Bulletin of the Polish Academy of Sciences Technical Sciences

The work presents a DC power supply with power factor correction (PFC). This device is also equipped with a parallel active filter function, which enables the possibility of compensation (minimization) of reactive and distortion power, generated by a group of loads, connected to the same power grid node. A passive filter with variable inductance applied at the input of the power supply allows for a significant improvement in quality of the system control (given specific criteria), as compared to the solution with a filter with fixed parameters. This is possible by increasing the dynamics of current changes at the power supply input (extending its “frequency response”). The paper presents the principle of operation as well as structures and models of the power supply control system and its power stage. Selected test results of the simulation model of the electric system with the power supply, in various operating conditions, are also presented.

In this study, the optimization of air gap magnetic flux density of open slotted axial flux permanent magnet (AFPM) machine which was developed for wind turbine has been obtained using the Taguchi experimental method. For this, magnetic analyzes were performed by ANSYS Maxwell program according to Taguchi table. Then the optimum values have been determined and the average magnetic flux density values have been calculated for air gap and iron core under load and no-load conditions with ANSYS Maxwell. Traditionally, 15625 analyzes are required for 6 independent variables and 5 levels when experimental method is used. In this study, optimum values are determined by 25 magnetic analyzes, which use L25 orthogonal array. For this purpose, both factor effect graph and signal to noise ratios are used, according to the factors and levels which are obtained from the factor effect graph and the signal to noise ratio. Parameters are re-analyzed by Maxwell. The optimum factors and levels are determined. For optimized values, the air gap magnetic flux density is improved by 65.7% and 173.26%, respectively, according to the average value and the initial design. Therefore, the variables are optimized in a shorter time with Taguchi experimental design method instead of the traditional design method for open slotted AFPM generator. In addition, the results were analyzed statistically using ANOVA and Regression model. The variables were found to be significant by ANOVA. The degree of influence of the variables on the air gap magnetic flux density was also determined by the Regression model.

The use of fractional-order calculus for system modeling is a good alternative to well-known classic integer-order methods, primarily due to the precision with which the modeled object may be mapped. In this study, we created integer and fractional discrete models of a real object – a highspeed brushless micro-motor. The accuracy of the models was verified and compared.

The current passed by the stator coil of the permanent magnet synchronous motor (PMSM) provides rotating magnetic field, and the number of turns will directly affect the performance of PMSM. In order to analyze its influence on the PMSM performance, a 3 kW, 1500 r/min PMSM is taken as an example, and the 2D transient electromagnetic field model is established. The correctness of the model is verified by comparing the experimental data and calculated data. Firstly, the finite element method (FEM) is used to calculate the electromagnetic field of the PMSM. The performance parameters of the PMSM are obtained. On this basis, the influence of the number of turns on PMSM performance is quantitatively analyzed, including current, no-load back electromotive force (EMF), overload capacity and torque. In addition, the influence of the number of turns on eddy current loss is further studied, and its variation rule is obtained, and the variation mechanism of eddy current loss is revealed. Finally, the temperature field of the PMSM is analyzed by the coupling method of electromagnetic field and temperature field, and the temperature rise law of PMSM is obtained. The analysis of this paper provides reference and practical value for the optimization design of PMSM.

The paper presents a sensorless control approach for a five-phase induction motor drive with third harmonic injection and inverter output filter. In the case of the third harmonic injection being utilised in the control, the physical machine has to be divided into two virtual machines that are controlled separately and independently. The control system structure is presented in conjunction with speed and rotor flux observers that are required for a speed sensorless implementation of the drive. The last section is dedicated to experimental results of the drive system in sensorless operation, and the uninterrupted drive operation for two open-phase faults

General lighting is the most common way of illuminating interiors and the source of electricity consumption in buildings. This fact forces the search for lighting solutions effective both for people and the environment. In this study the impact of room and luminaire characteristics on general lighting conditions and energy efficiency in interiors is considered. In rooms of different sizes and reflectances, seventeen luminaire types with various light distributions were arranged in uniform layouts. The levels of average illuminance, uniformity and normalised power density related to two horizontal working planes were calculated. The impact of working plane reduction, room index and reflectances, lighting class and luminous intensity distribution of luminaire on the considered parameters was investigated. The use of the reduced working plane resulted in the increase in the average illuminance (7.7% on average), uniformity (33% on average) and normalised power density (23% on average). The impact of the room index and lighting class on the average illuminance and normalised power density was significant while the impact of the luminaire luminous intensity distribution and room reflectances was low. The normalised power density levels of the general electric lighting in interiors, with luminaire luminous efficacy of 100 lm/W, are in the following range: 1.08‒3.42 W/m² per 100 lx. Based on these results a normalised power density level of 2 W/m² per 100 lx is recommended for designing and assessing the new general electric lighting systems in buildings.

The paper addresses the problem of placement of sectionalizing switches in medium voltage distribution networks. Proper placement of sectionalizing switches is one of the elements leading to higher power networks reliability. The methods of optimal allocation of such switches in a MV distribution network are presented in the paper. SAIDI was used as a criterion for the sectionalizing switches placement. For selecting optimum placements, three methods were used: brute force method, evolutionary algorithm and heuristic algorithm. The calculations were performed for a real MV network.

In an effort to achieve an optimal availability time of induction motors via fault probabilities reduction and improved prediction or diagnostic tools responsiveness, a conditional probabilistic approach was used. So, a Bayesian network (BN) has been developed in this paper. The objective will be to prioritize predictive and corrective maintenance actions based on the definition of the most probable fault elements and to see how they serve as a foundation for the decision framework. We have explored the causes of faults for an induction motor. The influence of different power ranges and the criticality of the electric induction motor are also discussed. With regard to the problem of induction motor faults monitoring and diagnostics, each technique developed in the literature concerns one or two faults. The model developed, through its unique structure, is valid for all faults and all situations. Application of the proposed approach to some machines shows promising results on the practical side. The model developed uses factual information (causes and effects) that is easy to identify, since it is best known to the operator. After that comes an investigation into the causal links and the definition of the a priori probabilities. The presented application of Bayesian networks is the first of its kind to predict faults of induction motors. Following the results of the inference obtained, prioritizations of the actions can be carried out.

The progress of additive manufacturing technology brings about many new questions and challenges. Additive manufacturing technology allows for designing machine elements with smaller mass, but at the same time with the same stiffness and stress loading capacity. By using additive manufacturing it is possible to produce gears in the form of shell shape with infill inside. This study is carried out as an attempt to answer the question which type of infill, and with how much density, is optimal for a spur gear tooth to ensure the best stiffness and stress loading capacity. An analysis is performed using numerical finite element method. Two new infill structures are proposed: triangular infill with five different densities and topology infill designed according to the already known results for 2D cantilever topology optimization, known as Michell structures. The von Mises stress, displacements and bending stiffness are analyzed for full body gear tooth and for shell body gear tooth with above mentioned types of infill structure.

We present a prototype of a simple, low-cost setup for a fast scatterometric surface texture measurements. We used a total integrated scatter method (TIS) with a semiconductor laser (λ =  638 nm) and a Si photodiode. Using our setup, we estimated the roughness parameters Rq for two reference surfaces (Al mirrors with flatness λ/10) and seven equal steel plates to compare. The setup is easily adaptable for a fast, preliminary manufacturing quality control. We show is possible to construct a low-cost measurement system with nanometric precision.

A new type of non-inflatable metal tire is designed to prevent the flat tire caused by puncture and shrapnel penetration, and it can be used on star rovers and military or civilian wheeled vehicles. In order to study vibration damping characteristics of the new wheel, a specimen with the same size as the pneumatic tire (235/70 R16) is made for contrast tests. A filtering method is proposed to reduce impulse and random interference noise in collected vibration signal. Comparative analysis of ride comfort performance is conducted by solving weighted acceleration root mean square (RMS) values. The results show that the filtering method has a good effect, and ride comfort of the metal tire is slightly worse, while it has a better grasping ability. Therefore, some extended structures have been recommended to improve the vibration damping performance.

A comparative analysis of filtration performance of tangential and axial inlet reverse-flow cyclone separators and vortex tube separators is presented. The study showed that vortex tube separators are characterized by a quality factor q several time higher than tangential inlet reverse-flow cyclone separators. The cyclone separators yield low separation efficiency and low filtration performance at low air flow rates at low air volumes aspired by the engine at low speed. One of the well-known and not commonly used methods to improve separation efficiency is to apply electric field. An original design of a vortex tube separator with insulators generating electric field in the area of aerosol flow is presented. High voltage was applied to the cyclone separator housing and its swirl vane. A special method and test conditions were developed for cyclone separators with electric field. Separation efficiency, filtration performance and pressure drop across the cyclone separator in two different variants were determined. The tests were carried out at five inlet velocity of cyclones υ₀  = 1.75; 3.5; 7.0; 10.5; 14 m/s at an extraction rate of m₀  = 10%, and at an average dust concentration in the inlet air of
s = 1 g/m³. Using the electric field in the area of a swirling aerosol stream resulted in an increase (over 12% – φ_c  = 96.3%) in separation efficiency at inlet velocity of cyclone ranging from 1.75 to 3.5 m/s. An increase in separation efficiency at other inlet velocity of cyclone is minor and does not exceed 3‒4%.

Based on the rolling bearing vibration measurement principle in ISO standard, a nonlinear dynamic model of ball bearing is built and motion equations of the inner ring, outer ring, and rolling elements are derived by using Lagrange’s equation. The ball bearing model includes the influence of waviness, rotational speed, external load, arbor supporting stiffness and arbor eccentricity. Ball bearing high-speed vibration tests are performed and used to verify the theoretical results. Simulated results showed that specific waviness orders produced the principal frequencies that were proportional to rotational speed. Rotational speed mainly affected the value of the natural frequency of the bearing system, and RMS (Root Mean Square) of the full band had a great fluctuation with the increase of rotational speed. In the experiment, spectrum and RMS of 2fs-30 kHz (fs: the rotational frequency of inner ring/arbor) under high speed could include not only the influence of rotational speed but also principal frequencies produced by waviness, which could cover the part of requirements of the standard bearing vibration measurement.

Heavy metal ions (e.g. cadmium, chromium, copper, nickel, arsenic, lead, zinc) have significantly serious side effects on the human health. They can bind with proteins and enzymes, altering their activity, increasing neurotoxicity, generating reactive oxygen species (ROS), promote cellular stress and resulting in their damage. Furthermore, the size, shape and type of metal are important for considering nano- or microtoxicity. It then becomes clear that the levels of these metals in drinking water are an important issue. Herein, a new micro-mechanical sensor is proposed to detect and measure these hazardous metals. The sensor consists of a micro-beam inside a micro-container. The surface of the beam is coated with a specific protein that may bind heavy metals. The mass adsorbed is measured using the resonant frequency shift of the micro-beam. This frequency shift due to the admissible mass (which is considered acceptable for drinking water based on the World Health Organization (WHO) standard) of manganese (Mn), lead (Pb), copper (Cu) and cadmium (Cd) is investigated for the first, second and third mode, respectively. Additionally, the effects of micro-beam off-center positions inside the micro-container and the mass location are investigated.

The paper presents the possibility of fabricating ceramic-metal composites by an innovative method of centrifugal slip casting in the magnetic field. It was examined whether the use of this method would allow obtaining a gradient concentration of metal particles in the ceramic matrix. In the applied technique, the horizontal rotation axis was used. The study investigated the effect of solid phase content on the properties and microstructure of the products. Water-based suspensions with 35, 40, 45 and 50 vol.% of solid-phase content were prepared with 10 vol.% additional of nickel powder. The viscosity of prepared slurries was considered. The gradient distribution of nickel particles in the zirconia matrix was observed on SEM. Vickers hardness of ZrO2-Ni composites has been measured. The research revealed that the physical properties depend on the volume fraction of solid content and increase as the volume of solid content increases.

In this experimental investigation, the critical heat flux (CHF) of aqua-based multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) nanofluids at three different volumetric concentrations 0.2%, 0.6%, and 0.8% were prepared, and the test results were compared with deionized water. Different characterization techniques, including X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and Fourier transform infrared, were used to estimate the size, surface morphology, agglomeration size and chemical nature of MWCNT. The thermal conductivity and viscosity of the MWCNT at three different volumetric concentrations was measured at a different temperature, and results were compared with deionized water. Although, MWCNT-deionized water nanofluid showed superior performance in heat transfer coefficient as compared to the base fluid. However, the results proved that the critical heat flux is increased with an increase in concentrations of nanofluids.

The main aim of this work was to obtain a copper matrix surface composite using friction stir processing (FSP). The reinforced phase was SiC particles with an average size of 5 mm. The effect of the reinforcement on the microstructure, hardness and wear behaviour were analysed. The friction treatment was carried out using a truncated cone-shaped tool with a threaded side surface. Multi-chamber technology was used to produce the composite microstructure in the copper surface layer. Changes in the material microstructure were assessed by light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. Comparative measurement of the hardness of the initial and treated material as well as wear resistance tests were also carried out. A favourable effect of the surface treatment on the microstructure and properties of the copper was found. As a result of the friction treatment there was strong grain refinement in the copper surface layer. The average grain size in the stirring zone was about 3 mm and was over 21 times smaller than the average grain size in the initial material. Intensive dispersion of the SiC particles in the modified layer was also found, leading to the formation of a copper matrix composite. The effect of microstructural changes in the surface layer of the material and formation of the surface composite was an over two-fold increase in the hardness of the material and an increase in wear resistance.

In this research work, the Ti-6Al-4V material was used for the investigation of machining parameters by means of hybrid micro electrical discharge machining to improve the machining process and reduce the negative effects of debris accumulation in the drilled hole. L9 orthogonal array was used in the Taguchi based grey relational analysis to optimize the parameters such as material removal rate and diametrical accuracy of the machining process for Ti-6Al-4V. This work encompasses the design, development, and calibration of the work piece vibration platform and experimental analysis of the process parameters by means of the hybrid micro electrical discharge machining process. The maximum material removal rate and minimum surface roughness was observed at the current value of 2.5 A, pulse on time is 2 µs and pulse off time is 14.5 µs. The maximum material removal rate was observed for the increase in pulse on time with 14.4  µs and 4 A current level. The diametrical accuracy of the microholes was increased while increasing the pulse off time and decreasing the pulse on time. The fluid flow simulation has been conducted to find out the pressure drop and to know the velocity of the flow inside the hole for the effective flushing of the debris during machining.

The awareness of the growing importance of the complexity in creating a new type of a modern enterprise strategy and in introducing changes within planning, control and organizational structures contributed to undertaking studies on relationships occurring between the complexity of a modern enterprise and its flexibility in the sector of industrial automation, as well as filling the gap relating to the cognitive impact of poor complexity management on the flexibility of the company. The main objective of the research work is to check whether there is an important relationship between the complexity of the business and its flexibility in the industrial automation sector. Quantification of the relationship between these two quantities – the complexity and flexibility – happened by the use of the Multidimensional Correspondence Analysis (MCA) and Perceptual Maps. The study which has been carried out indicated that the flexibility and complexity functions in the enterprise management rise, however, the knowledge of these issues is highly insufficient. The research discovered that the obstacles which hamper striking a balance between the flexibility and complexity in their advanced stages exert a devastating impact on the quality of the process management. Reducing the flexibility at its higher levels generates a context in which the market risk is enhanced. Companies characterised by improper flexibility management bear higher workforce costs and their processes of decision-making last longer. Methodical and systematized study of flexibility and complexity will decrease the destructive influence of the interaction between these two categories.

In the paper, maximal values xe(τ) of the solutions x(t) of the linear differential equations excited by the Dirac delta function are determined. There are obtained the analytical solutions of the equations and also the maximal positive values of these solutions. The obtained sufficient conditions of the positivity of these solutions are defined by the Theorems. There are also formulated the necessary conditions of the positivity of these solutions. The analytical formulae enable the design of the system with prescribed properties [3].

Positively invariant sets play an important role in the theory and applications of dynamical systems. The stability in the sense of Lyapunov of the equilibrium x = 0 is equivalent to the existence of the ellipsoidal positively invariant sets. The constraints on the state and control vectors of dynamical systems can be formulated as polyhedral positively invariant sets in practical engineering problems. Numerical checking method of positive invariance of polyhedral sets is addressed in this paper. The validation of the positively invariant sets can be done by solving LPs which can be easily done numerically. It is illustrated by examples that our checking method is effective. Compared with the now existing algebraic methods, numerical checking method is an attractive method in that it’s easy to be implemented.

Improving application efficiency is crucial for both the economic and environmental aspects of plant protection. Mathematical models can help in understanding the relationships between spray application parameters and efficiency, and reducing the negative impact on the environment. The effect of nozzle type, spray pressure, driving speed and spray angle on spray coverage on an artificial plant was studied. Artificial intelligence techniques were used for modeling and the optimization of application process efficiency. The experiments showed a significant effect of droplet size on the percent area coverage of the sprayed surfaces. A high value of the vertical transverse approach surface coverage results from coarse droplets, high driving speed, and nozzles angled forward. Increasing the vertical transverse leaving surface coverage, as well as the coverage of the sum of all sprayed surfaces, requires fine droplets, low driving speed, and nozzles angled backwards. The maximum coverage of the upper level surface is obtained with coarse droplets, low driving speed, and a spray angle perpendicular to the direction of movement. The choice of appropriate nozzle type and spray pressure is an important aspect of chemical crop protection. Higher upper level surface coverage is obtained when single flat fan nozzles are used, while twin nozzles produce better coverage of vertical surfaces. Adequate neural models and evolutionary algorithms can be used for pesticide application process efficiency optimization.

Due to the characteristics of color vegetation canopy images which have multiple details and Gaussion noise interference, the adaptive mean filtering (AMF) algorithm is used to perform the denoising experiments on noised images in RGB and YUV color space. Based on the single color characteristics of color vegetation canopy images, a simplified AMF algorithm is proposed in this paper to shorten the overall running time of the denoising algorithm by simplifying the adaptive denoising processing of the component V, which contains less image details. Experimental results show that this method can effectively reduce the running time of the algorithm while maintaining a good denoising effect.

Polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) is one of the most important piezoelectric polymers. Piezoelectricity in PVDF appears in polar b and ɣ phases. Piezoelectric fibers obtained by means of electrospinning may be used in tissue engineering (TE) as a smart analogue of the natural extracellular matrix (ECM). We present results showing the effect of rotational speed of the collecting drum on morphology, phase content and in vitro biological properties of PVDF nonwovens. Morphology and phase composition were analyzed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), respectively. It was shown that increasing rotational speed of the collector leads to an increase in fiber orientation, reduction in fiber diameter and considerable increase of polar phase content, both b and g. In vitro cell culture experiments, carried out with the use of ultrasounds in order to generate electrical potential via piezoelectricity, indicate a positive effect of polar phases on fibroblasts. Our preliminary results demonstrate that piezoelectric PVDF scaffolds are promising materials for tissue engineering applications, particularly for neural tissue regeneration, where the electric potential is crucial.

This work proposes an optimum design and implementation of fractional-order Butterworth filter of order (1 + α), with the help of analog reconfigurable field-programmable analog array (FPAA). The designed filter coefficients are obtained after dual constraint optimization to balance the tradeoffs between magnitude error and stability margin together. The resulting filter ensures better robustness with less sensitivity to parameter variation and minimum least square error (LSE) in magnitude responses, passband and stopband errors as well as a better –3 dB normalized frequency approximation at 1  rad/s and a stability margin. Finally, experimental results have shown both lowpass and highpass fractional step values. The FPAA-configured outputs represent the possibility to implement the real-time fractional filter behavior with close approximation to the theoretical design.