The low force friction welding process is a relatively new technology for welding two components together. The process developed just a few years ago has not been sufficiently researched to date to extend the knowledge about the process and its advantages. Under this process, most of the heat energy required for the welded joint comes from the induction coil. The process has many advantages over the butt friction welding method that determine the industrial application of the new technology. The advantages certainly include the lack of butt, an option of welding various materials, easy control of process parameters, short cycle time, and process stability. One of the companies using this technology is Federal Mogul Gorzyce based in Poland, using low force friction welding to produce small steel pistons. This paper analyses the low force friction welding process. The key process parameters, welding stages, and an analysis of the welded joint were presented. This paper discusses the issue of low force friction welding because of the attractiveness of this technique for the industrial application and the scarcity of literature relating to this process.

The aim of the article is to analyze the friction welding process of steel pistons, due to the small amount of scientific literature on this subject. First, it is necessary to present the design features of steel pistons and their advantages and disadvantages. Then the article analyses it presenst the types of friction welding processes used in the production of pistons of internal combustion engines with the analysis of their differences. It present two basic methods of welding in the production of steel pistons, i.e. friction butt welding and low pressure friction welding. Finally, a proper analysis of the friction welding processes of steel pistons of internal combustion engines is presented. At the end, the conclusions of the analysis are presented and proposals for improving the process are made.

The article focuses on the problem of loading the combustion chamber of diesel engine pistons together with the method of its optimization using the DuralBowl technology. Along with the growing requirements of exhaust emission standards, the increasing competition in the efficiency of internal combustion engines, the load on the combustion pistons increases due to the increase in pressure and temperature of fuel combustion and the tendency to slim the structure. Numerical analyzes and analyzes of damaged pistons in diesel engines have shown that one of the places most exposed to piston damage are the combustion chambers. There is a concentration of thermomechanical stress at the edge of the combustion chamber, which may lead to the destruction of the piston and the necessity to carry out overhaul of the drive unit. One of the technologies that optimizes the strength of this zone is the DuralBowl local remelting process. This process allows for several timesimprovement in the fatigue strength of pistons in internal combustion engines. The article analyzes the thermomechanical load on the combustion chamber along with the impact of this load on the durability of pistons in diesel engines. An analysis of the DuralBowl process was also performed, aimed at eliminating the negative effects of loading the combustion chamber, extending the piston life. The analysis focused on the microstructure of the material before and after the DuralBowl process.

The conventional solid-state friction welding process involves imparting a movement to one of them, bringing them closer together so that there is friction from the clamping force. By overcoming the frictional resistance on the surface of the workpieces, work converted into heat is generated. The obtained heat heats the elements to a temperature close to the melting point but not exceeding it. After stopping the movement in relation to each other, the process of pressing the elements with the force P with a greater force causes plasticization of the material and the formation of a flash. In low pressure friction welding, most of the heat required for the joining process comes from the induction coil. This means that two key process parameters such as friction time and contact force are significantly reduce. This affects the course of the process and the end result of the process of joining materials. The shape and size of the flash as well as the size of the heat-affected zone in the weld will change. Among the many advantages of this method of joining metals, one should mention the possibility of welding smaller parts, thin-walled, with complicated geometry, which the friction butt welding process would not be able to cope with. Additionally, there is a possibility of heat treatment. In order to verify the feasibility of the friction welding process with low pressure in industrial conditions, a number of tests presented in this study were carried out, together with the analysis of the results. A number of proposals for the optimization of low-force friction welding with the use of artificial intelligence have also been developed has also been developed. A simpler but less effective solution is application of neural networks. It is possible due to multiple digital recording and process automation parameters with digital recording and process automation This solution approach is not as productive as the proposed hybrid algorithm combining neural networks, fuzzy logic and genetic algorithmsThe hybrid method enables you to take advantages of all three algorithms in the position optimization.

Since the beginning of 2020, lockdowns have been introduced in numerous countries across the world in response to the emergence of coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 that causes the COVID-19 disease. Although the topic of lockdowns has been considered from numerous perspectives, it has not yet been analyzed in the context of Adam Smith’s economic philosophy and liberalism. This paper aims to list – at least to some extent, as the topic is very broad – the most prominent arguments that have arisen in the worldwide discussion on the effectiveness and side effects of lockdowns. In addition, the work provides some elements of Smith’s economic philosophy and liberalism. Finally, the arguments that have arisen in the academic discussion since the introduction of lockdowns are analyzed, and the legitimacy of lockdowns is assessed in the context of Smith’s principles. The methods used for the analysis are text exegesis and rational reconstruction. As far as the conclusions are concerned, an explicit assessment of the legitimacy of lockdowns in the discussed context is considered impossible, although for many elements of Smith’s liberalism, lockdowns are not legitimate at all.