Volume 119 (2022): Issue 1 (January 2022)

This paper presents a strength analysis of a steel container frame fastened to a Jelcz 8x8 chassis with four ISO 1161 corners. As part of the work, optimisation of the structure was performed using the numerical finite element method (FEM) and experimental tests with the use of strain gauges. The results of simulations and tests are summarised in appropriate tables and in the form of the distribution of stress contour lines using the Huber-Mises hypothesis.

The aim of this article is to assess the possibility of using neural networks to analyse the life cycle of rolling stock in the operational phase by selecting the number of rolling stock sets and rail using the example of public transport in the Szczecin agglomeration. The research was conducted in September 2019 and June 2020. It included the number of tram and bus rolling stock sets on individual public transport lines based on data from the Central Public Transport Management System in the Szczecin agglomeration. The research, which was based on comparative analyses of individual types of rolling stock and their technical and economic data, took into account the life-cycle assessment criteria associated with the operation of vehicles in relation to the number of rolling stock sets. The use of neural networks on the example of the city of Szczecin for the purpose of life-cycle analysis, can make a significant contribution to creating a decision model for the improvement of public transport in cities with various types of public transport vehicles.

One of the basic human needs is the need for security. As a primary objective, it has both a direct and an indirect impact on architecture. The elimination of threats and protection against them is the basis for shaping contemporary architecture.

Since the beginning of history, man has sought refuge from animals and nature. This covers everything from the basic feats of providing warmth and shelter from rain and animals to creating an environment in which one can develop their personal needs and preferences. This article presents aspects of security in architecture. It is related to human needs. The classification of stress factors in urbanised space is also presented. In addition, the analysis of spatial systems in architecture and the ways of marking the space are described. Based on the conducted analyses, conclusions are drawn concerning the methods of ensuring human safety in the built environment.

The following article discusses examples of museums that implement virtual reality in presentations of exhibits and museum objects. Trends that shape contemporary museums are discussed. The aim of the article is to familiarise the reader with the possibilities of modern applications in museum exhibition presentations.

This article describes how an energy audit of equipment and the resulting design changes can have a major impact on reducing the electricity consumption of refrigeration equipment. The legal basis introduced by legislation forcing work on the improvement of refrigeration unit is provided. Eight points detail and describe the changes applied to the construction of cooling units. Additionally, a list of the refrigerants which are used is presented, along with the essential parameters of their work. The following analysis includes a description of the research performed along with the measured and calculated results for individual optimisations. The basic parameters that were used for comparison are: daily electricity consumption [kWh/24 h] and the temperature of the packages placed in the device [°C]. Finally, the percentage differences in energy consumption for each modernisation are summarised in a tabular form. The device used for the tests was the VARNA refrigerated rack, model 900, manufactured by P.P.H.U. JUKA Sp. z o.o. sp. k.

In accordance with the findings obtained from field studies, the portals and doors in the structure of the entrance spaces of residential buildings in Eastern Galicia (the part of former Galicia and Lodomeria) in the late nineteenth century to the first third of the twentieth century were analysed. The doors were classified according to principles of location, decorative solution and placement of artistic decoration. Leading manufacturers whose products decorated the entrance spaces of residential buildings in Eastern Galicia in the late nineteenth century to the first third of the twentieth century were identified. The relationship between the artistic design of the entry doors and other kinds of art in the decor of the entrance spaces of residential buildings in Eastern Galicia in the late nineteenth century to the first third of the twentieth century was established. Modern restored samples in residential buildings of the specified period in the indicated area were found.

This paper presents an example of solving the parameter identification problem in the case of a robot with two degrees of freedom. In this study, a weighted recursive least squares algorithm was generalised to a case of nonlinear parameterisation in which the identified parameters did not satisfy the linear model. The generalisation involved linearising the model in the neighbourhood of current values of the parameter estimates. It was assumed that the estimates were updated every N steps of signal sampling. This method of identification can be applied whenever the parameters concerning a model need to be determined at the time of measurement. This is particularly useful in adaptive control when the plant parameters vary over time.

This paper presents the concept of metal expansion joints manufacturing using a mechanically assisted laserforming hybrid method. The metal expansion joints are made of a metal tube of an appropriate diameter and wall thickness with a combined bellow-lens shape. The concept assumes using a CO₂ laser to implement such expansion joints. The laser beam heats the selected area of the rotating tube, mounted on a swivel handle on one side and the actuator handle on the other end. After reaching the plasticising temperature, the actuator compresses the element. As a result, a bellow-lens shape is formed at the plasticization area. Initial experimental studies confirmed the validity of the concept. The bellow-lens metal expansion joint (type DN20) was obtained as a final result. The presented idea and the element manufacturing method were submitted to The Patent Office of RP.

This article is devoted to the analysis of contemporary Polish multi-family architecture in the context of aesthetic irregularity. The research was limited to constructions from 2011–2021 and nominated for the Mies van der Rohe award as the objects with the greatest potential impact on shaping further trends. In  their research, the authors focused on searching for the features of irregularities, which, in their opinion, have become a distinguishing feature of  contemporary architectural aesthetics. The analyses in this study refer to three planes of the aesthetic dimension of architecture, namely the form, facade composition and material.

Wastewater treatment plants are considered to be one of the largest sources of microplastics in the natural environment. The problem of microplastics has been widely studied in many environments. It remains a subject of the growing interest for researchers. By definition, microplastic is plastic that does not exceed 5 mm in size. There are three stages in the study of microplastics in wastewater: sampling, treatment, and the identification of microplastics. This paper aims to review the strategies for sampling microplastics in wastewater treatment plants and their laboratory treatment to isolate microplastics. The collection of samples from the wastewater treatment plant is based on two mechanisms, namely a continuous filtering and pumping system and instantaneous sampling (steel bucket, glass jar, telescopic sampling). The removal of organic and inorganic matter is carried out with the use of physical and chemical analyses. The subject of this article is the compilation of the generally available research methods on microplastics. Based on the literature analysis, conclusions were drawn regarding the recommended methods of microplastic detection.

The goal of our work was to select a neural network architecture that would give the best prediction of the Bitcoin exchange rate using historical data. Our work fits into the very important topic of predicting the value of the cryptocurrency exchange rate, and makes use of recent data which, as a result of the high Bitcoin exchange rate dynamics of the last year, differs significantly from those of previous years. We propose and test a number of neural network-based architectures and conduct a discussion of the results. Unlike previous state-of-the-art works, we conducted a comprehensive comparison of three different neural network-based models: MLP (multilayer perceptron), LSTM (long short-term memory) and CNN (convolutional neural network). We tested them for a wide range of parameters. The results we present are, to the best of our knowledge, the most up to date when it comes to the application of artificial intelligence methods for the prediction of cryptocurrency exchange rates. The best-performing architectures were used for a website that gives real-time predictions of the Bitcoin exchange rate. The website is available at http://stpbtc-ii.up.krakow.pl/. Source codes of our research are available to download in order to make our experiment reproducible.

This paper is devoted to the extremely important issue of lighting pedestrian and pedestrian-driving routes within a housing estate. Both aspects are discussed with regard to the safety of route users and the potential impact on the natural environment through the phenomenon of light pollution. It was found that most of the outdated high-pressure sodium lamps present in the analysed Podwawelskie housing estate in Kraków do not fulfil their basic purpose, which is to sufficiently illuminate the ground below. Nevertheless, the light of these lamps does not make a noticeable contribution to the basic form of light pollution, which is the city’s sky glow. It has been suggested that it would be best to replace these types of lamps with LED lighting, which has already been partly done. The LED lamps provide lighting that is sufficient to ensure the safety of residents. However, their improper installation may cause glare for pedestrians or residents of neighbouring houses. Additionally, their light reflected from an excessively bright pavement makes a significant contribution to the artificial sky glow. Solutions are proposed that minimise the negative impact of this lighting on the environment while ensuring comfort for the residents of the estate, which is in line with the principles of sustainable development.

The current era of nanomaterials brings advancements in science and technology. This creates new solutions and possibili-ties in the creation of novel spatial structures. This study leads through the presentation of iconic architectural objects creat-ed with the use of high strength composite materials and tensegrity structure. Then presents the design process, numerical simulations of the three-way tensegrity grid prototype module. Static stress simulations were done within the simulation engine of the Fusion 360 software. Moreover, 1:1 scale prototype was developed. It could be used as a modular construction slab of a novel architectural design. One of the key characteristic features of high strength composite materials, high strength-to-weight ratio, combined with tensegrity structures allows to develop lightweight and hence very durable spatial structures. This gives tensegrity structures a very low dead load value as compared to traditional reinforced concrete struc-tures. Thanks to the application of high strength and hence lightweight materials, the dead load of the prototype is only 0,18 kN/m².

Street lighting is an important aspect of the operation of not just every city or municipality but also the operation of the roads and highways in every country. The search for energy-saving solutions has become a ubiquitous number-one topic and leads to the need for lighting management systems to make lighting more efficient and economical from a financial and environmental point of view. There are many important needs of cities and municipalities strictly connected with the type of roads and areas in cities and their surroundings. Highways, country roads, main city roads, parks, cycling paths and residential areas all have different requirements with regard to efficient lighting management. Lighting and power schedules, adaptive lighting schemes based on the density of road usage, dynamically adjustable on-demand lighting which lights up the way ahead of moving objects (vehicles or pedestrians). All of the above are important and can help in the achievement of the main goal, which is efficient energy usage properly managed for the given situation and which will ensure safety and comfortable lighting for all kinds of roads. This paper is focused on dynamically adjustable on-demand lighting, it proposes a solution capable of achieving optimal lighting management for cities and surrounding areas.

The article presents the preliminary results of research in the field of preparing employees aged forty or over to the challenges of industry 4.0. Based on literature research and the results of own research, an assessment of the current human resources in the automotive industry was presented, with a particular emphasis on the age structure and digital competences. The main barriers in the process of preparing forty-plus employees to the requirements of the work environment 4.0 were identified. Existing training methods were assessed. It was indicated that PBL in the field of acquiring digital competences in the group of forty-plus employees has great potential to achieve the success rate of bridging the digital competency gap.