Unconventional wire electrical discharge machining technology (WEDM) is a key machining process, especially for machining newly emerging materials, as there are almost no restrictions (only at least minimal electrical conductivity) in terms of demands on the mechanical properties of the workpiece or the need to develop new tool geometry. This study is the first to present an analysis of the machinability of newly developed high entropy alloys (HEAs), namely FeCoCrMnNi and FeCoCrMnNiC_0.2, using WEDM. The aim of this study was to find the optimal setting of machine parameters for the efficient production of parts with the required surface quality without defects. For this reason, an extensive design of experiments consisting of 66 rounds was performed, which took into account the influence of five input factors in the form of pulse off time, gap voltage, discharge current, pulse on time, and wire speed on cutting speed and the quality of the machined surface and its subsurface layer. The analysis of topography, morphology, subsurface layers, chemical composition analysis (EDX), and lamella analysis using a transmission electron microscope (TEM) were performed. An optimal setting of the machine parameters was found, which enables machining of FeCoCrMnNi and FeCoCrMnNiC_0.2 with the required surface quality without defects.

The paper presents a methodology for determining the volume of a batch of conveyed material located before a transverse partition of a certain height and the distance over which the batch of material extends on the working surface of the conveyor belt along its longitudinal axis. Knowing the geometric dimensions of the transported batch of material makes it possible to appropriately set the spacing of the belt cleats and thereby to optimally determine the conveying performance of the inclined belt conveyor. When the angle of inclination of a conveyor with a straight idler frame is equal to the angle of surcharge of the conveyed material, then no layer of material is carried on the surface of the belt. If the conveyor belt is guided along a trough idler frame, only the lower cross-section of the filling of material is used. An increase in the cross-section of the belt load of a conveyor inclined at an angle, which exceeds the angle of repose of the conveyed material, can be achieved by installing regularly spaced belt cleats around the circumference of the working surface of the endless loop of the conveyor belt. The volume of the batch of material retained by the belt cleat depends on the height and width of the cleat and whether or not the conveyor belt is provided with corrugated side edges. The paper presents theoretically determined relationships that can be used to determine the size of the transverse and longitudinal area and the volume of the batch of material spread on the surface of the conveyor belt in front of the cleat. The experiments performed provide the distances of the material distribution on the surface of the conveyor belt depending on the height of the cleat and the angle of inclination of the conveyor belt.

Die-sinking electrical discharge machining is an unconventional technology that allows to machine all at least minimally electrically conductive materials regardless of their physical and mechanical properties. Despite the fact that it is not a conventional technology, the tool gets also worn out, which is a tool electrode. The wear of the electrode does not only mean its loss but also the degradation of the shapes that are transferred to the resulting workpiece. For this reason, a design of experiments was conducted with 6 input factors, 2 were categorical: the electrode material (copper, graphite) and workpiece material (steel 1.2363 and steel 1.2343ESR) and 4 were numerical: Open-voltage, Pulse current, Pulse on-time, and Pulse off-time. In the framework of this design of experiments, the wear of the used graphite and copper electrodes at their corners and edges was evaluated, which was made possible by the use of electron microscopy and the use of approximation circles. Furthermore, the eroding speed, the topography of the machined samples, and the morphology of the surfaces of the used electrodes were investigated. It has been recognized that the use of a graphite electrode will allow for more accurate workpiece shapes and less wear.

Wire electrical discharge machining (WEDM) is an unconventional and very efficient technology for precision machining of the Nimonic C 263 super alloy, which is very widespread, especially in the energy, aerospace and automotive industries. Due to electrical discharge, defects in the form of cracks or burned cavities often occur on the machined surfaces, which negatively affect the correct functionality and service life of the manufactured components. To increase the efficiency of the machining of Nimonic C 263 using WEDM, in this study, extensive design of experiments was carried out, monitoring input factors in the form of machine parameters like Pulse off time, Gap voltage, Discharge current, Pulse on time and Wire feed, the output of which was comprehensive information about the behaviour of such machined surfaces, which allowed the optimization of the entire machining process. Thus, the optimization of the Cutting speed was performed in relation to the quality of the machined surface and the machining accuracy, as well as an analysis of the chemical composition of the machined surfaces and a detailed analysis of the lamella using a transmission electron microscope. A detailed study of the occurrence of surface or subsurface defects was also included. It was found that with the help of complex optimization tools, it is possible to significantly increase the efficiency of the machining of the Nimonic C 263 super alloy and achieve both financial savings in the form of shortened machine time and increasing the quality of machined surfaces.

The paper presents the measured values of tensile forces acting on transmission idlers in the upper and lower run of a conveyor belt placed on a laboratory machine designed at the Department of Machine and Industrial Design, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, VSB-Technical University of Ostrava. The tensile forces detected by two strain gauge load cells and recorded using DEWESoft software were used to calculate the friction coefficient, which acts on the surface of the driving drum casing and the conveyor belt. The friction coefficient at the slip point, or during the slippage of the conveyor belt on the rubber or steel casing of the driving drum, was determined for two states of the surfaces that are in contact. Experimental measurements on a laboratory machine determined four values of friction coefficients for two types of drum surfaces and for two states of contact surfaces, which were compared with the recommended standard values. The measured values reached higher values in comparison with the values given by the CSN standards. The highest deviation of 273.3% is achieved using a steel wet surface, and the lowest deviation of 106.3% is achieved when using a rubber dry lining for the driving drum casing. On the presented laboratory machine, it is possible to measure tensile forces for different speeds of movement, different belt angles on the driving drum, various types of belt surfaces, different types of drum casing linings, and different sizes of tension forces for the endless loop of the conveyor belt. For these characteristics of the conveyor belt, the magnitude of the friction coefficient acting between the belt and the drum surfaces can be determined.