The working surface of lift guide rails during operation is exposed to the destructive action of catchers under emergency braking conditions. In most cases, this surface is lubricated with grease, which makes it impossible to visually assess their local wear. The comfort of cabin movement on guide rails and thus the feelings of cabin occupants depend on the condition of guide rails. Therefore, the verification of lift guide rails wear under real conditions (in situ) is quite cumbersome. In order to assess them on a monthly basis, they would have to be completely cleaned and the excessively worn areas would have to be measured with universal measuring tools and re-lubricated. Such activities would only be a waste of time and lubricant. Therefore, the concept of a magnetic head was developed to assess the technical condition of lift guide rails. The head, which uses permanent magnets, makes it possible to measure the dispersed magnetic field of the guide rail cross-section. The areas of excessive wear show changes in this field, so it is possible to identify these areas without a need to remove lubricant from their surface. This paper presents both the detailed design of a developed head and the preliminary results of measurements using it. As the lift guide rails can have different dimensions depending on the lifting capacity, the developed head was equipped with inserts having the dimensions compatible with the guiding part width, thus enabling measurements that can be taken on different types of guide rails. The developed head and methodology allow measurements to be made without the need for disassembly, i.e. under in situ conditions. The results obtained in the laboratory have shown that the head concept and the measurement methodology are suitable for measurements in situ and perfectly fill the gap in this field of mechanical engineering.

The publications increasingly describe the support of production processes in both manufacturing and assembly areas. The support in industry is due, among other things, to the insuffi cient manpower, the need to improve productivity or to increase reliability of production in terms of errors. This article presents an example of an industrial implementation in the welding area. The main objective of the application of the presented example was to replace a commercial product and to speed up the manufacturing process of an axisymmetric workpiece of the sleeve type. The presented proposal was implemented in a company where welding is the main manufacturing technology.

This article discusses current testing methods for motor vehicle engines. Traction engines have so far been tested, for example, according to WLTP (Worldwide Harmonized Light Vehicle Test Procedure) driving tests, but due to the “VW—gate” incident, these are now to be supplemented by RDE (Real Driving Emissions) tests, conducted under real road conditions. The analyses of the state of knowledge and the directions of research to date unequivocally indicate the need for the construction of a stand that allows: testing of a complete vehicle admitted to traffic; testing of a motor vehicle with the possibility of simulating real operating conditions; load setting with the possibility of its regulation; feeding the engine with various fuels; modification of the software of controllers having a direct impact on the control strategies of the engine; transmission and traction control system; reading, recording and analysis of the parameters of the operation of control systems in real time; detailed recording and analysis of the combustion process occurring directly in the combustion chamber; and the measurement of emitted toxic substances. On a bench with the above features, tests were carried out on a diesel motor vehicle, which were based on recording changes in the parameters of the combustion and injection process. The tests were conducted under static and dynamic conditions. Tests under static conditions were conducted on a chassis dynamometer. They consisted of indicating the engine for different fuel dose control maps. The vehicle equipped with the test engine was driven at a constant speed on the chassis dynamometer and loaded with a drag force of 130 Nm. Tests under dynamic conditions were conducted under real traffic conditions. They were limited to the presentation of results under static conditions. The main results of the tests are given in the conclusion and include a general summary. In particular, the presented results of the diesel tests demonstrate an attempt to adapt the engine to co-power with hydrogen.