The study aimed to verify whether it is possible to diagnose the coking of a marine diesel engine injector nozzle by performing a spectral analysis of the crankshaft’s torsional vibrations. The measurements were taken using laser heads, clocked at 16 MHz. The reasons for selecting this type of optical sensors are described as well. The tests were carried out under laboratory conditions, using a test stand with a Sulzer 3AL 25/3 engine, operating under a load created by a Domel GD8 500–50/3 electric generator. A unique method is presented in the paper, which enables the measuring and calculation of torsional vibrations of engine crankshafts. The method was developed at the Chair of Marine Power Plants at the Maritime University of Gdynia. It has been proven that the distribution of differences in the values of individual harmonic components depends on the location of a defective injector nozzle in the cylinder.

Polymer composites are materials that are used in many industries. Their wide application has a direct impact on the amount of post-production and post-consumer waste. The global problem with recycling, especially of fiber-reinforced polymeric materials, has prompted research into methods of their use. Previous research on composite materials with polyester–glass recyclate showed a decrease in mechanical properties. The construction material should have the highest mechanical properties. Based on the literature, it was found that the use of nanoadditives may have a positive effect on the parameters of the materials. The use of gamma aluminum nanopowder, in a small amount can significantly increase the mechanical properties of composites with polyester–glass recyclate, and thus can affect the application of these materials to structural elements. The article is devoted to the research on the hardness of composite materials with polyester–glass recyclate and gamma aluminum nanopowder. The main goal is to investigate the possibility of using a nanoadditive as a material, increasing the mechanical properties of composites with polyester–glass recyclate, so as to create a recycled material with the highest possible strength parameters. Hardness tests were performed using the Barcol method. For each composite material, 30 measurements were made in order to subject the results to a statistical analysis. Using parametric statistical tests it was shown that the obtained hardness values at the assumed level of statistical significance pv = 0.05 for comparisons for the samples of the reference material (B0) do not differ by chance, while for the comparisons in the configurations of the reference material (B0) with the modified materials, (R10, A2, R10A2) they do not differ by accident. Studies have shown that the addition of 2% gamma aluminum nanopowder slightly lowers the hardness of a pure polyester–glass composite, but the same additive allows the hardness of composite materials to be increased with the addition of glass recyclate. This is of particular importance for the development of the optimal composition of polyester–glass composites with the addition of recyclate, which will have good strength properties and at the same time enable the reuse of composite waste.

Composite materials are used in many industries. Their mechanical and physical properties as well as their low weight make them suitable for use in many constructions. Their wide application generates a problem with their disposal. Therefore, it is necessary to design new materials based on waste from polyester–glass laminates in order to introduce a closed circuit in the composite production process. The article presents research aimed at determining solid material composites with polyester–glass recyclate, in order to use these materials for modeling the structure. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of the addition of recyclate to the polyester–glass composite on the deformation and the value of the Poisson number of the material. During the study, samples from composites with the addition of polyester–glass recyclate were used. Samples made in accordance with the standard for plastics PN-EN ISO 527-4_2000P were subjected to static tensile test on a universal testing machine, with variable load parameters. During the test, the longitudinal and transverse elongations of the samples were measured using a strain gauge measuring system. On the basis of the measurements, the values of Poisson numbers were determined, which allowed for a preliminary assessment of the impact of the recyclate content in the composite on its deformability.

The combustion process can be simply described as periodic explosions in a cylinder with its frequency dependent on the number of cylinders and the rotational speed of the shaft. In practice, uniformity of combustion parameters in every cylinder is almost impossible. Due to this fact, instantaneous angular acceleration does not remain the same at the ends of the crankshaft. These observations formed the basis for the investigation of the instantaneous angular speed of the crankshaft ends. To investigate the influence of the failure behavior of the fuel systems during a shaft's rotational movement, a series of experiments were planned. For the simulations, a medium-speed marine engine driving electro generator was selected. The failure simulation was based on the installation of clogged spray holes, draining of part of fuel dose from high-pressure pump and decreasing of injection pressure by a lower tension of the injector spring. The results of measurement were processed and analyzed through a comparison of the fast Fourier transform spectra. As a general conclusion, a difference between general harmonics order of magnitudes was detected.