This paper discusses the results of gravimetric and magnetic investigations carried out on the Hans Glacier (Hansbreen) in the area of the Hornsund Fiord in Spitsbergen. These pilot investigations were performed in profiles running across to the extension of the glacier. Analysis of the magnetic measurements permits the supposition that in the base of the glacier there are amphibolites assigned to the Skålfjellet series, one of the oldest links of the metamorphic complex in Spitsbergen. Fig. 3 shows the behaviour of the amphibolites determined from the qualitative and quantitative properties of the anomalies ΔT. This paper also determined the thickness of the glacier in a cross-section 1.5 km distant from its front. From interpretation of the gravity anomaly, thickness varies between several and more than 100 m, taking the highest values in the central part of the glacier.

Digital holography (DH) which is the technology of acquiring and processing measurement data via a CCD camera is spreading to industrial applications, finds wide employment in engineering problems of testing and investigation. In this paper, a simple digital holographic system, comprising a He-Ne laser source, CCD camera and analyzing software, is used for testing surface flatness and detecting the presence of a propagating crack on the surface plane and the effect of the crack on the neighborhood. Phase variations across the surfaces planes are extracted to represent the surface deviation from a reference plane. The analysis methods differ according to the interference fringes in the recorded holograms. Both fringe tracking and Fourier transform with phase unwrapping methods are used in the interpretation of interferometric fringe patterns.

The stability of gateroads is one of the key factors for the mining process of hard coal by a longwall system. Wrong designed and applied the gateroad support at the stage of drilling, may adversely affect the functionality of the gateroad and the safety of the crew throughout its existence.

The article presents the results of the underground tests and observations such as: convergence of the gateroad, stratification and the fractured zone range in the roof rocks, carried out in four longwall gateroads at the stage of their drilling.

The obtained test results were the basis for the assessment of the possibility of using a convergence control method in the design of the gateroad support. The method is based on three interdependent relationships, such as: Ground Reaction Curve (GRC), Longitudinal Displacement Profile (LDP), and a Support Characteristic Curve (SCC). All calculations were performed using numerical modeling in the Phase2 program, based on the finite element method (FEM).

This article presents a case study of a large wedge failure. It took place during excavation of the last bench of storage cavern with an approximate dimension of 80 m long having a depth of 8 m. The adopted intervention followed a structured approach, which included immediate rock support, geotechnical and geological investigations in the failure zone and design modifications. Back analyses of the failure zone were also carried out to assess design parameters with observed geological conditions. Re assessment in the failure zone was carried out using modified design parameters, which included shorter benches, rock support installation schemes such as longer rock bolts, reinforced ribs of shotcrete and reduced construction advances. Geotechnical monitoring in and around failure zone were carried out for recording any alarming movements in the rock mass. Initially, geotechnical monitoring was carried out in the recently excavated zone of the cavern on a daily basis. Based on continuous monitoring data for at least one week, the frequency of subsequent monitoring can be decided. In most cases the deformation of rock mass was considerably less than the alarming values which were calculated based on detailed design for different rock classes. The paper discusses the failure, investigation, cause, assessment and remedial measures to complete the construction of cavern.

At the end of August 2012 the Polish Parliament enacted the Act on State Marine Accident Investigation Commission, which regulates its organization and operation. The Act transposed, within its regulation, Directive 2009/18/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 April 2009 establishing the fundamental principles governing the investigation of accidents in the maritime transport sector and is based on the Code of the International Standards and Recommended Practices for a Safety Investigation into a Marine Casualty or Marine Incident (Casualty Investigation Code), issued by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) together with amendments to the SOLAS Convention. The purpose of the Directive, as well as the Casualty Investigation Code, is to improve maritime safety and the prevention of pollution by ships by facilitating the expeditious holding of safety investigations and proper analysis of marine casualties and incidents in order to determine their causes. The EU Parliament obliged, through the Directive, the EU Member States to ensure that the safety investigations are conducted under the responsibility of an impartial permanent investigative body, endowed with the necessary powers, and by suitably qualified investigators, competent in matters relating to marine casualties and incidents. This impartial permanent investigative body had been named in Poland: Państwowa Komisja Badania Wypadków Morskich [the State Marine accident Investigation Commission] and began its operation in May 2013 upon the appointment, by the Minister of Transport, Construction and Maritime Economy, of the third one of five statutory members of the Commission. Since the beginning of its activity the Commission has initiated 77 safety investigations, prepared and adopted 272 resolutions, published 53 safety reports and issued more than 30 safety recommendations. The establishment and activity of the Commission leads to greater awareness of casualty causation and has a positive impact on the level of maritime safety.

As a consequence of recent implementations of EU Directives related to noise protection more and more students of various AGH-UST programs are introduced to the basics of acoustic measurements. Students at various levels of theoretical background in the field of acoustic measurements are offered practical training in measurements using digital sound analyzers. The situation would be optimal if each student could have a device at his/her own disposal. Unfortunately, such a situation is not possible at the moment because of various reasons.

With the above problem in mind, a dedicated software package has been developed, implemented in the LabVIEW environment, which allows detailed studies of problems related to the acoustic signal measurement using sound level meters, as well as tasks in spectral analysis (1/1 and 1/3 band filters) and narrow-band (FFT) analysis. With such organization during the introductory laboratory classes each student is offered a direct individual contact with a virtual device that is properly pre-programmed for realization of a well-constructed learning process. It definitely facilitates understanding of the essence of acoustic signal measurements and provides a good basis for further laboratory work carried out as a team-activity.

Morphological relationships of meander evolution in terms of hydraulic and geometric characteristics are essential for river management. In present study, an experimental based study of meander evolution was employed to develop a predic-tion formula for identifying the pool-point bar location by using the dimensional analysis technique and multiple nonlinear regressions. Through the experimental work on a race of the non-uniform river sand, a set of experimental runs have been carried out through combining different hydraulic and geometric parameters to produce different empirical conditions that have a direct impact on the pool-point bar location. Based on the experimental observations and measurements, the varia-tion in pool–point bar locations could be interpreted to that the hydraulic and morphologic properties through the meander evolution were varied during the time causes the variations in the patterns of the pool-point bar formations accordingly. The developed formula was verified by using another set of the experimental data and tested with three statistical indica-tors. The predicted results indicated that the proposed formula had high reliability for practical estimation of the pool-point bar location. This reliability was tested by the statistical indicators, where the less values have been resulted for bias andmean absolute error (MAE), 0.0004 and 0.0110 respectively, whereas the higher values 0.935 and 0.930 are achieved for the Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency (NSE) and the determination coefficient R2, respectively.

The use of torrefied biomass as a substitute for untreated biomass may decrease some technological barriers that exist in biomass co-firing technologies e.g. low grindability, high moisture content, low energy density and hydrophilic nature of raw biomass. In this study the TG-MS-FTIR analysis and kinetic analysis of willow (Salix viminalis L.) and samples torrefied at 200, 220, 240, 260, 280 and 300 °C (TSWE 200, 220, 240, 260, 280 and 300), were performed. The TG-DTG curves show that in the case of willow and torrefied samples TSWE 200, 220, 240 and 260 there are pyrolysis and combustion stages, while in the case of TSWE 280 and 300 samples the peak associated with the pyrolysis process is negligible, in contrast to the peak associated with the combustion process. Analysis of the TG-MS results shows m/z signals of 18, 28, 29 and 44, which probably represent H2O, CO and CO2. The gaseous products were generated in two distinct ranges of temperature. H2O, CO and CO2 were produced in the 500 K to 650 K range with maximum yields at approximately 600 K. In the second range of temperature, 650 K to 800 K, only CO2 was produced with maximum yields at approximately 710 K as a main product of combustion process. Analysis of the FTIR shows that the main gaseous products of the combustion process were H2O, CO2, CO and some organics including bonds: C=O (acids, aldehydes and ketones), C=C (alkenes, aromatics), C-O-C (ethers) and C-OH. Lignin mainly contributes hydrocarbons (3000-2800 cm−1), while cellulose is the dominant origin of aldehydes (2860-2770 cm−1) and carboxylic acids (1790-1650 cm−1). Hydrocarbons, aldehydes, ketones and various acids were also generated from hemicellulose (1790-1650 cm−1). In the kinetic analysis, the two-steps first order model (F1F1) was assumed. Activation energy (Ea) values for the first stage (pyrolysis) increased with increasing torrefaction temperature from 93 to 133 kJ/mol, while for the second stage (combustion) it decreased from 146 to 109 kJ/mol for raw willow, as well as torrefied willow at the temperature range of 200-260°C. In the case of samples torrefied at 280 and 300°C, the Ea values of the first and second stage were comparable to Ea of untreated willow and torrefied at 200°C. It was also found that samples torrefied at a higher temperature, had a higher ignition point and also a shorter burning time.

The Industry 4.0 Concept assumes that the majority of industry’s resources will be able

to self-diagnose; this will, therefore, enable predictive maintenance. Numerically controlled

machines and devices involved in technological processes should, especially, have the facility

to predict breakdown. In the paper, the concept of a predictive maintenance system for

a vacuum furnace is presented. The predictive maintenance system is based on analysis of the

operating parameters of the system and on the algorithms for identifying emergency states in

the furnace. The algorithms will be implemented in the monitoring sub-system of the furnace.

Analysis of the operating parameters of vacuum furnaces, recorded in the Cloud will lead to

increased reliability and reduced service costs. In the paper, the research methodology for

identification of the critical parameters of the predictive maintenance system is proposed.

Illustrated examples of the thermographic investigation of a vacuum furnace are given.

Industries that rely on additive manufacturing of metallic parts, especially biomedical companies, require material science-based knowledge of how process parameters and methods affect the properties of manufactured elements, but such phenomena are incompletely understood. In this study, we investigated the influence of selective laser melting (SLM) process parameters and additional heat treatment on mechanical properties. The research included structural analysis of residual stress, microstructure, and scleronomic hardness in low-depth measurements. Tensile tests with specimen deformation analysis using digital image correlation (DIC) were performed as well. Experiment results showed it was possible to observe the porosity growth mechanism and its influence on the material strength. Specimens manufactured with 20% lower energy density had almost half the elongation, which was directly connected with the porosity growth during energy density reduction. Hot isostatic pressing (HIP) treatment allowed for a significant reduction of porosity and helped achieve properties similar to specimens manufactured using different levels of energy density.

The recycle of the building and demolition waste could reduce project expenses and save natural resources as well as solve problem about environmental risks incurred during the disposal of building waste. In this study, waste C30 concrete is taken an experimental material. The mass loss, ultrasonic velocity, dynamic modulus of elasticity and cubic compressive strength of recycled coarse aggregate concrete whose coarse aggregate replacement percentage is 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100% are tested and compared with NAC when the cycles of freezing and thawing are 0, 25, 50, 75, 100, 125, 150, 175, and 200 times. The results show: (1) Generally, the loss of mass, ultrasonic velocity, dynamic modulus of elasticity and cubic compressive strength constantly increase with the growth of freezing and thawing cycles. (2) Compared with the recycled concrete of other replacement percentages, the RAC50 shows relatively close performance to NAC in mass loss, the change of dynamic modulus of elasticity and cubic compressive strength. (3) Performances of RAC25 specimens are better than the other RAC specimens for the ultrasonic wave velocity.

The article presents a new approach to testing the strength of asphalt interlayer bonding. Two loading methods were used: static load and cyclic load. Before carrying out static shear strength tests, the interlayer bonding was subjected to cyclic loads with a constant number of cycles but with different frequencies. A number of layered samples with and without geosynthetic interlayers were tested at the set temperature. The comparative analyses allowed to determine the functions approximating the impact of the cyclic load frequency on the static strength of bonding at selected interlayer contact conditions. It was also possible to indicate the frequency of cyclic load at which this parameter has the largest and smallest impact on the static strength of the asphalt interlayer bonding.