A model for measuring the international competitiveness of furniture industry in the European Union countries

PURPOSE: The main aim of the research was to assess the international competitiveness of the furniture industry in the EU Member States. The article deals with the interpretation and methods of measuring competitiveness at this level of economic analysis.DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: The study used the measurement model of the international competitiveness of an industry - the proposed methodology allowed for a broad assessment of competitive potential and competitive position. A set of competitiveness indicators and a multidimensional statistical analysis were presented.FINDINGS: The international competitiveness of the EU furniture industry is diversified. The furniture industries in Poland, Italy, and Germany had the most significant competitive advantage by far. These countries have exceptionally high production potential and big export share.PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: The research can inform furniture manufacturers about the factors that contribute to increase competitiveness. Some strengths and areas for improvement in the operation of the furniture industry from various countries were identified. These may be relevant for building a lasting competitive advantage in the international market.ORIGINALITY/VALUE: Competitiveness is a category that is relatively rarely studied at the sector level. The present study performs a broad assessment of the furniture industry’s competitiveness, considering both the factor and the result dimensions. The empirical research presented herein has both theoretical and practical value. The employed methodology is universal and can be used to assess various industries and sectors of the economy.peer-reviewe

Nanocrystallization studies of rapidly quenched Fe85.4-xCoxZr6.8-yNbyB6.8Cu1 (x=0 or 42.7, y=0 or 1) alloys

The microstructure of amorphous and nanocrystalline Fe42.7Co42.7Zr6.8−xNbxB6.8Cu1 (x = 0 or 1) alloys was investigated. We have stated that the nanocrystalline samples consist of the crystalline α-FeCo grains about 8 nm in diameter embedded in an amorphous matrix which is rich in cobalt. From Mössbauer spectroscopy studies we have found that the crystalline α-FeCo phase in the nanocrystalline samples obtained by the conventional annealing is atomically ordered. Moreover, the order degree depends on the annealing time. As for the samples partially crystallized during rapid quenching, the crystalline α-FeCo phase is atomically disordered

Induction elements and transformers water cooled

W artykule omówiono wybrane zagadnienia konstrukcyjne i technologiczne stosowane w produkcji elementów indukcyjnych i transformatorów z chłodzeniem wodnym. Przedstawiono wyniki symulacji wpływu rodzaju materiału magnetycznego rdzenia na wymiary dławika filtru sinusoidalnego typu SinECOTM pracującego przy częstotliwości sieciowej oraz dla transformatora mocy typu 1TTFW pracującego przy częstotliwości 10kHz. Przedstawiono również konstrukcję dławika z odczepami typu 1RTFW przeznaczonego do pracy z częstotliwością 25kHz. Parametry obliczeniowe wyznaczono wykorzystując oprogramowanie projektowe firmy RALE Engineering GmbH.In this article selected issues related to the construction and technology of the water cooling transformers and induction elements were discussed. The impact of the magnetic core material type on the size of the SinECOTM type choke working with 50Hz frequency and 1TTFW type power transformer working with 10kHz frequency was simulated. Moreover, the construction of the 1RTFW type choke working with 25 kHz frequency was introduced. The parameters were simulated using design software by RALE Engineering GmbH

Microstructure, Magnetic Properties, and Application of FINEMET-Type Alloys with Co Addition

The choice of materials for cores of electrotechnical devices is currently related to energy saving and global warming problems. Nanocrystalline alloys are emerging as materials for cores in these devices in addition to amorphous materials already commonly used due to their better magnetic properties at high operating frequencies. The thermal stability of the magnetic properties of cores is also an important criterion. Keeping these criteria in mind, a study of microstructure and magnetic properties was carried out in this work, and FeCoNbBCu-type material was selected for use as the core of a choke operating in a DC/DC converter in interleaved topology. On the basis of the conducted studies, it was found that good magnetic properties and the best thermal stability were shown by Fe58Co25Nb3B13Cu1 alloy. Using RALE software, the technical parameters of the choke core were determined and compared with the same parameters for a choke core made of FINEMET-type alloy

Hyperfine interactions and some thermomagnetic properties of amorphous FeZr(Cr)NbBCu alloys

In this research, we studied the magnetic phase transition by Mössbauer spectroscopy and using vibrating sample magnetometer for amorphous Fe86-xZr7CrxNb2Cu1B4 (x = 0 or 6) alloys in the as-quenched state and after accumulative annealing in the temperature range 600-750 K. The Mössbauer investigations were carried out at room and nitrogen temperatures. The Mössbauer spectra of the investigated alloys at room temperature are characteristic of amorphous paramagnets and have a form of asymmetric doublets. However, at nitrogen temperature, the alloys behave like ferromagnetic amorphous materials. The two components are distinguished in the spectrum recorded at both room and nitrogen temperatures. The low field component in the distribution of hyperfine field induction shifts towards higher field with the annealing temperature. It is assumed that during annealing at higher temperature, due to diffusion processes, the grains of α-Fe are created in the area corresponding to this component. Both investigated alloys show the invar effect and the decrease of hyperfine field induction after annealing at 600 K for 10 min is observed. It is accompanied by the lowering of Curie temperature

Structure, Magnetocaloric Effect and Critical Behavior of the Fe60Co12Gd4Mo3B21 Amorphous Ribbons

The aim of the paper was to study the structure, magnetic properties and critical behavior of the Fe60Co12Gd4Mo3B21 alloy. The X-ray diffractometry and the Mössbauer spectroscopy studies confirmed amorphous structure. The analysis of temperature evolution of the exponent n (ΔSM = C·(Bmax)n) and the Arrott plots showed the second order phase transition in investigated material. The analysis of critical behavior was carried out in order to reveal the critical exponents and precise TC value. The ascertained critical exponents were used to determine the theoretical value of the exponent n, which corresponded well with experimental results

Optymalizacja konstrukcji transformatorów w aplikacjach elektromobilnych

W artykule omówiono wybrane zagadnienia optymalizacyjne związane z budową transformatorów pracujących w przetwornicach pojazdów elektromobilnych. Porównano wyniki symulacji wpływu materiału magnetycznego rdzenia na straty i wymiary gabarytowe transformatora. Przedstawiono również optymalizację konstrukcji transformatora w celu zwiększenia skuteczności wymuszonego chłodzenia. Parametry symulowano, wykorzystując oprogramowanie projektowe firmy RALE Engineering GmbH.In this article selected optimizing issues related to the construction of the transformers worked in static converters of electro-mobile vehicles were discussed. The simulation of the effect of core magnetic material on the losses and transformer sizes have been compared. Moreover, the increase of effected – cooling due to solution of transformer construction were performed. The parameters were simulated using design software by RALE Engineering Gmb

Effects of Co, Ni, and Cr addition on microstructure and magnetic properties of amorphous and nanocrystalline Fe86−xMxZr7Nb2Cu1B4 (M = Co, Ni, CoCr, and Cr, x = 0 or 6) alloys

Mössbauer spectra and thermomagnetic curves for the Fe86−xMxZr7Nb2Cu1B4 (M = Co, Ni, CoCr, and Cr, x = 0 or 6) alloys in the as-quenched state and after the accumulative annealing in the temperature range 600–800 K for 10 min are investigated. The parent Fe86Zr7Nb2Cu1B4 amorphous alloy is paramagnetic at room temperature, and substitution of 6 at.% of Fe by Co, Ni, and CoCr changes the magnetic structure – the alloys become ferromagnetic, whereas replacing 6 at.% of Fe with Cr preserves the paramagnetic state. After the heat treatment at 600 K, the decrease of the average hyperfine field induction, as compared to the as-quenched state, is observed due to the invar effect. After this annealing, the Curie temperature for all investigated alloys decreases. The accumulative annealing up to 800 K leads to the partial crystallization; α-Fe or α-FeCo grains with diameters in the range of 12–30 nm in the residual amorphous matrix appear