Abstract: A device and a method for operating multiple centrifugal pumps are disclosed. The device can include a communication interface for receiving as at least one input information, an instantaneous pressure drop and an instantaneous flow rate per pump or speed of the centrifugal pumps, and for transmitting output information to the centrifugal pumps, where the output information reflects a reference value for the number of centrifugal pumps to be operated in parallel. The device can contain a data storage unit and a processing unit, which determine from input information and additional information an instantaneous efficiency, a first expected efficiency under the assumption that the actual number is reduced by one, and a second expected efficiency under the assumption that the actual number is increased by one, and which can generate the reference value depending on which of the instantaneous or first expected or second expected efficiencies has a highest value.

Abstract: A device and a method for operating multiple centrifugal pumps are disclosed. The device can include a communication interface for receiving as at least one input information, an instantaneous pressure drop and an instantaneous flow rate per pump or speed of the centrifugal pumps, and for transmitting output information to the centrifugal pumps, where the output information reflects a reference value for the number of centrifugal pumps to be operated in parallel. The device can contain a data storage unit and a processing unit, which determine from input information and additional information an instantaneous efficiency, a first expected efficiency under the assumption that the actual number is reduced by one, and a second expected efficiency under the assumption that the actual number is increased by one, and which can generate the reference value depending on which of the instantaneous or first expected or second expected efficiencies has a highest value.

Abstract: A process for producing formed parts made of an aluminum alloy, including the steps of exposing the aluminum alloy to high shearing forces in a mixing and kneading machine, feeding the liquid aluminum alloy to the working space at one end of the housing and, at the other end of the housing, removing from the working space the liquid aluminum alloy now formed as a partially solid aluminum alloy with a predefined solids content, and processing the partially solid aluminum alloy with the predefined solids content into formed parts, wherein the solids content of the aluminum alloy in the working space is set to the predefined solids content by cooling and heating the working space in a targeted manner. The mixing and kneading machine includes a housing with a working space, a worm shaft including kneading blades and axial passage openings, and kneading projections.

Abstract: An assembly for sealing a shaft, which shaft is arranged in a container filled with a liquid melt consisting of aluminum or an aluminum alloy, passes through an opening in a wall of the container, and rotates about a shaft axis and/or moves back and forth in the direction of the shaft axis, including at least one annular sealing element that encompasses the shaft. The at least one annular sealing element is made of carbon, a ceramic material, or a metal material and is arranged outside of the container, and the shaft is provided with a coating made of carbon, a ceramic material, or a metal material in the encompassing area of the at least one annular sealing element, wherein the wear resistance of the coating on the shaft is the same as or higher than the wear resistance of the at least one annular sealing element.

Abstract: A cold-hardening aluminum casting alloy with good thermal stability for the production of thermally and mechanically stressed cast components, wherein the alloy includes from 11.0 to 12.0 wt % silicon from 0.7 to 2.0 wt % magnesium from 0.1 to 1 wt % manganese less than or equal to 1 wt % iron less than or equal to 2 wt % copper less than or equal to 2 wt % nickel less than or equal to 1 wt % chromium less than or equal to 1 wt % cobalt less than or equal to 2 wt % zinc less than or equal to 0.25 wt % titanium 40 ppm boron optionally from 80 to 300 ppm strontium and aluminium as the remainder with further elements and impurities due to production individually at most 0.05 wt %, in total at most 0.2 wt %. The alloy is suitable in particular for the production of cylinder crank cases by the die-casting method.

Abstract: In a process for producing die-cast parts made of an aluminum alloy, the aluminum alloy is exposed to high shearing forces in a mixing and kneading machine, is removed as partially solid aluminum alloy with a predefined solids content, is transferred into a filling chamber of a die-casting machine and is introduced into a casting mold using a piston, wherein a solids content of the aluminum alloy in a working space of the mixing and kneading machine is set to a predefined solids content by cooling and heating the working space in a targeted manner.

Abstract: A cold-hardening aluminium casting alloy with good thermal stability for the production of thermally and mechanically stressed cast components, wherein the alloy includes from 11.0 to 12.0 wt % silicon from 0.7 to 2.0 wt % magnesium from 0.1 to 1 wt % manganese less than or equal to 1 wt % iron less than or equal to 2 wt % copper less than or equal to 2 wt % nickel less than or equal to 1 wt % chromium less than or equal to 1 wt % cobalt less than or equal to 2 wt % zinc less than or equal to 0.25 wt % titanium 40 ppm boron optionally from 80 to 300 ppm strontium and aluminium as the remainder with further elements and impurities due to production individually at most 0.05 wt %, in total at most 0.2 wt %. The alloy is suitable in particular for the production of cylinder crank cases by the die-casting method.

Abstract: In an aluminium alloy of type AlMgSi with good creep strength at elevated temperatures for the production of castings subject to high thermal and mechanical stresses the contents of the alloying elements magnesium and silicon in % w/w in a Cartesian coordinate system are limited by a polygon A with the coordinates [Mg; Si] [8.5; 2.7] [8.5; 4.7] [6.3; 2.7] [6.3; 3.4] and that the alloy also contains 0.1 to 1% w/w manganese max. 1% w/w iron max. 3% w/w copper max. 2% w/w nickel max. 0.5% w/w chromium max. 0.6% w/w cobalt max. 0.2% w/w zinc max. 0.2% w/w titanium max. 0.5% w/w zirconium max. 0.008% w/w beryllium max. 0.5% w/w vanadium as well as aluminium remainder rest with further elements and manufacturing-related impurities of individually max. 0.05% w/w and max. 0.2% w/w in total. The alloy is suitable in particular for the production of cylinder crankcases by the pressure die casting method.

Abstract: The novel method and device provide for process control—closed-loop control or open-loop control—for a thermal system with an obstruction-curved and/or thick-walled component through which a medium flows. The wall temperatures of the component are detected, the heat flux density of the heat flux from the medium into the wall of the component is determined, the respective heat transmission coefficient is determined, using the wall temperatures. The heat flux density, and the heat transmission coefficient thus determined are used to influence the medium properties, with the heat stresses in the component being taken into account.

Abstract: A casting with good heat resistance comprises an alloy with 2 to 4 w. % magnesium 0.9 to 1.5 w. % silicon 0.1 to 0.4 w. % manganese 0.1 to 0.4 w. % chromium max. 0.2 w. % iron max. 0.1 w. % copper max. 0.2 w. % zinc max. 0.2 w. % titanium max. 0.3 w. % zirconium max. 0.008 w. % beryllium max. 0.5 w. % vanadium with aluminium as the remainder, with further elements and production-induced contaminants individually max. 0.02 w. %, total max. 0.2 w. %.

Abstract: An open-loop and closed-loop control method is described for starting up or shutting down a process component of a technical process. At least one manipulated variable that is fed to the process is formed by a control device and an upstream model-assisted pilot control. The pilot control contains an optimizer and a process model. The optimizer is fed at least one command variable for the technical process. At least one optimized model manipulated variable which the optimizer outputs is fed to a process model of the pilot control and, is added to at least one output variable of the control device to form the manipulated variable. A model output variable of the process model is fed to the control device as a set-point and fed back to the optimizer along with variables which cannot be measured in the technical process. A device for implementing the method is also described.

Abstract: A method for power optimization in a vehicle/train, using time reserves which are included when planning a schedule, is proposed. In order to achieve a power-saving travel mode with the aid of an optimization algorithm, the presence of a number of completely or partially autonomous drive systems is taken into account, the separate functions of efficiency or power loss of each drive system being taken into consideration.

Abstract: The novel method and device provide for process control—closed-loop control or open-loop control—for a thermal system with an obstruction-curved and/or thick-walled component through which a medium flows. The wall temperatures of the component are detected, the heat flux density of the heat flux from the medium into the wall of the component is determined, the respective heat transmission coefficient is determined, using the wall temperatures. The heat flux density, and the heat transmission coefficient thus determined are used to influence the medium properties, with the heat stresses in the component being taken into account.

Abstract: A method for power optimization in a vehicle/train is proposed, using time reserves which are included when planning a schedule, an overall route to be traveled between a starting stop and a destination stop being subdivided into a number of steps. In order to achieve a power-saving travel mode, with the aid of an optimization algorithm, the kinetic energy of the vehicle and the time are used as state variables in a vehicle model. The changes in the state variables are considered with respect to the distance in each step.

Abstract: A method is proposed for power optimization in a vehicle/train, using time reserves which are included when a schedule is planned, an overall route to be covered between a starting stop and a destination stop being subdivided into a number of sections and each section being assigned a specific time reserve. In order to achieve a power-saving travel mode with the aid of an optimization algorithm, in each case only a limited route area, comprising a predefined number of sections, is taken into consideration for the optimization. The results of the optimization are implemented only for the first section of the route area. The optimization calculation is repeated cyclically during the journey of the vehicle/train, the route area being considered being moved together with the vehicle.

Abstract: A semiautomatic control system or control method ensures a driving method which is as energy-saving as possible. In the system, there is both a) manual inputting of control data, for example a definition of a vehicle speed specified value, by the driver of the vehicle and b) automatic determination of the most energy-saving vehicle speed as a function of predefined peripheral conditions, for example a general travel schedule, the topology of a route, vehicle-specific peripheral conditions and the like. An inference system determines which of these two values is smaller, and the smaller value is used to make possible safe and at the same time energy-saving travel (or journey). A safety check of the manual travel speed input value and of the automatically determined travel speed specified value can also be performed to reliably prevent a maximum permissible travel speed value from being exceeded.

Abstract: An open-loop and closed-loop control method is described for starting up or shutting down a process component of a technical process. At least one manipulated variable that is fed to the process is formed by a control device and an upstream model-assisted pilot control. The pilot control contains an optimizer and a process model. The optimizer is fed at least one command variable for the technical process. At least one optimized model manipulated variable which the optimizer outputs is fed to a process model of the pilot control and, is added to at least one output variable of the control device to form the manipulated variable. A model output variable of the process model is fed to the control device as a set-point and fed back to the optimizer along with variables which cannot be measured in the technical process. A device for implementing the method is also described.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a semiautomatic control system or control method for ensuring a driving method which is as energy-saving as possible. In this system, there is both manual inputting of control data, for example a definition of a vehicle speed specified value, by the driver of the vehicle and automatic determination of the most energy-saving vehicle speed as a function of predefined peripheral conditions, for example a general travel schedule, the topology of a route, vehicle-specific peripheral conditions and the like. An inference system is used to determine which of these two values is smaller, and is therefore used to make possible safe and at the same time energy-saving travel (or journey). Additionally, a safety check of the manual travel speed input value and of the automatically determined travel speed specified value can also be carried out in order to reliably prevent a maximum permissible travel speed value from being exceeded.

Abstract: In the removal of the overburden prior to surface mining of minerals in an elongated pit, one or more first excavating machines remove the overburden along one elongated part of the pit and direct the removed material via a cross-pit transporter across the pit where it is deposited outwardly from and along the opposite side, called the dump side. At least one other excavating machine travels along the remaining elongated part of the pit at a level not higher than the level of the cross-pit transporter and removes the overburden to the same dump side of the pit. The excavating machines moving along the elongated part of the pit operate independently of one another. When the cross-pit transporter and the second excavating machine operating in the remaining elongated part of the pit on the same level, meet while moving in opposite directions, the second excavating machine moves across the pit out of the path of the cross-pit transporter and the transporter is moved past the second excavating machine.

Abstract: Cross-pit conveyor for strip-mining operations and cooperating with one or more excavating machines includes a pair of struts and a base strut, all arranged and interconnected in a configuration constituting a horizontally oriented isosceles triangle, the struts of the pair constituting the legs and defining the principal corner of the triangle as well as a line of symmetry of the triangle; undercarriages are disposed in the corners of the triangle for movably but separately supporting the struts; a first pair of upwardly converging towers is pivotably linked to the base and the corners and a second pair of upwardly converging towers extends from the base corners in an inclined fashion: a vertical support tower extends generally upwardly from the principal corner and has its upper end connected to the ends of the second pair of converging towers; tensioning cables interconnect the towers at their respective upper ends; a boom is tensioned by cable and pivotably linked to the base strut and extends in a direct