ANALYSIS OF THE VOLUME OF PASSENGERS AND CARGO IN RAIL AND ROAD TRANSPORT IN POLAND IN 2009-2019

Transport plays an important role in the economy of any country. Efficient and developed transport infrastructure of various modes of transport significantly affects the availability of transport services, and consequently, the well-being of citizens. This article presents an analysis of the volume of passengers and cargo transport using rail and road transport in Poland in 2009-2019. These analyses were carried out based on data obtained from the Central Statistical Office. All data concerns Polish entities that provide services in the field of passenger and freight transport in Poland and focuses on such information as the volume of passengers and cargo by individual means of transport, broken down into domestic and international transport. Further, the presented analyses concern the length of the available rail and road routes, tracks, the size of the rolling stock as well as the groups of transported loads.

STUDY ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN VEHICLE MAINTENANCE AND FUEL CONSUMPTION

A contemporary road vehicle (RV) is a rather complex system, consisting of a large number of subsystems, assemblies, units, and elements (parts). While operating, an RV interacts with the environment, and its elements interact with each other. Consequently, the properties (parameters) of these elements change in the process - hardness, roughness, size, relative position, gapping, etc. A partial solution to the presented problems can be the search for a technique for assessing the RV technical condition by a generalised criterion, which is quite sensitive to changes in the technical state. One of these criteria may be fuel consumption in litres per 100 kilometres. This paper investigates the possibilities of using the fuel consumption indicator as a criterion for assessing the technical condition of the vehicle and the vehicle maintenance and repair technologies have been generalised to obtain a given technical solution. Thus, the possibility of using the fuel consumption indicator as a criterion for assessing the technical condition of the vehicles was explored using the Volkswagen Touran 1.9 TDI operating in urban conditions using a driving cycle. A clear correlation between the fuel consumption and the service lifetime of the vehicle has been established; therefore, it depends on the frequency and quality of the maintenance and repair (MR). The vehicle MR technology has been generalised to obtain a specified technical solution. The process of creating an RV MR Technology model is implemented based on an iterative approach (repetition) with the possibility to specify their features.

KEY FACTORS FOR REDUCING LIVE POULTRY LOSSES DURING TRANSPORTATION

The results of this study on the loss of live poultry at various stages of delivery from the farm to the processing plant by road are given. A factor analysis of the reasons for the loss of livestock delivered from the farm to the processing plant was carried out. The dependencies of livestock losses on loading delays and the duration of the movement of the loaded poultry farm to the processing plant were established. Methodological recommendations for rationing the number of injuries observed during delivery were developed. The study of losses of live birds during delivery to the processing plant from the density of stocking in shipping boxes was carried out; the economic and mathematical model for optimizing the landing of live birds in shipping boxes was proposed. The calculation of the economic impact of the implementation of the results of the study is given.

PNEUMATIC VIBROISOLATION SYSTEM OF THE BASE DESK WITH NATURAL FREQUENCY REGULATION

Vibroisolation systems of base desks for machine and testing facilities usually cannot effect efficient changing of their own frequencies according to operating conditions. Especially in the case of the automotive industry, the possibility of changing natural frequencies is very desirable. During varying operating conditions, the vibroisolation system needs to be regulated easily and quickly regarding the minimisation of dynamical forces transmitted to the ground and to ensure the stability of the testing process. This paper describes one of the options of tuning the base desk at a relatively short time and by sufficient change of own frequencies, which decides the dynamical behaviour of the whole system.

PRACTICAL ASPECTS OF MEASURING CRITICAL GAPS AND FOLLOW-UP TIMES AT MEDIAN UNCONTROLLED T-INTERSECTIONS

Estimation of critical gaps and follow-up times between vehicles at uncontrolled intersections is an essential step in estimating the capacity of these objects and assessment of traffic conditions. Therefore, measurements of these parameters should be properly prepared and implemented. This paper presents issues related to the performance of field tests at median uncontrolled T-intersection. Measurements included both critical gaps and follow-up times. Based on the collected material, the authors identified problems occurring during traffic observation. Analyzed intersections were located both within and outside built-up areas. Furthermore, this article discusses the influence of selected factors on the accuracy of estimating the critical gaps and follow-up times and formulates the principles of conducting traffic measurements at selected types of intersections.

ASSESSMENT OF THE TRANSPORT INTENSITY OF THE EUROPEAN ECONOMY

The excessive increase in transport intensity is one of the negative impacts on the economy. The costs borne due to transport activities are indirectly expressed by the volume of carriages (in tons) and by the scope of transport activity (in ton-kilometers). The result of social and economic activities are global product values and national incomes. This article shows the research on transport activity expressed through transport activity (in ton-kilometers) for all means of transport in total, the results of social and economic activities expressed using the gross domestic product, as well as shaping transport intensity of national economies in selected European countries. The analysis of the course of the exponential function curves, as well as polynomial curves has been carried out, and conclusions have been formulated on their bases.

IMPACT OF INDUSTRIAL FREIGHT FLOWS ON THE OVERALL TRAFFIC IN SURAT CITY, INDIA

Surat is one of the major textile manufacturing hubs in India, having 40% of the synthetic fabric produced in the country. The textile industry in the city has witnessed tremendous growth in the last decade, leading to many transportation-related changes within it. Textile manufacturing has different phases like weaving, processing, value addition and trading or distribution. These phases are located as clusters or pockets in different parts of the city. The scattered nature of the industry generates numerous freight trips. This study focuses on characterizing and estimating textile freight trips in the city. Establishment survey data was collected from production units located in various clusters. A multi-linear regression model for freight trips generated using the quantity of cloth produced was developed for the estimation of the total textile freight trips. Thus, this study will help the planner identify the strategic location of the textile and its allied industries as well as for freight infrastructure in the city. More so, it would help in understanding the impacts of textile freight movement on the city’s overall traffic.

METHODS FOR ASSESSING THE TECHNICAL CONDITION OF BEARING HUBS IN MEANS OF TRANSPORT

This article presents two methods of testing bearing hubs, which may supplement the existing subjective and unreliable methods of diagnostics of rolling bearings used in wheel bearing hubs of motor vehicles and other means of road transport. One of the most important elements responsible for the safety of a vehicle is the bearing hub. Regular monitoring of the technical condition of bearings should become an obligation at vehicle inspection stations when carrying out a technical inspection of a vehicle, authorising it to travel on public roads. This article presents the results of vehicle tests with signs of damage to rolling bearings, using two test stands: one on which the dynamic balancer acted as a device for accelerating the wheel, and the other, which was designed as a test dedicated to automotive rolling bearings, where a dynamic weighbridge was used as the wheel drive, made it impossible to test the wheel at lower rotational speeds. The newly designed and manufactured bearing testing device eliminates the disadvantages of the previous stand, and additionally, enables the measurement of a fully loaded bearing hub, which enables the simulation of real operating conditions on the bearing hub.

DESTRUCTION MECHANISMS OF CU-ETP COPPER GUIDES FOR SECTIONAL INSULATORS OF RAILWAY TRACTION

This article presents the results of a research on the operational damage to sectional insulator guides made of hard electrolytic copper Cu-ETP (Electrolytic Tough Pitch Copper). The guides were used on various rail routes, in real conditions, on which the trains ran at maximum speeds between 40 and 120 km/h for periods of 6 or 12 months. The microstructure of the surface, the working layer of the guide, which contacts the graphite plate of the current collector and the cross-section of the guide in the place where it was damaged was examined using the Olympus light microscope. The analysis of the chemical composition in the EDS micro-regions was performed using the Zeiss Supra 53 scanning electron microscope (SEM), while the qualitative X-ray phase analysis was performed with the use of the Panalytical X'Pert diffractometer. Scratches and deformations of the surface layer characteristic of the phenomenon of friction caused by the current collector were observed in the microstructure of the damaged parts of the guides of section insulators. The effect of a very intense oxidation process was also observed, as well as the effects of an electric arc, which according to the author, is the factor that has the most destructive effect on the condition of the guides.

DESIGNING AN UPPER STAGE STEERING SYSTEM FOR A FORMULA FSAE CAR

The objective of this work is to design an upper stage steering system for the Formula FSAE car “Omega” that will effectively translate driver input force to the rack and pinion. The system consists of a steering wheel, steering shafts, universal joints, a quick release mechanism, and connection points to the car. Critical loads have been determined, and the final design has been validated using finite element analysis to ensure the safety of the assembly during normal operation and worst-scenario cases. The design key factors were performance, weight, cost, ergonomics, maintainability, manufacturability and reliability.