In the classical approach, energetic effects (cutting forces and cutting power) of wood sawing process are generally calculated on the basis of the specific cutting resistance, which is in the case of wood cutting the function of more or less important factors. On the other hand, cutting forces (or power—more interesting from energetic point of view) could be considered from a point of view of modern fracture mechanics. Cutting forces may be employed to determine not only toughness but also shear yield strength, which are then applied in the models. Furthermore, forecasting of the shear plane angle for the cutting models, which include fracture toughness in addition to plasticity and friction, broadens possibilities of energetic effects modelling of the sawing process even for small values of the uncut chip. Mentioned models are useful for estimation of energetic effects of sawing of every kinematics. However, for band saws and circular sawing machines, the chip acceleration power variation as a function of mass flow and tool velocity ought to be included in analysis of sawing at larger cutting speeds.

The paper deals with the medical application of diode-lasers. A short review of medical therapies is presented, taking into account the wavelength applied, continuous wave (cw) or pulsed regimes, and their therapeutic effects. Special attention was paid to the laryngological application of a pulsed diode laser with wavelength 810 nm, and dermatologic applications of a 975 nm laser working at cw and pulsed mode. The efficacy of the laser procedures and a comparison of the pulsed and cw regimes is presented and discussed.

In the classical approaches, used in Central Europe in practice, cutting forces and cutting power in sawing processes of timber are commonly computed by means of the specific cutting resistancek_c. It needs to be highlighted that accessible sources in handbooks and the scientific literature do not provide any data about wood provenance, nor about cutting conditions, in which cutting resistance has been empirically determined. In the analyses of sawing processes, the use of a model with elements of fracture mechanics involved is an alternative way. In this work, predictions of the newly developed model (FRAC_MOD) for the circular sawing machine are presented. Thanks to this modern approach, it was possible to reveal the usefulness of the FRAC_MOD, using experimental results data on fracture toughness and shear yield stresses of both Polish pine (Pinus sylvestrisL.) and Czech beech wood (Fagus sylvaticaL.). The achieved results were compared to the forecasted values obtained with classical models (CLAS_PL and CLAS_CZ), which are commonly applied in Central European sawmills. The carried out analyses allowed us to discover undesired effects in the form of underestimation of cutting power when applying the CLAS_PL and CLAS_CZ models. For that reason, the FRAC_MOD cutting model could be suggested for the prediction of energetic effects in cases of dynamical analyses and even unsteady cases.

The paper presents a new concept of a vertical axis wind turbine. The idea is focused on small wind turbines, and therefore, the dominating quality is safety. Another important necessary feature is efficient operation at small winds. This implies an application of the drag driven solution such as the Savonius rotor. The presented concept is aimed at reducing the rotor size and the cost of implementation. A new wind turbine solution, its efficiency, and functionality are described. The results of numerical simulations being a proof of the concept are reported. The simulations were followed by wind tunnel tests. Finally several prototypes were built and investigated for a longer period of time. The new wind turbine concept has undergone various testing and implementation efforts, making this idea matured, well proven and documented. A new feature, namely, the wind turbine size reduction at strong winds, or in other words, an increase in the wind turbine size at low winds is the reason why it is difficult to compare this turbine with other turbines on the market. The power output depends not only on the turbine efficiency but also on its varying size.