Therefore, the addition of acaricide to an insecticide spray mixture positively influenced spray droplet formation and the interaction with citrus leaves providing better coverage and droplet size fractions with an appropriate size for safe and efficient application.