The continuous tribological development of engine lubricants is becoming more and more vital due to its fuel efficiency improvement and lifetime increasing potential. The antiwear additives play a high role in the lubricants to protect the contacting surfaces even in the presence of thinner oil film. Nanoscale spherical particles in the lubricant may increase the necessary protecting effect. This paper presents the results of the experimental tribological investigation of nanoscale spherical Y₂O₃ (yttria) ceramic particles as an engine lubricant additive. The ball-on-disc tribological measurements have revealed an optimum concentration at 0.5 wt% with about 45% wear scar diameter and 90% wear volume decrease, compared to the reference, neat Group III base oil. The high-magnitude SEM analysis revealed the working mechanisms of yttria: the particles collected in the roughness valleys resulted in a smoother contacting surface, they were tribo-sintered and they have also caused slight plastic deformation of the outer layer of the metallic surface.

This paper presents the results of a recent field test carried out before the opening phases of the Szapáry motorway bridge across the Tisza River in central Hungary. The evaluation test was based on static and dynamic load tests that provided information on deflection, stresses, and dynamic mode shapes along the bridge. The structure has two large continuous independent steel box girders that cover spans across the floodplain and river. Various configurations of truck loading applied up to 6400 kN of loading on the deck. During the static tests, string potentiometers recorded deflections at mid-span. Additionally, strain gauges enabled strain/stress measurements at the mid-point of the longest span and directly above one support. Dynamic loadings showed variation in deflection response due to vehicle speed, and ambient vibration testing led to determining vibration modes and frequencies. A three-dimensional finite-element model produced similar deflections, stresses, and modal behavior. Measured and modeled deflections and stresses indicated that the bridge performed within design margins. The testing and analysis results will be part of a future program assessing conditioned-based maintenance.

Decreasing harmful emissions of vehicle engines is becoming more and more challenging due to stricter standards. A possible solution is to improve the tribological attributes of lubricants, which can be achieved through the application of appropriate additives. According to preliminary studies conducted by the authors, ZrO₂ (zirconium-dioxide) nano-sized ceramic particles as lubricant additives have overwhelmingly positive tribological attributes in the presence of non-metallic superficial materials. Additive concentration, as well as cross-effects with other additives were investigated in order to determine a formulation resulting in optimal tribological attributes. In this paper, the experimental investigation of ZrO₂ nano-ceramic powder as a lubricant additive is presented. The tribological performance of individually samples were experimentally investigated on a ball-on-disc translational tribometer. The experiments revealed an optimal additive content of 0.3 wt%. Increasing the quantity of additives further ruined friction and wear properties of the examined tribological system.

Nowadays, keeping vintage vehicles in operation is becoming more and more popular, however, the reparation of occurring engine malfunctions, and the supply of particulate engine parts mean severe expenses to the owners. In case of older engines, the failure detection is not performed with the help of computerized diagnostics. In several cases the detection of failure is only possible with the disassembly of the engine. A cost-effective solution may be the application of tribological examinations, with which, the malfunctions may be revealed without the needless disassembly of the engine. The purpose of our research is to represent through the tribological examination of a VAZ-2101 (also known as Lada) engine type the practical application of the method, data analysis, evaluation of results and the steps of failure detection.

Detecting the engine failures of the continuous track military vehicles is challenging because their engines are always built-in narrow places covered with armored plates. In the case of the older engines, modern computer diagnostics cannot be used for failure analysis; the solution for these tasks is the visual analysis with the engine disassembly. A possible cost-effective failure analysis method can be the tribological and chemical analysis of the used oil from the engine, which can eliminate the engine disassembly work and as the results of the chemical oil analysis can also provide information about possible fuel or cooling water dilution or the increased wear of engine components. The main goal of this article is to present the failure analysis method through the tribological investigation of the engines of two PTSZ-M type medium-tracked amphibious military transport vehicles.

Bridges are special structures that provide a transport connection between areas divided by a physical barrier. Vehicles passing over bridges cause vibrations in the structural elements of the bridge, which can damage these structural elements over time. The aim of our research was to investigate the vibrations generated by vehicles on Hungary’s first steel girder welded bridge, which was subjected to the maximum allowable load. In this paper, we describe the measurements we have carried out, analyse the results, present the vehicle-bridge interaction model we have constructed and the computer simulation we have carried out by using it. Our research results are intended to contribute to accident prevention and the safe operation of bridges.