International Scientific Journals
of Scientific Technical Union of Mechanical Engineering "Industry 4.0"

An innovative collapsible frame hive was developed, consisting of structural elements made of technical ceramics containing thermal insulation air chambers. Experimental prototypes were prepared using the slip casting method and based on modified recipe compositions, prepared casting molding masses, original gypsum matrices and optimal heat treatment mode. A comparison was performed between the main operational characteristics of the experimental samples and the traditional non-separable hives which have existed throughout history and made primarily of various plant materials and natural plastic raw materials (clays).

A financial project was presented for the construction of a technological line for the production of high-quality replicas of the socalled “yellow paving stones” and an additional assortment of products with different characteristics based on raw materials originating in Bulgaria. After many years of investigation in laboratory and semi-industrial conditions, polycomponent formulations and an original hightemperature technological regime for the preparation of functional and long-lasting silicate products have been developed. The planned technological approach is in accordance with the existing machine park and the qualification of the industrial production personnel, characteristic of the silicate industry. The main possibilities for the realization of the production are the full restoration of the street areas of the central historical part of Sofia and the construction of long-lasting and aesthetic pavements with a variety of functional purposes in different areas of the capital and other populated areas. The current applied development is oriented towards possible potential producers and investors and various specialists from the field of public infrastructure and cultural-historical heritage.

The use of clay as a structural material has been known for centuries. The authors set the task of studying the applicability of clay as a constructive material in the production of beehives. The study aims to make a comparative analysis of temperature conditions in different types and identical in construction beehives by comparing the indicator for ceramic and wooden hives. For the purpose were used three 10-frame hives type “Dadan-Blat” – two ceramic (one made entirely of marl clay, and the other – with increased kaolin content, both ceramic tiles are with high cavity) and one wooden (pine). Measurements of the air temperature and the temperature inside the hives were made for one month. From the obtained results it is established that for the studied beehives, the ceramic hive with high kaolin content has the best thermal insulation properties.

Subject of the present paper is the measurement of temperature changes in the ceramic cavity walls of Dadant Blatt beehives. Using a FLIR P640 infrared camera and two different heat sources, 80 thermogramsof ceramic cavity walls were obtained. The infrared images of the studied objects are divided into rectangular zones. The results of the study are presentedtabularly and graphically.

The article presents a study of the sound and thermal insulation properties of ceramic plates with cavities, designed for beehives. The plates are obtained by the “casting” method from a water-dispersed colloidal system based on a patent-protected quartz glass-ceramic. They are composed of amorphous SiO2, mullite and cristobalite. To measure the thermal conductivity, a thermal chamber is constructed with a heater installed in it. Given that the heat flow passing through the three-layer ceramic plate for beehives is constant, the temperature difference between the two opposite sides of the plate at steady state (at constant heat flow) is measured and the thermal conductivity is calculated. A two-chamber method is used to determine the sound insulation capacity of the ceramic plates for beehives. The sound pressure of the sound waves – the incident one and of the wave which has passed through the sample –is measured in the frequency range from 100 to 3150 Hz

Agricultural labor is physically demanding, tedious and often carried out in unfavorable conditions, making it suitable for robotization. Due to climate change and the swift increase of the human populace on Earth, the hunger is becoming increasingly an issue (currently, around 2 billion people suffer from malnourishment). With the aim of maximal efficiency of the production of plant food, an accelerated introduction of robotics in the field of agriculture is required (Agriculture 4.0).