The study analyses application possibilities of filtration and thickening models in evaluation of papermaking suspension drainage rate. The authors proposed their own method to estimate the drainage rate on the basis of an existing Ergun capillary model of liquid flow through a granular material. The proposed model was less sensitive to porosity changes than the Ergun model. An empirical verification proved robustness of the proposed approach. Taking into account discrepancies in the published data concerning how the drainage velocity of papermaking suspension is defined, this study examines which of the commonly applied models matches experimental results the best.

Gravity dewatering of fibrous suspension is one of basic technological operations in paper production process. Although there are numerous methods to determine dewatering of such suspensions, none of them can measure undisturbed flow of removed water. In the paper the idea and design of a new apparatus for the determination of drainage rate of fibrous suspensions is presented. The apparatus differs from other known devices by minimisation of filtrate flow resistance in the outlet part of the equipment. In the second part of the paper measurements of the drainage rate have been presented. The flow resistance of the fluid through the bottom wire screen in the device was determined. The calculated flow resistance will be used in the developed model of dynamic drainage of fibrous suspensions, which will be discussed in our following paper (Przybysz et al., 2014).

The mathematical model of postproduction suspension concentration by microfiltration has been developed. This model describes a process conducted in a batch system with membrane washing by reverse flow of permeate. The model considerations concern filtration pseudocycles consisting of the filtration period and the membrane washing period. The balances of continuous phase volume, dispersed phase mass and energy, for each period of pseudocycle respectively, have been presented.

Coagulation is a process during which a flocculent suspension may sediment. It is characterized by its polydisperse structure. There are three main fractions of sedimentation particles after coagulation: spherical, non-spherical and porous agglomerates. Each of the fractions sediments in a different manner, for different forces act on them, due to interactions between the particles, inhibition or entrainment of neighboring particles. The existing sedimentation models of polydisperse suspension do not consider the flocculation process, i.e. the change of one particle into another during sedimentation, resulting from their agglomeration. The presented model considers the shape of particles and flocculation, which is a new approach to the description of the mathematical process of sedimentation. The velocity of sedimentation depends on the concentration of particles of a given fraction in a specific time step. Following the time step, the heights of individual fractions are calculated. Subsequently, new concentration values of individual fractions are determined for the correspondingly reduced volume of occurrence of a given fraction in the volume analyzed, taking particle flocculation into consideration. The new concentration values obtained in this way allow to recalculate the total sedimentation rates for the next time step. Subsequent iterations allow for numerical simulation of the sedimentation process.

The paper presents theoretical analysis of excited vibrations of the vehicle in a wide range of excitation frequencies (from I to 80 Hz). The mathematical model and calculations were prepared for the accepted physical model of the vehicle. The model was used to simulate the excited vertical vibrations. The bifurcation figures with an excitation frequency as a bifurcation parameter were determined on the basis of the simulation results - the changes of kinematics values in time. Bifurcation diagrams give a picture of vehicle vibrations. This picture gives the possibility of identification of characteristic parameters of sprigs and dumping elements and can be used for control, diagnostic aims, and for making technical investigations of vehicle suspension.

During the cruise of the research ship r/v Oceania owned by the Institute of Oceanology of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Sopot a research on mineral suspension concentration and dispersion distributions was conducted. The research area included the western part of the Baltic Sea, the Danish Straits, the Norwegian Sea, the waters around Spitsbergen and the North Atlantic Ocean. Samples of water were collected from the surface layer. They were subjected to microscopic analysis. Measurements were done with a projection microscope (magnification lOOOx) and using the Burker's table. After counting the particles dispersion distribution was determined. The largest concentration of mineral suspension was noted offshore in the Norwegian Sea and around Spitsbergen and the smallest in the central Atlantic Ocean.

Concentration and dispersion distributions of mineral suspension and crude-oil particles in waters of the Kongsfiord (Spitsbergen) were examined in 1997. Most suspension occurs at glacier margins and decreases towards a fiord outlet.

This paper deals with the effects of modifications to clay-siliceous raw material from Dylągówka (Dynów foothills, SE Poland), which alter the rheological properties of its water suspensions. The investigations were carried out on three samples collected from various depths of the deposit as they considerably differ in their contents of smectite and other minerals. The samples were either modified with soda or activated with sulphuric (VI) acid and used to prepare their water suspensions with various contents of solids. The suspensions were subject to determinations of viscosity and flow curves. Dependencies of three variables of the suspensions (rheological properties, mineral composition of the solid phase, and the modifications introduced) were assessed on the basis of: the contents of the solid phase in the suspensions required to obtain a viscosity of 1000 mPas; hypothetical, calculated thixotropic energy. These show that the amount of solids in the water suspension required to obtain the required viscosity is considerably lower in samples with higher contents of smectite and in those activated with sodium. In turn, the acid activation that partially alters smectite towards a protonated silica gel decreases the viscosity and thixotropy of the suspensions, which was confirmed in the studies of mid-infrared spectroscopy. The conducted studies provide important information needed in designing the mineral composition of drilling fluids and others applications.

Acoustical Driving Forces (ADF), induced by propagating waves in a homogeneous and inhomogeneous lossy fluid (suspension), are determined and compared depending on the concentration of suspended particles. Using integral equations of the scattering theory, the single particle (inclusion) ADF was calculated as the integral of the flux of the momentum density tensor components over the heterogeneity surface. The possibility of negative ADF was indicated. Originally derived, the total ADF acting on inclusions only, stochastically distributed in ambient fluid, was determined as a function of its concentration. The formula for the relative increase in ADF, resulting from increased concentration was derived. Numerical ADF calculations are presented. In experiments the streaming velocities in a blood-mimicking starch suspension (2 μm radius) in water and Bracco BR14 contrast agent (SF6 gas capsules, 1 μm radius) were measured as the function of different inclusions concentration. The source of the streaming and ADF was a plane 2 mm diameter 20 MHz ultrasonic transducer. Velocity was estimated from the averaged Doppler spectrum obtained from originally developed pulsed Doppler flowmeter. Numerical calculations of the theoretically derived formula showed very good agreement with the experimental results.

The rapid, high increase in production costs and prices of mineral fertilizers leads to a reduction in their use by farmers, while fertilizer manufacturers consider the use of alternative raw materials and reducing the energy consumption of fertilizer production processes. Given these circumstances, special attention is warranted for suspension fertilizers. The manufacturing of suspension fertilizers is simplified and less energy intensive in comparison with solid fertilizers. This is achieved by omitting certain production stages such as granulation, drying, sifting, which usually contribute to more than half of the production costs. This paper presents the production procedure of suspension fertilizers tailored for cabbage cultivation, utilizing alternative raw materials such as sewage sludge ash and poultry litter ash. The final products are thoroughly characterized. The obtained fertilizers were rich in main nutrients (ranging from 23.38% to 30.60% NPK) as along with secondary nutrients and micronutrients. Moreover, they adhere to the stipulated standards concerning heavy metal content as outlined in the European Fertilizer Regulation. A distribution analysis has showed that suspension fertilizers contain nutrients in both liquid and solid phases. This arrangement facilitates their easy availability for plants and subsequent release upon dissolution in soil conditions. To assess process consistency, the production of the most promising fertilizer was upscaled. A preliminary technological and economic analysis was also conducted. The method of producing suspension fertilizers using alternative raw materials is a simple waste management solution offering nutrient recycling with the principles of circular economy. This approach not only encourages nutrient recycling but also curtails reliance on imported raw materials.

In this paper one presents the new concept of a rocker-bogie suspension where the suspension members can change their length. As a result of this action the frame with suspension is able to adjust to the specific environmental conditions. The main problem with the designed suspension system is a fact that with an extension of the suspension members their slenderness increases as well as final displacements. The solution of this problem is not so simple because the construction must meet the specific requirements due to participation of the mobile platform in different competitions. In the presented results of numerical simulations one shows an influence of the different materials on stress and displacements magnitudes of suspension members when the mobile platform hits an obstacle. This situation allows one to test different engineering solutions in the worst case scenario when suspension elements may be damaged. Finally the optimum design is presented.

Unmanned vehicles are often used in everyday life, mostly by rescue teams or scientists exploring new terrains. In those constructions, the suspension has constant dimensions, which leads to many disadvantages and limits the application area. The solution to these problems can be creating a six-wheeled mobile platform that can dynamically change the wheelbase in relation to the area of action or terrain inclination angle. The active change in location of the center of gravity gives a possibility to access sloppy obstacles not available with classical suspensions. The main scope of this study is to investigate the influence of material properties on vibration frequency at different lengths of suspension members. The obtained results will allow finding the optimum material for producing a prototype unit.

The objective of this paper is to present a method of dynamic analysis of the steering system of a passenger car with McPherson suspension. The links of the system are modelled as rigid bodies; however, the method enables flexibility of the steering shaft of the car to be taken into account. The geometry of the system is described by using homogenous transformations. Equations of motion are derived on the basis of the Lagrange equations. In the method proposed, the closed loop oflinks is cut at selected joints and suitable reaction forces are introduced. Dry friction occurring in the steering system is reduced to the prismatic joint between the steering rack and guide. The method can be used in design and optimization of steering systems of passenger cars with McPherson suspension.

In order to ensure the safe operation of electromagnetic suspension (EMS) maglev trains, it is necessary to pay attention to the control loop performance of the suspension system. The suspension system with closed-loop control is tuned to achieve excellent performance at its early stage of operation. After running for a period of time, the control loop may encounter problems e.g., degraded operation, and paralysis may occur in severe cases. In order to quantify the control performance of the suspension system in an explicable manner, this paper proposed a data-driven control loop performance evaluation method based on fractal analysis, which does not require any external sensors and can be applied without data source restrictions such as dimension, volume and resolution. The control loop performances of such suspension systems were monitored, analysed, and evaluated by cross-sectional study, based on the field data of a commercial operation line in the commissioning stage. Furthermore, the track condition was revealed by capturing performance changes of the suspension system running on different guideway girders. The results demonstrate that the proposed method enables early warning of the degeneration of the suspension systems and the track.

Arid and semi-arid areas are characterised by differentiation in meteorological conditions. Sometimes the rains are rare and not very intense and at other times they are dense and very intense, resulting in torrents that often lead to strong soil erosion. Most of the time, the losses occur at the solids level because the erosion effect is too high. In this study, we want to evaluate the transfer of solid sediments as a function of liquid transport in the basin of Wadi Zeddine at Ain Defla in Algeria. To understand this phenomenon, we used the data of liquid flows ( Q_l, m ³∙s ^–1) and concentration of suspended sediments ( C, g∙dm ^–3), transported in the river, the data collected by the NWRA (National Water Resources Agency), over 24 years have been used to find a relationship between these two quantities, to estimate the quantity of solid transport Q_s (kg∙s ^–1) in the watercourse of the catchment area studied. The results obtained show a good correlation between solid and liquid flows, with a correlation coefficient estimated at 90%, and the average annual sediment supply recorded at the outlet of the Wadi Zeddine watershed is estimated at around 88,048 Mg, which corresponds to 202 Mg∙km ^–2∙y ^–1/ erosion rate. This value is comparable to those found in other regions with similar hydrological regimes.

An active inerter-based suspension with acceleration feedback control is proposed in this paper, the time delay generated in the controllers and actuators is considered, which constitutes the time-delayed active inerter-based (TDA-IB) suspension. The dynamic equation of the TDA-IB suspension is established and is a neutral type of delay differential equation (NDDE) in which the time delay exists in the highest-order derivative. The stability analysis is conducted by calculating the number of unstable characteristic roots based on the definite integral stability method, the stable and unstable regions are determined. The effect of time delay and feedback gain on the dynamic performance of the TDA-IB suspension under harmonic, random, and shock excitations is studied in detail and compared with the parallel-connected inerter-based (PC-IB) and traditional suspensions. The results show that the TDA-IB suspension is asymptotically stable for smaller feedback gain and time delay, through increasing the feedback gain, the stable regions shrink, and a smaller time delay could cause the system to become unstable. Furthermore, the time delay could regulate the resonance peak around the unsprung mass natural frequency and generate multiple high-frequency resonance peaks. If the time delay is chosen appropriately and falls into the stable range, the TDA-IB suspension could improve the dynamic performance for the suspension stroke and dynamic tire load while having a deterioration for the vehicle body acceleration compared with the PC-IB and traditional suspensions.

The work discusses numerical and experimental researches, which are focused on developing a coherent model of magnetic interactions causing the levitation of the starting trolley of the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) catapult. The starting trolley is levitating over the catapult’s tracks, which generate the magnetic field. The levitation is made possible by the diamagnetic properties of high-temperature superconductors, placed in supports of the starting trolley. The introduction of the article briefly analyzes the catapult structure. Next, it explains the nature of associated with the Meissner and flux pinning effect magnetic interactions which causes the levitation phenomenon. The paper presents the results of numerical analysis of the magnetic field, generated by the catapult’s tracks arranged in two configurations: a “chessboard” and a “gutter” pattern. The numerical model was solved, using the finite element method. Parameterization of the numerical model was made based on the measurements of the magnetic field, generated by a single magnet.

The shear lag effect of the steel box girder section in a self-anchored suspension bridge was investigated in this study. Finite element analysis software Midas Civil was used to discretize the girder under analysis into space plate elements and establish a plate element model. The law of shear lag in the longitudinal direction of the girder in the construction and completion stages was determined accordingly. The shear lag coefficient appears to change suddenly near the side support, middle support, side cable anchorage area, and near the bridge tower support of the steel box girder under the imposed load. The most severe shear lag effect is located near the side support and near the side cable anchorage area. Steel box girder sections are simulated before and after system conversion to analyze the shear lag coefficient in the bridge construction stage. The results show that the shear lag coefficient markedly differs before versus after system conversion due to the different stress mechanisms. The finite element analysis results were validated by comparison with the results of an analysis via analogous rod method.

The paper presents a method for dimensional synthesis of a five-rod guiding mechanism for the front wheels of a car. The goal is to find some unknown coordinates of joint centers of three suspension rods on the basis of given input data describing selected coordinates of other points, rods lengths and desired suspension characteristics for jounce-rebound and steering displacements. The synthesis problem is formulated as a single-criteria optimization procedure with a few substages solved in hierarchical order. The procedures for position and displacement analysis of the spatial multilink mechanism and for determination of the screw axes are also described. A numerical example for the AUDI A4 front ax.le is given.

The main goal of introducing Active Suspension System in vehicles is to reduce the vehicle body motion under road obstacles which improves the ride comfort of the passenger. In this paper, the Full Car Model (FCM) with seven Degrees of Freedom is considered and simulated by MATLAB/Simulink. The Terminal Sliding Mode Controller (TSMC) and Fractional Order Terminal Sliding Mode Controller (FOTSMC) are designed to enhance the ride quality, stability and passenger comfort for FCM. The designed FOTSMC has the ability to provide higher control accuracy in a finite time. The performances of the designed controllers are evaluated by measuring the vehicle body vibration in both angular and vertical direction under bump input and ISO-8608 random input against passive suspension system. The FrequencyWeighted Root Mean Square (FWRMS) and Vibration dose value of Body Acceleration as per ISO-2631 are evaluated for FOTSMC, TSMC and PSS. The stability of the FCM is proved by Lyapunouv theory. Further analysis with sprung mass and speed variation of FCM demonstrate the robustness of proposed controller. To investigate the performances of designed controllers, comparison is made with existing Sliding Mode Controller (SMC) which proves that the designed FOTSMC performs better than existing SMC.

This paper describes results of tensile mechanical strength testing of two types of composite suspension line insulators from two manufacturers. In order to take into account the operation of composite insulators in overhead transmission lines with high-temperature low-sag (HTLS) conductors, the testing of their static and fatigue strength was performed at both ambient and elevated temperatures. The results showed that the static mechanical strength of composite insulators decreased with an increase in the temperature of the lower end fitting of the insulator, and proved that it followed a third-degree polynomial function. Calculations performed demonstrated that a significant cause of reduction in strength was the increase in the radial stress following the temperature increase in the crimped glassepoxy resin core of the insulator. The results of the fatigue strength testing demonstrated that the increase in the temperature of the lower end fitting of the insulator up to 85°C degree had a little effect on the fatigue strength of the tested composite insulators.