Nickel-based superalloys are being increasingly applied to manufacture components in the aviation industry. The materials are classified as difficult-to-machine using conventional methods. Nowadays, manufacturing techniques are needed to drill high aspect ratio holes of above 20:1 (depth-to-diameter ratio) in these materials. One of the most effective methods of making high-aspect-ratio holes is electrical discharge drilling (EDD). While drilling high aspect ratio holes, a crucial issue is the flushing of the gap area and the evacuation of the erosion products. The use of deionized water as the dielectric fluid in the EDD offers a considerable potential. This paper includes an analysis of the influence of the machining parameters (pulse time, current amplitude and discharge voltage) on the process performance (drilling speed, linear tool wear, taper angle, hole’s aspect ratio, side gap thickness), during the EDD with the use of deionized water in the Inconel 718 alloy. The obtained through holes were subjected to the extended analysis. The impact of the initial working fluid temperature and pressure on the conditions of the flow through the electrode channel was also subjected to the analysis. The deionized water properties were changed by applying an initial temperature. Based on the results of an analysis of the previous research, the EDD of the through holes was performed for a pre-set initial temperature (~313.15 °K) and initial pressure of the working fluid (8 MPa) and selected process parameters. An analysis of the results indicates increasing of hole’s aspect ratio by about 15% (above 30), decreasing the side gap thickness by about 40% and enhanced surface integrity.

Diesel locomotive efficiency anD reliability improvement as a result of power unit loaD control system moDernisation poprawa efektywności i niezawoDności lokomotyw spalinowych w wyniku moDernizacji ukłaDu sterowania obciążeniem zespołu napęDowego* BABeł M, SzkodA M. diesel locomotive efficiency and reliability improvement as a result of power unit load control system modernisation. eksploatacja i Niezawodnosc -Maintenance and Reliability 2016; 18 (1): 38-49, http://dx

The article presents an application of a method based on fault tree analysis and the Monte Carlo simulation in the assessment of reliability and availability of the rail means of transport. The primary target of the presented method is a cause and effect assessment of the occurrence of undesirable events, the determination of selected reliability indices and identification of the weakest components of rail vehicle that affect the downtime and technical availability most strongly. To illustrate the application of the presented method, the results of a project involving a 6Dg diesel locomotive, carried out in cooperation with the biggest Polish rail carrier, are shown. The assessment of availability and reliability was based on real operation data of a selected sample of seventy-five locomotives. Based on the collected data from the operation of the 6Dg locomotives, the times-to-failure and the times-to repair models were determined. A fault tree model of the locomotive was developed to assess the influence of the faults of the components on the reliability of the vehicle. A discrete simulation process allows to obtain a chosen characteristics and values of the selected measures, which – according to the authors – may be applied to assess the reliability and availability of the rail vehicles. Specialist software including Weibull++, BlockSim and MiniTab aided calculations were performed. The software includes and advanced solutions in the range of the reliability and availability simulations. The test results indicate that the proposed solution has a wide applicability potential.

No abstract

Alternative fuels (refuse-derived fuels—RDF) have been a substitute for fossil fuels in cement production for many years. RDF are produced from various materials characterized by high calorific value. Due to the possibility of self-ignition in the pile of stored alternative fuel, treatments are carried out to help protect entrepreneurs against material losses and employees against loss of health or life. The objective of the research was to assess the impact of alternative fuel biodrying on the ability to self-heat this material. Three variants of materials (alternative fuel produced on the basis of mixed municipal solid waste (MSW) and on the basis of bulky waste (mainly varnished wood and textiles) and residues from selective collection waste (mainly plastics and tires) were adopted for the analysis. The novelty of the proposed solution consists in processing the analyzed materials inside the innovative ecological waste apparatus bioreactor (EWA), which results in increased process efficiency and shortening its duration. The passive thermography technique was used to assess the impact of alternative fuel biodrying on the decrease in the self-heating ability of RDF. As a result of the conducted analyses, it was clear that the biodrying process inhibited the self-heating of alternative fuel. The temperature of the stored fuel reached over 60 °C before the biodrying process. However, after the biodrying process, the maximum temperatures in each of the variants were about 30 °C, which indicates a decrease in the activity of microorganisms and the lack of self-ignition risk. The maximum temperatures obtained (>71 °C), the time to reach them (≈4 h), and the duration of the thermophilic phase (≈65 h) are much shorter than in the studies of other authors, where the duration of the thermophilic phase was over 80 h.