Tomasz Krakowski

The aim of this article is to present the active magnetic method used in diagnostic tests to locate damage and determine the technical condition of flat steel-polyurethane cables and plastic-coated steel ropes used in lifting equipment. This article discusses the diagnostic equipment developed at...

The scientific objective of the conducted experimental research was to find an answer as to whether the application of magnetic flux leakage would be an effective tool for assessing the technical condition of lift guide rails in which the loss of thickness of the guide part is damage resulting from the brake whose operation destructively affects the surface shown. In particular, the scientific objective was to investigate the potential of this method in the context of quantitative assessment of the degree of damage featuring small increments in depth at the level of tenths of a millimetre. The conducted research was also aimed at determining the correlation of the effect of damage type with the nature of the signal recorded. The article presents the results of our own research, obtained from experiments on the use of magnetic flux leakage (MFL) to diagnose damage occurring on lift guide rails. During operation, lift guide rails are exposed to contact with the friction elements of brakes, resulting in the violation of their surfaces. Damage to the working surfaces of guide rails increases the vibration of the device, noise and wear of other components of the lift, such as guide rails. Currently, diagnostics of lift guide rails are not carried out, and their replacement depends on their technical condition. However, from an economic point of view, there are situations wherein their condition allows their use without their replacement with new ones. This was the main factor that guided the authors; we used a diagnostic head of our own design for the tests. The obtained measurement results showed that magnetic flux leakage can be used with great success to diagnose damage to guide rails. The results obtained in the laboratory shall be further developed in the form of research on correlating the signals obtained from magnetic sensors and the size of the damage, which shall eventually allow for a final quantitative assessment of guide rails regarding their technical condition. The conducted research fits into the scope of sustainable development by reducing the need for the consumption of electric energy and the emission of harmful substances into the atmosphere in the overall production balance. This will be made possible by implementing the developed head in industrial practice in the context of assessing the need to replace guide rails with new ones. The economic and environmental efficiency that is the basis of sustainable development in the context of lifts can be achieved at the modernisation stage by repeated (further) use of as many components as possible. An example of this is the guide rail system, the reuse of which is possible after a prior assessment of its wear and tear.

The increasing requirements for safety, reliability and quality mean that the testing of steel ropes has become an inseparable element in their production and operation stages. The basic method used in testing has become the magnetic testing method of steel ropes (MTR). Despite the extensively developed knowledge, equipment, and methods of analysing diagnostic signals, difficult to access places and the ends of steel ropes are not fully covered by diagnostics. Visual inspection, which is one of the basic methods of non-destructive testing in this area of ropes, has many limitations. This area of magnetic defectoscopy is a place where new solutions and structures for testing steel ropes are created. The article presents an example of solutions used for diagnostics in places with difficult access. A new concept of a diagnostic system for magnetic testing of ropes in these sections is described. The results of initial laboratory verification measurements of the new solution are also presented.

The working surface of lift guide rails during operation is exposed to the destructive action of catchers under emergency braking conditions. In most cases, this surface is lubricated with grease, which makes it impossible to visually assess their local wear. The comfort of cabin movement on...

The paper describes the process of a prototype head optimisation for magnetic diagnostics of steel-polyurethane load-carrying belts. The prototype, validated on a number of cranes, was subject to an improvement and optimisation attempt using numerical analysis of magnetic field distribution in the magnetic circuit, tested load-carrying belt, and environment. The analysis was carried out in the ANSYS environment using PDS—Probabilistic Design System tools (DOE—Design of Experiment). Taking the dimensions of individual elements of the magnetic circuit, material densities, and magnetic material properties as the input data, the magnetic circuit was optimised with respect to metrological properties as well as mass and size criteria. Based on the analyses carried out and the results obtained, the head design was modernised, which involved changing the geometry of elements forming the magnetic circuit. Based on observations made during tests of the prototype version of the device performed on real objects, several improvements were also proposed, consisting of the replacement of selected components with elements printed in the FDM technology. The correctness of the performed numerical analyses was verified by comparing the measured and calculated values of the total magnetic field induction in the defined plane of the magnetic circuit. The prototype versions of heads before and after modernisation were subject to comparative tests. Under laboratory conditions, both versions of heads were used to diagnose the steel-polyurethane load-carrying belts with modelled damages. The obtained test results and their statistical characteristics were analysed in detail.

The optimization of production processes in companies comes down to two main measures influencing the economic factor. The first one is the reduction of interval micro-periods between operations, and the second is to use post-production waste as much as possible. These treatments apply to virtually all industries regardless of the final product effect. This article describes the application of a special welding device for welding the workpiece with a bush type, designed for fixing the plate in the plate gun. As a result of its application, a significant reduction of time needed to produce one bush has been achieved, and thus the amount of time in a unit of time has been increased. As part of the implementation work, the bush design changes were also made, which made it possible to reduce post-production waste not suitable for current production, but allowing its use for other purposes. The results of the work were implemented in the company producing agricultural machinery in Lublin.

Agaricus bisporus (J.E. Lange) Imbach is one the most popular species of edible mushrooms in the world because of its taste and nutritional properties. In the research, repeatability of accumulation of bioelements and biomass yield in experimentally chosen in vitro culture medium, was confirmed. The in vitro cultures were conducted on the modified Oddoux medium enriched with bioelements (Mg, Zn, Cu, Fe). The aim of the study was to create an effective method of sampling, which enabled non-invasive monitoring of metals concentrations changes in the medium, during increase of biomass in in vitro cultures. The first, indirect method of sampling was applied. The non-invasive probe (a dipper) for in vitro culture was used; hence, the highest biomass increase and metals accumulation were gained. The method also guaranteed culture sterility. The second method, a direct one, interfered the in vitro culture conditions and growth of mycelium, and as a consequence the lower biomass increase and metals’ accumulation were observed. Few cases of contaminations of mycelium in in vitro cultures were observed. The proposed method of non-invasive sampling of the medium can be used to monitor changes in the concentrations of metals in the medium and their accumulation in the mycelium in natural environment. Changes in concentrations of the selected metals over time, determined by the method of atomic absorption spectrometry, made it possible to correlate the obtained results with the specific stages of A. bisporus mycelium development and to attempt to explain the mechanism of sampling metals from the liquid substrate.

This paper presents the results of forced wear simulation of the friction lift guide rails. The forced wear in the case discussed is an effect of plastic strain of the guide rail surface due to emergency braking of the lift. For the purpose of qualitative and quantitative assessment of wear, the authors applied the numerical simulation of a stray magnetic field. Application of this method allowed evaluating the degree of wear based on the stray field changes. Application of this simulation method allowed obtaining satisfactory results of qualitative and quantitative assessment of the guide rail wear. The intention of this paper was to prove that the permanent magnetic field and the stray field can be applied for the efficient detection of the steel guide rail damages and to verify the possibility of making the quantitative assessment related to the guide rail wear degree versus the personal lift service life.

This article presents the results of the structure optimization for the power unit carrying frame of a friction lift by means of numerical calculations using the finite element method (FEM). Optimization analysis covered the frame structure. The analysis was focused on strength optimization with the use of a remote load and on manufacturing optimization with attention paid to the operating times necessary to complete the production process of the carrying frame subassemblies. The Solidworks simulation program was used to optimize the frame in terms of the strength criterion. The program allowed both quantitative and qualitative assessments of the frame material effort before and after optimization.