Sound intensity measurements using special sensors in a form of pressure-velocity and pressure-pressure probes are becoming more and more often the method of choice for characterization of sound sources. Its wider usability is blocked by the probes’ costs. This paper is on a possible modification of the well-known pressure-pressure sound intensity measurement method. In the proposed new approach a synchronized measurement procedure using only single microphone is used. The paper presents the basics of the sound intensity theory, a review of currently usedmethods of intensity measurement and requirements and limitations of the new method. In the proposed approach one microphone and a properly designed positioning system is used. The application of the method to study the directional characteristics of an active loudspeaker system have been described in detail. The obtained results were compared with those of measurements performed with a commercial p–u probe. The paper contains conclusions indicating advantages of the applied method in comparison with standard pressure measurement methods.

In this Paper, a parametric study on pipes buried in soil was performed illustrating the results of blast loading. Effects of various parameters such as the physical properties of water, oil, gas, air, soil, pipes, and TNT have been investigated. The arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian (ALE) method was employed using LS-DYNA software. The maximum pressure in a buried pipe explosive was observed at an angle of about 0° to 45° and the minimum pressure occurred at an angle of about 45° to 90°. Therefore, all figures in this study illustrate that fluid pressure levels in buried pipes can help in their stabilization. In generally, by increasing the 1.23 times of liquid density under the explosion, the pressure levels in the soil decreased by 1.3 percent. The gas pressure has been increasing more than oil and water pipes 39.73 and 40.52 percent, respectively.

Ballast layer has weighty share in the lifecycle costs of railway track. The strict standards and maintenance rules of ballast grading significantly contribute to the ballast costs. One ways to the costs reduction is differential demands to ballast grading for the secondary and low loaded railway lines. Additional one is the different ballast grading over the ballast height. This study presents a full scale laboratory investigation of technical efficiency of such railway ballast under the long-term cyclic loading in comparison with the standard ballast layer. The double layer is presented with standard grading ballast upper layer and bottom sub ballast layer consists of ballast mixture. Pressure distribution under the ballast layer and permanent settlements of the layers are measured during the loading cycles. The reference measurements with standard grading ballast material are carried out. The study shows that initial settlement accumulation of the double layer railway ballast are lower to that of the standard ballast layer. However, the settlements accumulation intensity of the ballast is higher. The analysis of the pressure distribution measurements under the ballast layer and the settlements inside the ballast layer explain the causes of the different settlement accumulation.

This article concerns the issues of modeling and the optimizational approach for the performance of ore comminution circuits. A typical, multi-stage comminution circuit was analyzed with the high-pressure grinding rolls unit operating at a fine crushing stage. The final product of the circuit under investigation was, at the same time, a flotation feed in which particle size distribution initially determined the effectiveness of flotation operations. In order to determine the HPGR-based comminution circuit performance, a suitable mathematical model was built wherein the target function was linked directly with the effectiveness of the flotation processes. The target function in the presented model considers the issue in terms of the flotation operation’s effectiveness. The particle size distribution of individual comminution products and resulting from the weight recoveries of individual size fractions were criteria determining the quality of the comminution product. Weight recoveries of individual size fractions, in turn, were tied with the technical operating parameters of individual comminution devices. In the first model, profit maximization was the target function, while the second variant of the model took into account maximization of the useful mineral weight recovery in the concentrate. The HPGR application into ore processing circuits also results in energy saving benefits which were presented in a comparative analysis of the energy consumption of two comminution circuits – the first based on conventional crushing devices, and the second on the HPGR unit application which replaced the rod mills. The main benefit of such a modernization was almost two times lower energy consumption by the fine crushing stage and a decrease in the ball mills’ grinding operations load through bypassing a part of the material directly for the rough flotation operations.

This paper describes comminution processes using the theories of limiting states, elasticity, and plasticity to explain some effects observed in the process of crushing brittle materials. It further describes the phenomena occurring during crushing in high-pressure roll presses and analyzes the effects of selected factors upon crushing results. The evaluation of the usefulness of various hypotheses for interpretation of the crushing process in the high-pressure grinding roll was carried out by means of experimental investigations. A series of laboratory crushing tests were also conducted in which limestone samples were pressed in a hydraulic piston-die press. Comminution conditions in this press are similar to those observed in the working chamber of HPGR presses. The limestone aggregate, placed in a steel cylinder, was exposed to pressure exerted by the stamp of the press. Samples had various particle size distributions, and experiments were conducted for two values of pressing force. Operating pressure was the main parameter influencing the obtained comminution effects, but the particle size distribution also has an impact on the process effects. A comparison of the results of the investigations indicated that there exists a significant potential for adjusting the operational parameters of high-pressure grinding rolls. Internal stresses are a derivate of crushing actions such as compression, impact, bending, and shearing. The result of crushing in a particular crusher depends on the strength properties of particles reacting to a specific type of crushing actions. In every crusher there are many crushing actions out of which one is dominating due to the crusher type. Impact is a dominating factor in impact or hummer crushers. Various actions of crusher elements on the crushed material are beneficiary. For example, the shape of the jaw surface in jaw crushers, cone surface in cone crushers, or roll surface in roll presses are important.

In the paper, the results of investigations on the properties of acoustic emission signals generated in a tested pressure vessel are presented. The investigations were performed by repeating several times the following procedure: an increase in pressure, maintaining a given pressure level, a further increase in pressure, and then maintaining the pressure at new determined level. During the tests the acoustic emission signals were recorded by the measuring system 8AE-PD with piezoelectric sensors D9241A. The used eight-channel measuring system 8AE-PD enables the monitoring, recording and then basic and advanced analysis of signals.

The results of basic analysis carried out in domain of time and the results of advanced analysis carried out in the discrimination threshold domain of the recorded acoustic emission signals are presented in the paper.

In the framework of the advanced analysis, results are described by the defined by the author descriptors with acronyms ADC, ADP and ADNC. Such description is based on identifying the properties of amplitude distributions of acoustic emission signals by assigning them the level of advancement. It is shown that for signals including continoues AE or single burst AE signals descriptions of such registered signals by means of ADC, ADP and ADNC descriptors and by Upp and Urms descriptors provide identical ordering of registered acoustic emission signals. For complex signals, the description using ADC, ADP and ADNC descriptors based on the analysis of amplitude distributions of recorded signals gives the order of signals with more accurate connection with deformational processes being sources of acoustic emission signals.

Noise is one of the most significant factors which not only disturbs working conditions, but has a large impact on workers’ health. This problem has existed in industries since the beginning and, despite technical and other solutions, it has not been solved. There is a large number of papers, supported with very detailed analyses, that investigate noise levels in industry or contain questionnaires about the impact of noise on workers’ overall health and work abilities. The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the global picture of sustainability and the development of strategies for improving the quality of working environment, with special attention to the generation of noise in different production processes in thirteen different industries in Novi Sad, Serbia. The paper also seeks to examine the advantages and drawbacks of the implemented protective methods and to provide some recommendations for their better implementation in order to contribute to solving this significant problem of today.

Scientists are increasingly specializing in narrower fields, and communication is often difficult between physicists researching elementary particles and those studying semiconductors, not to mention between physicists and biologists or doctors. This makes interdisciplinary work difficult. And yet sometimes they succeed. One thread of work underway at the PAS Institute of High Pressure Physics offers a good example.

Entrapped gases, solidification shrinkage and non-metallic compound formation are main sources of porosity in aluminium alloy castings. Porosity is detrimental to the mechanical properties of these castings; therefore, its reduction is pursued. Rotary degassing is the method mostly employed in industry to remove dissolved gases from aluminium melts, reducing porosity formation during solidification of the cast part. Recently, ultrasonic degassing has emerged as a promising alternative thanks to a lower dross formation and higher energy efficiency. This work aims to evaluate the efficiency of the ultrasonic degasser and compare it to a conventional rotary degassing technique applied to an AlSi10Mg alloy. Degassing efficiency was evaluated employing the reduced pressure test (RPT), where samples solidified under reduced pressure conditions are analysed. Factors affecting RPT were considered and temperature parameters for the test were established. The influence of ultrasonic degassing process parameters, such as degassing treatment duration and purging gas flow rate were studied, as well as treated aluminium volume and oxide content. Finally, ultrasonic degassing process was contrasted to a conventional rotary degassing technique, comparing their efficiency.

Recyclability is one of the great features of aluminium and its alloys. However, it has been typically considered that the secondary aluminium quality is low and bad. This is only because aluminium is so sensitive to turbulence. Uncontrolled transfer and handling of the liquid aluminium results in formation of double oxide defects known as bifilms. Bifilms are detrimental defects. They form porosity and deteriorate the properties. The detection and quantification of bifilms in liquid aluminium can be carried out by bifilm index measured in millimetres as an indication of melt cleanliness using Reduced Pressure Test (RPT). In this work, recycling efficiency and quality change of A356 alloy with various Ti additions have been investigated. The charge was recycled three times and change in bifilm index and bifilm number was evaluated. It was found that when high amount of Ti grain refiner was added, the melt quality was increased due to sedimentation of bifilms with Ti. When low amount of Ti is added, the melt quality was degraded.