This article uses Markov and semi-Markov models as some of the most popular tools to estimate readiness and reliability. They allow to evaluate of both individual elements as well as entire systems—including production systems—as multi-state structures. To be able to distinguish states with varying degrees of technical readiness in complicated and complex objects (systems) allows to determine their individual impact on the tasks performed, as well as on the total reliability. The application of the Markov process requires, for the process dwell times in the individual states, to be random variables of exponential distribution and the fulfilling Markov’s property of the independence of these states. Omitting these assumptions may lead to erroneous results, which was the authors’ intention to show. The article presents a comparison of the results of the examination of the process of non-parametric distribution with an analysis in which its exponential form was (groundlessly) assumed. Significantly different results were obtained. The aim was to draw attention to the inconsistencies obtained and to the importance of a preliminary assessment of the data collected for examination. The diagnostics of the machine readiness operating in the studied production company was additionally performed. This allowed to evaluate its operational potential, especially in the context of solving process optimization problems.
Science and Technology article citation info:(*) Tekst artykułu w polskiej wersji językowej dostępny w elektronicznym wydaniu kwartalnika na stronie www.ein.org.pl Effective fleet management is related to the care for their rational use and proper diagnostics. Early detection of potential irregularities enables to prevent failures and carry out transport processes in an undisturbed way. One of the most important components, from the safety point of view, is the braking system. Laboratory tests can be used to determine the durability characteristics of individual components. Individual indications referring to operating conditions would be most desirable. The article, based on a two-year period of testing of a group of Renault vehicles fitted with disc brakes, presents measurement of wearing and tearing the system components (brake discs and brake friction insert) in a function of selected factors, depending on the time and environment in which the transport was carried out. Nonparametric statistical tests were used to analyze the results. Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis tests were used to verify the hypothesis on the insignificance of differences. Their results were compared with the results of ANOVA variance analysis. The significance of factors influencing the degree of brakes wear was checked. Possible directions of using the results of brake wear measurement for rationalization of transport processes were also indicated. Presented method may also be applied to the evaluation of other components (assemblies, subassemblies, systems) of motor vehicles.
A special element of road safety research is accidents at the interface of the road and rail system. Due to their low share in the total number of incidents, they are not a popular subject of analyses but rather an element of collective studies, whereas the specificity of the road–rail accidents requires a separate characteristic, allowing, on the one hand, to categorize these types of incidents, and on the other, to specify the factors that affect them, along with an assessment of the strength of this impact. It is important to include in such analyses all potential predictors, both qualitative and quantitative. Moreover, the literature considers most often a number of accidents while, according to the authors, it does not fully reflect the scale of the danger. A better evaluation would be the victim’s degree of injury. Therefore, the purpose of this article is to assess the likelihood of occurrence of various effects of road–rail accidents in the aspect of selected factors. Due to the ordinal form of the dependent variable, the classification trees method was used. The results obtained not only allow the characterization and assessment of the danger but also constitute guidelines for taking preventive actions.
Background: Clinical success depends on the contact strength and wear resistance of medical devices made of polymer materials. The scientific goal resulted from the problem of using different methods of surface evaluation of materials used in the production of orthodontic appliances. The purpose of the work was an experimental comparative assessment of indentation hardness and scratch hardness and the sliding wear of four selected polymeric materials used in the manufacture of orthodontic appliances. Methods: Four commercial materials were compared. Shore hardness tests and a scratch test with a Rockwell indenter were performed. A sliding wear test was performed using the ball-on-disc method. Statistical PCA and correlation analyses were performed. Results: The results of scratch hardness measurements using a contact profilometer correlated with the Shore hardness to a greater extent than measurements made using an optical microscope. PCA showed that Shore hardness explains 45% of the total variance in all the results across the materials. Conclusions: The scratch hardness method allows for a more explicit ranking of orthodontic polymeric materials when measurements are made with a profilometer. The ranking of sliding wear resistance should be made separately.
In the analysis of the readiness of means of transport, the Markov and semi-Markov processes are particularly applicable, allowing for the description of the usage process over long periods of time, determination of indicators of the exploitability and readiness of the used set of objects, as well as simulation of long-term forecasts of the usage process results. The studies presented in the literature usually concern the theoretical side of the matter, mainly the construction of formal models of the process of changing the operating states of a vehicle. Less attention is paid to the empirical side, especially with regard to the actual conditions of use. Examples of experimental observations presented in the literature most often concern individual cases. This paper lists selected irregularities and presents an example of a study of a real transport system based on semi-Markov processes.
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