Calculation model of the tractor transport set – Economic and environmental indicators

This contribution presents a calculation method of indicators in agricultural transport. The tractor Zetor Forterra 8641 with a silage trailer was used. Calculations were performed with various weights of transported material: 2.5, 3.6, 5.8, 7.4 and 9.0 tons. The model was created concerning significant parameters of the transport set, engine characteristics and route. It considered splitting of the route into elementary sections, in which important route parameters were regarded as constant. Indicators were defined in every section (fuel consumption, emissions, etc.) and overall values were calculated as a sum. The set with 7.4 t of load reached the lowest unit costs 20.62 CZK·tkm^–1, transport output 79.51 tkm·h^–1 and unit consumption 0.14 L·tkm^–1. The set with the maximum load 9.0 t reached output 86.05 tkm·h^–1 but unit costs were 20.68 CZK·tkm^–1. Using the maximum capacity was not the most effective option. When the weight of a load increased (from 2.5 to 9.0 t), driving time extended from 0.28 to 0.46 h and hourly transportation output increased from 38.60 to 86.05 tkm·h^–1, unit consumption decreased from 0.24 to 0.13 L·tkm^–1. Total emissions significantly increased, but unit emissions decreased in average two times for each pollutant.

Conveyor Belt Damage Detection with the Use of a Two-Layer Neural Network

Non-invasive conveyor belt diagnostics in damage detection allows significant reductions of the costs related to belt replacement, as well as the evaluation of belt usability and wear degree changes over time. As a result, it increases safety in the location where the belt is used. Depending on the location of a belt conveyor, its length or the type of the transported material, the belt may undergo wear at different rates, albeit the wear process itself is inevitable. This article presents an artificial intelligence-based approach to the classification of conveyor belt damage. A two-layer neural network was implemented in the MATLAB programming language, with the use of a Deep Learning Toolbox set. As a result of the optimization of the created network, the effectiveness of operation was at the level of 80%.

Analysis of Reasons for Reduced Strength of Multiply Conveyor Belt Splices

Belt conveyors are used for the transportation of bulk materials in a number of different branches of industry, especially in mining and power industries or in shipping ports. The main component of a belt conveyor is its belt, which serves both as a support for the transported material along the conveyor route and as an element in the drive transmission system. Being crucial to the effective and reliable operation of the conveyor, the belt is also its most expensive and the least durable element. A conveyor belt comprises a core, covers and edges. A multiply textile belt, in which the core is constructed of synthetic fibers such as polyamide, polyester or aramid, is the oldest and still the most commonly used conveyor belt type. The plies are joined with a thin layer of rubber or another material (usually the material is the same as the material used in the covers), which provides the required delamination strength to the belt and allows the plies to move relative to each other as the belt is bent. Belts are installed on the conveyors in a closed loop in order to join belt sections, whose number and length depend on the length and type of the belt conveyor. Belts are joined with each other in a splicing procedure. The cutting of the belt core causes belt splices to be prone to concentrated stresses. The discontinued core also causes the belt to be the weakest element in a conveyor belt loop. The article presents the results of strength parameter tests that were performed on laboratory and industrial splices and indicated the reasons for the reduced strength of conveyor belt splices. Splice strength is reduced mainly due to incorrect preparation of the spliced surfaces and to different mechanical parameters of the spliced belts.

Chrysotile asbestos ― raw materials of the construction industry from deep quarries

A ladle belt conveyor with increased traction ability is proposed at the request of Kostanay Minerals JSC. A geometric diagram of the conveyor route for cyclic-flow technology with the transportation of rock mass steeply falling conveyors in the contours of the quarry of the first stage of the Dzhetygara chrysotile deposit is given. The calculation of the geometric dimensions of individual sections of the conveyor is performed. The parameters of the transported material, the route and the bucket belt conveyor itself are determined.

Wind and wave effects on surface currents in the Mediterranean Sea

<p>The knowledge of Lagrangian motion is of a great importance due to their impact on the properties of transported material like the Essential Ocean Variables (phytoplankton, temperature, pCO2, etc), or other material like plastics debris, oil spill pollution, etc. In this study we analyze the influence of the wind and waves in the transport and mixing properties at the upper layers of the Mediterranean Sea. In this context, we propose a new approach for current velocity where we take into account the wind-wave interaction and the variability that it inserts into the current velocity through Ekman and Stokes components.</p><p><br>Surface currents, Ekman, Stokes, Lyapunov exponent</p>

Theoretical analysis of hydromixture transport

This paper presents theoretical considerations and working parameters analyzes of hydrotransport during unstable flow. The variable flow of hydraulic mixture in installations causes unsteady operation and pipes spraying, pump damage, obturation in various sections of the pipeline, reduced capacity as well as higher operating costs. Using mathematical equations presented in this paper, such parameters of the hydraulic mixture, hydrotransport installation and control devices can be determined which protect system from possible clogging. Considering the fact that critical speed of hydraulic mixture depends on transported material grain size, mixture volume mass, diameter of pipeline and specific gravity of solid phase, it is possible to accurately analyze obturation in hydrotransport installations depending on those parameters. In order to prevent hydraulic impacts in hydrotransport installation pipelines, which value can be determined mathematically, it is necessary to adjust installation to hydromixture parameters and pump, or vice versa.

Static testing evaluation of pipe conveyor belt for different tensioning forces

The paper analyzes static tests of pipe conveyors using various statistical indicators and points out the mutual interactions between individual roller stands. Individual measurements were performed on a physical model of a pipe conveyor, while the methodology and procedure were verified by experiments. 15 repetitions of the given series of measurements were selected, which was a compromise between time demands and statistical requirement. Normal contact forces on the individual rollers of three hexagonal roller stands acting on the conveyor belt for different tension forces in the static state (conveyor belt without movement and without transported material) were evaluated. The LabVIEW Signal Express 2010 program from the National Instruments Company was used to record the measured data. The measurements were evaluated by Microsoft Office Excel.

Assessment of the Mobile Risk Source in Road Transport

Assessment of the mobile risk sources is not yet established in the European Union by law and therefore there is not enough pressure to manage and reduce risks. However, the transport of dangerous goods poses a special risk in terms of the nature of the transported material, especially for densely populated urban areas. The release of toxic or flammable substances into the air may endanger the health and life of many inhabitants. The assessment of consequences of the mobile accident hazards has been dealt with only seldom and not in details. The aim of this paper is to assess the risks associated with the transport of dangerous flammable substance. Authors would like to point out that the mobile resources represent a significant source of risk through the transport of dangerous goods in the event of an emergency occurrence associated with their leakage.

Shallow Lake Environments in the Hunter-Gatherer's Way of Life (Tierra del Fuego, Argentina)

In the semiarid environment of the Fuegian steppe (Argentina), shallow lakes were intensively exploited by hunter-gatherers throughout the Holocene. The archaeological record concentrated along their shoreline frequently reports the first stages of the lithic reduction sequence. In this article, we consider rock availability at different coastal sectors in Lake Amalia. The data focus on the size and weight of the cobbles used as raw material (in Lake Amalia and nearby locations), aiming to compare transported material and that which is spatially located. We analyze information regarding the role played by shallow lakes in the exploitation of steppe environments and their importance in hunter-gatherers’ mobility. We suggest that raw material frequency, size, and spatial distribution have conditioned space-use patterns in the Fuegian steppe. The Amalia locality study case sheds light on recurrent visits to specific places in these landscapes.