Experimental investigation of natural convection heat transfer in heated vertical tubes dissipating heat from the internal surface is presented. The test section is electrically heated and constant wall heat flux is maintained both circumferentially and axially. Four different test sections are taken having 45 mm internal diameter and 3.8 mm thickness. The length of the test sections are 450 mm, 550 mm, 700 mm and 850 mm. Ratios of length to diameter of the test sections are taken as 10, 12.22, 15.56, and 18.89. Wall heat fluxes are maintained at 250–3341 W/m2. Experiments are also conducted on channels with internal rings of rectangular section placed at various distances. Thickness of the rings are taken as 4 mm, 6 mm, and 8 mm. The step size of the rings varies from 75 mm to 283.3 mm. The nondimensional ring spacing, expressed as the ratios of step size to diameter, are taken from 1.67 to 6.29 and the non-dimensional ring thickness, expressed as the ratios of ring thickness to diameter are taken from 0.089 to 0.178. The ratios of ring spacing to its thickness are taken as 9.375 to 70.82. The effects of various parameters such as length to diameter ratio, wall heat flux, ring thickness and ring spacing on local steady-state heat transfer behavior are observed. From the experimental data a correlation is developed for average Nusselt number and modified Rayleigh number. Another correlation is also developed for modified Rayleigh number and modified Reynolds number. These correlations can predict the data accurately within ±10% error.

In this paper we present the first identification of the Tomato clack ring virus isolated from zucchini with mosaic and deformation of leaves in Poland. Immunosorbent electron microscopy, ELISA test and IC-RT-PCR confirmed the identification of TBRV. RNA extracted from purified virus (size about 7.4 kb and 4.6 kb) was characteristic to this virus.

Microwave frequency detectors enable immediate determination of an unknown microwave signal frequency. Measurement is possible if the output characteristic of a frequency detector is unequivocal in a selected band of operation. The paper presents a method for obtaining unequivocal output characteristics for a given band of frequency detector operation.

Rising technical standards of customers, legal requirements and the trend to minimize maintenance effort raise the thermal, mechanical and tribological loads on components of combustion engines. In this regard, emphasis is laid on improving the piston ring - cylinder liner tribosystem, one with the highest energy losses. An efficient performance has to be guaranteed during its lifetime. Tribological investigations could be carried out on engine test benches, but they are highly cost-intensive and time-consuming. Therefore, a damage-equivalent test methodology was developed with the analogous tribological model, "ring-on-liner". The research was carried out under two characteristic operating conditions. One with a "standard" operating system, modelled in line with ideal lubrication conditions, and the other "extreme abrasive" operating system, typical to a system running on a lubricant contaminated by abrasive particles. To optimize the tribological loading capacity of the cylinder liner, with focus on these two operating conditions, numerous nitride coatings have been investigated. The key aspects being seizure resistance, running-in characteristics and long term wear behaviour.

This paper presents a novel complementary CPWfed slotted microstrip patch antenna for operation at 2.4 GHz, 5.2 GHz and 6.3 GHz frequencies. The primary structure consists of the complementary split ring resonator slots on a patch and the design is fabricated on FR-4 epoxy substrate with substrate thickness of 1.6 mm. The described structure lacks the presence of a ground plane and makes use of a number of circular complementary SRRs along with rectangular slots on the radiating patch. The structure provides a wide bandwidth of around 390 MHz, 470 MHz and 600 MHz at the three bands with return losses of -11.5 dB, -24.3996dB and -24.4226 dB, respectively. The inclusion of the rectangular slots in the CSRR based slot antenna with stairecase structure improved the performance with respect to return loss.

A one-dimensional model based on the Fourier’s theory of heat conduction is developed for ring-like bodies. The ring-like body is an incomplete or complete torus with arbitrary cross section. The thermal properties of considered rings are independent of the polar angle. Examples illustrate the application of model presented.

The porous structure of cylindrical and ring-shaped char material was developed by partial steam gasification. Micropore and mesopore structures of active carbons with various forms of burn-off were evaluated by nitrogen adsorption/desorption isotherms. Parameters of the Dubinin- Radushkevich equation were calculated as well as the micropore size distribution by the Horvath- Kawazoe method. The results of textural investigations showed that more uniform micropore structure and better mechanical properties were found for ring-shaped active carbons.

A common problem encountered in hydraulic valves is a progressing deterioration of tightness of their water flow cutting-off seats. The seats are provided usually with a copper-alloy insert joined mechanically with cast-iron valve housing. The problem of unreliability of such joints can be solved by providing surface of the seat with a coating, deposited with the use of HVOF method and resistant to abrasive and cavitation wear. The tests were carried out for a sealing-draining seat insert made of CuZn39Pb2Al brass used to date and a specimen taken from the cast-iron valve housing which was the substrate for a plasma-sprayed coating of powder containing 86.1% Cr, 7.2% Ni, and 6.7% C. The coating, 345 ± 15 μm thick, was characterized with good quality of bonding with cast-iron substrate and high compactness of the material. The cavitation wear test on materials used in the study were carried out with the use of Vibra-Cell ultrasonic liquid processor (Sonics) equipped with a piezoelectric probe operating at the frequency of 20 kHz. Based on profilograms taken along a line crossing centers of cavitation craters, measurements of the height parameter Rt, and microscopic observations of surfaces it has been found that the coating plasma-sprayed onto substrate of nodular cast iron demonstrated higher resistance to cavitation compared to copper-alloy inserts used so far in cast-iron hydraulic valves. Cavitation craters on the material used typically for valve seats to date were more distinctly outlined and deeper compared to craters observed on the coating. Larger were also sizes of local tear-outs which resulted in larger difference between the peaks line and the valleys line.

An optical measurement method of radial displacement of a ring sample during its expansion with velocity of the order 172 m/s and estimation technique of plastic flow stress of a ring material on basis of the obtained experimental data are presented in the work. To measure the ring motion during the expansion process, the Phantom v12 digital high-speed camera was applied, whereas the specialized TEMA Automotive software was used to analyze the obtained movies. Application of the above-mentioned tools and the developed measuring procedure of the ring motion recording allowed to obtain reliable experimental data and calculation results of plastic flow stress of a copper ring with satisfactory accuracy.

Spectral properties of nonnegative and Metzler matrices are considered. The conditions for existence of Metzler spectrum in dynamical systems have been established. An electric RL and GC ladder-network is presented as an example of dynamical Metzler system. The suitable conditions for parameters of these electrical networks are formulated. Numerical calculations were done in MATLAB.

The paper deals with experimental investigations of a set of metal wave-ring gaskets of different thickness and different assembly interference. The gaskets were examined under assembly conditions, i.e. pressed in their seats with no operating pressure applied. The electric resistance wire strain gauges were used to measure the circumferential and axial strains at the inner surface of the gaskets. The traces of contact at the working surface of the gaskets were measured after disassembly the gaskets from their seats. The material tests were carried out to determine the real mechanical properties of materials applied for the gaskets and the seats. The results of experiment were verified by FEM calculations and compared with the analytical approach based on the simplified shell model proposed for the gasket.

In the paper, the authors investigate the assumptions concerning checking calculations of a sliding bearing with a floating ring. The adiabatic model of the bearing is used for the calculations. Particular design stages are depicted in the form of a structural chart. The proper work conditions of the bearing are formulated and discussed. For the presented calculation example, the authors have determined the area of feasible solutions. In the conclusion, the authors formulate suggestions that might be useful for the designers who deal with these types of bearings.