Leszek Opyrchał - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Leszek Opyrchał

Przegląd Wschodnioeuropejski, Dec 23, 2023

The article discusses two undated, handwritten plans for the Kamieniec Podolski fortress in 1672.... more The article discusses two undated, handwritten plans for the Kamieniec Podolski fortress in 1672. The first plan (Paris) has descriptions in French and Turkish and shows the location of individual Ottoman units during the siege of Kamieniec Podolski in 1672. The second plan (Bologna) is very similar to the Paris plan. It was provided with a legend made later in Italian, but its contents do not indicate the date of its creation. A comparison of the view of the fortifications (the Black Tower and the Turkish Bridge) with other plans shows that the Bologna plan is an unfinished copy of the Paris plan and was made between the years 1672-1685, most likely after the fortress was conquered by the Ottoman army in 1672. This is evidenced by the minarets located in the city.

Kwartalnik Historii Nauki i Techniki, Dec 18, 2023

Journal of Hydraulic Engineering, Jul 1, 2003

Based on probabilistic assessment of the consistency of piezometer water level increments and dec... more Based on probabilistic assessment of the consistency of piezometer water level increments and decrements, a piezometer membership function of a fuzzy set is introduced. By investigating the membership of the Tresna water reservoir piezometers in a fuzzy set, the watertightness of the seepage curtain was assessed, and, following the maximum degree of membership from headwater to tailwater, a seepage path through the left abutment of the Dobczyce dam was determined.

Archives of Hydro-engineering and Environmental Mechanics, 2003

Kwartalnik Architektury i Urbanistyki, 2015

The article discusses the little-known manuscript plans of Kamianets-Podilskyi. They were made by... more The article discusses the little-known manuscript plans of Kamianets-Podilskyi. They were made by Carsten Niebuhr while he was returning from his trip to the Arab world. The plans are very detailed. Marked on them are: the castle, fortifications, several churches and the town hall.

Archives of civil engineering, 2007

Archives of civil engineering, 2000

Kwartalnik Architektury i Urbanistyki, 2016

Research Square (Research Square), Apr 17, 2023

Dams are among the largest structures constructed by human. Their disasters result in numerous ca... more Dams are among the largest structures constructed by human. Their disasters result in numerous casualties and large material losses. The statistical analysis of the reasons for dam disasters was carried out by the International Commission on Large Dams. The hazard function h(t) and next, the reliability function R(t) were calculated based on that data, using the fitting of the power function in the infant mortality period and a constant function in the operation period. The knowledge of the reliability function allowed for calculating the mean time to failure which was 112957 ± 12443 years. It was also demonstrated that in the operation period the annual dam failure ratio is 8.719×10-6 ± 0.297×10-6. It is a value that is proximate to the recommendations of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers which suggests the tolerance for the annual dam disaster risk not to exceed 10-6 for newly-constructed dams and 10-4 for already existing ones.

Archives of Civil Engineering, 2007

The finite element method is now the prevailing method for calculating earthen slope stability. H... more The finite element method is now the prevailing method for calculating earthen slope stability. Hovever, the natural variability of soil parameters c and f in matherial zones adopted for calculations is not usally taken into account. If slighty different values of these parameters are assigned to each element then the stability factor F decreases. Also, the slip curve loses its circular shape assumed in mostly used layer methods.

Historia i Świat

Two maps documenting the capture of Khotyn, which took place during the Russian-Turkish war fough... more Two maps documenting the capture of Khotyn, which took place during the Russian-Turkish war fought in 1787-1792, have been preserved in Polish archival collections. One was made by Adam Dłuski, the other is anonymous. A comparison of the details of the two maps and the plan of the Kamianets-Podilskyi fortress made by Jan Bakałowicz shows that the author of the anonymous map was the commanding officer of the Kamianets-Podilskyi fortress – Józef de Witte. Due to the fact that his wife, Zofia, maintained too close relationships with General Saltykov, who commanded the Russian army, he was accused of treason. Probably in order to regain the favor of the Polish King Stanisław August Poniatowski, Józef de Witte made a map of the siege of Khotyn.

Kwartalnik Historii Nauki i Techniki, Mar 24, 2023

Kamieniec Podolski was the most important fortress of the Polish Republic, defending its southeas... more Kamieniec Podolski was the most important fortress of the Polish Republic, defending its southeastern border. Unfortunately, there were no barracks for soldiers in the fortress. Therefore, in the 1780s, their construction began. The project of Jan de Witte, an experienced and distinguished fortifi er of the Kamieniec fortress, was rejected, and a new project was commissioned to a young but talented designer, Stanisław Zawadzki (1743–1806). He designed a fi ve-wing building on a square plan, with a central wing that divided the interior into two courtyards. The building was fi rst approved by the Polish king, Stanisław August Poniatowski, and only then they began to look for a site where it could be built. Unfortunately, it was not possible to fi nd a suitable site, which was the reason for changing the location of the barracks several times. The construction of the barracks was entrusted to Hilary Szpilowski (1753–1827), who found many errors in the project. Zawadzki’s rare visits made necessary consultations impossible and forced Szpilowski to take independent decisions regarding changes in the building design. The Committee of the Military Department of the Perpetual Council rejected all of Szpilowski’s allegations. In this article, a detailed analysis of the solutions introduced at that time was carried out based on the preserved site maps and design drawings. It was shown that the project contained serious errors, especially the mismatch with the existing terrain, which generated a gigantic scope of earthworks, a lack of water supply and sewage disposal, and the lack of a tie beam reinforcing the building. Therefore, contrary to the opinion of the Committee of the Military Department of the Perpetual Council, the entire blame for the poorly designed barracks building and the resulting problems during construction should be placed on Stanisław Zawadzki, not Hilary Szpilowski.

Studia Geohistorica

W artykule szczegółowo omówiono plan twierdzy Kamieniec Podolski Józefa Ekerta z 1793 r., znajduj... more W artykule szczegółowo omówiono plan twierdzy Kamieniec Podolski Józefa Ekerta z 1793 r., znajdujący się w Rosyjskim Państwowym Wojennym Archiwum Historycznym w Moskwie. W celu ustalenia daty jego powstania porównano go z planami Jana Schüllera z 1773 r. oraz Dementija Mieleszczenkowa 1797 r. Wykazano, że choć plany Ekerta i Schüllera zostały wykonane na kanwie „Dużego Panu Kamieńca Podolskiego” z jedynie niewielkimi zmianami w strukturach obronnych twierdzy, to plan Ekerta przedstawia nieco wcześniejszą wersję umocnień. Plan ten umożliwia ustalenie pierwotnej, niezrealizowanej koncepcji położenia koszar kamienieckich Stanisława Zawadzkiego.

Dams and Reservoirs

Infrared thermography measurements are more and more frequently performed in order to diagnose th... more Infrared thermography measurements are more and more frequently performed in order to diagnose the technical condition of buildings, and they can also be applied to hydraulic structures. The paper demonstrates that thermography may be used for detecting the location of places of increased seepage. The paper also presents examples of thermograms of surface damage of concrete surfaces and leakages through hydraulic structures.

Historia i Świat

The paper discusses a plan of the Kamianets-Podilskyi fortress from the year 1773, which has not ... more The paper discusses a plan of the Kamianets-Podilskyi fortress from the year 1773, which has not been known until now. The performed analyses of the biographical notes of the Reibnitz family, demonstrated that the most probable author is Ferdinand Friedrich Christoph von Reibnitz, a standard-bearer and later captain of the regiment of royal infantry. The descriptions in the plan and the legend were made in German. The shape of the city and of the castles is represented in a very deformed way, however, the plan includes many details of the city surroundings, such as the locations of windmills or of the Evangelical and Jewish cemeteries. The errors in the representation of both castles, the new one and the old one, suggest that the discussed plan is a copy of the plan kept in Berlin, at the Prussian Privy State Archives.

History Research

From the 15th to the 18th century Kamieniec Podolski was one of the most important fortresses, no... more From the 15th to the 18th century Kamieniec Podolski was one of the most important fortresses, not only of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth (it constituted a key location for the defense of its southern border) but also of entire Central Europe. The fortress repelled the invaders' attacks many times. Its international fame increased in the period of fights between the Holy League, and the Ottoman Empire. Holy League was composed of the Holy Roman Empire, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, Venice and Russia after the battle of Vienna in 1863 r. This is confirmed by the printed publishing of twenty-four different plans of this fortress and twelve different figures in the second half of the 17th century and in the first half of the 18th century. The collection of manuscript plans is equally extensive. Until 1793, i.e. until the fortress was taken over by the Russian Empire, at least 46 of them were created. The majority of the preserved cartographic monuments come from the 18th century and are kept not only in Polish libraries and archives, but also in Moscow,

The article discusses a new mathematical method for comparing the consistency of two particle siz... more The article discusses a new mathematical method for comparing the consistency of two particle size distribution curves. The proposed method was based on the concept of the distance between two graining curves. In order to investigate whether the distances between the particle size distribution curves are statistically significant, it was proposed to use the statistical test modulus-chi. As an example, the compliance of three sieve curves taken from the earth dam in Pieczyska on the Brda River in Poland was examined. In this way, it was established from which point of the dam the soil was washed away. However, it should be remembered that the size of the soil grains built into the dam does not have to be identical to the grain size of the washed out soil, because the fine fractions will be washed away first, while the larger ones may remain in the body of the earth structure.

The file contains data of dam failures from the publication: ICOLD-CIGB (1995) Dam Failures. Stat... more The file contains data of dam failures from the publication: ICOLD-CIGB (1995) Dam Failures. Statistiacal analysis, Bulletin no. 99; Polish edition: IMGW (2000) Katastrofy zapór, analiza statystyczna, and also calculations of mean time to failure and reliability function of dams.

Przegląd Wschodnioeuropejski, Dec 23, 2023

The article discusses two undated, handwritten plans for the Kamieniec Podolski fortress in 1672.... more The article discusses two undated, handwritten plans for the Kamieniec Podolski fortress in 1672. The first plan (Paris) has descriptions in French and Turkish and shows the location of individual Ottoman units during the siege of Kamieniec Podolski in 1672. The second plan (Bologna) is very similar to the Paris plan. It was provided with a legend made later in Italian, but its contents do not indicate the date of its creation. A comparison of the view of the fortifications (the Black Tower and the Turkish Bridge) with other plans shows that the Bologna plan is an unfinished copy of the Paris plan and was made between the years 1672-1685, most likely after the fortress was conquered by the Ottoman army in 1672. This is evidenced by the minarets located in the city.

Kwartalnik Historii Nauki i Techniki, Dec 18, 2023

Journal of Hydraulic Engineering, Jul 1, 2003

Based on probabilistic assessment of the consistency of piezometer water level increments and dec... more Based on probabilistic assessment of the consistency of piezometer water level increments and decrements, a piezometer membership function of a fuzzy set is introduced. By investigating the membership of the Tresna water reservoir piezometers in a fuzzy set, the watertightness of the seepage curtain was assessed, and, following the maximum degree of membership from headwater to tailwater, a seepage path through the left abutment of the Dobczyce dam was determined.

Archives of Hydro-engineering and Environmental Mechanics, 2003

Kwartalnik Architektury i Urbanistyki, 2015

The article discusses the little-known manuscript plans of Kamianets-Podilskyi. They were made by... more The article discusses the little-known manuscript plans of Kamianets-Podilskyi. They were made by Carsten Niebuhr while he was returning from his trip to the Arab world. The plans are very detailed. Marked on them are: the castle, fortifications, several churches and the town hall.

Archives of civil engineering, 2007

Archives of civil engineering, 2000

Kwartalnik Architektury i Urbanistyki, 2016

Research Square (Research Square), Apr 17, 2023

Dams are among the largest structures constructed by human. Their disasters result in numerous ca... more Dams are among the largest structures constructed by human. Their disasters result in numerous casualties and large material losses. The statistical analysis of the reasons for dam disasters was carried out by the International Commission on Large Dams. The hazard function h(t) and next, the reliability function R(t) were calculated based on that data, using the fitting of the power function in the infant mortality period and a constant function in the operation period. The knowledge of the reliability function allowed for calculating the mean time to failure which was 112957 ± 12443 years. It was also demonstrated that in the operation period the annual dam failure ratio is 8.719×10-6 ± 0.297×10-6. It is a value that is proximate to the recommendations of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers which suggests the tolerance for the annual dam disaster risk not to exceed 10-6 for newly-constructed dams and 10-4 for already existing ones.

Archives of Civil Engineering, 2007

The finite element method is now the prevailing method for calculating earthen slope stability. H... more The finite element method is now the prevailing method for calculating earthen slope stability. Hovever, the natural variability of soil parameters c and f in matherial zones adopted for calculations is not usally taken into account. If slighty different values of these parameters are assigned to each element then the stability factor F decreases. Also, the slip curve loses its circular shape assumed in mostly used layer methods.

Historia i Świat

Two maps documenting the capture of Khotyn, which took place during the Russian-Turkish war fough... more Two maps documenting the capture of Khotyn, which took place during the Russian-Turkish war fought in 1787-1792, have been preserved in Polish archival collections. One was made by Adam Dłuski, the other is anonymous. A comparison of the details of the two maps and the plan of the Kamianets-Podilskyi fortress made by Jan Bakałowicz shows that the author of the anonymous map was the commanding officer of the Kamianets-Podilskyi fortress – Józef de Witte. Due to the fact that his wife, Zofia, maintained too close relationships with General Saltykov, who commanded the Russian army, he was accused of treason. Probably in order to regain the favor of the Polish King Stanisław August Poniatowski, Józef de Witte made a map of the siege of Khotyn.

Kwartalnik Historii Nauki i Techniki, Mar 24, 2023

Kamieniec Podolski was the most important fortress of the Polish Republic, defending its southeas... more Kamieniec Podolski was the most important fortress of the Polish Republic, defending its southeastern border. Unfortunately, there were no barracks for soldiers in the fortress. Therefore, in the 1780s, their construction began. The project of Jan de Witte, an experienced and distinguished fortifi er of the Kamieniec fortress, was rejected, and a new project was commissioned to a young but talented designer, Stanisław Zawadzki (1743–1806). He designed a fi ve-wing building on a square plan, with a central wing that divided the interior into two courtyards. The building was fi rst approved by the Polish king, Stanisław August Poniatowski, and only then they began to look for a site where it could be built. Unfortunately, it was not possible to fi nd a suitable site, which was the reason for changing the location of the barracks several times. The construction of the barracks was entrusted to Hilary Szpilowski (1753–1827), who found many errors in the project. Zawadzki’s rare visits made necessary consultations impossible and forced Szpilowski to take independent decisions regarding changes in the building design. The Committee of the Military Department of the Perpetual Council rejected all of Szpilowski’s allegations. In this article, a detailed analysis of the solutions introduced at that time was carried out based on the preserved site maps and design drawings. It was shown that the project contained serious errors, especially the mismatch with the existing terrain, which generated a gigantic scope of earthworks, a lack of water supply and sewage disposal, and the lack of a tie beam reinforcing the building. Therefore, contrary to the opinion of the Committee of the Military Department of the Perpetual Council, the entire blame for the poorly designed barracks building and the resulting problems during construction should be placed on Stanisław Zawadzki, not Hilary Szpilowski.

Studia Geohistorica

W artykule szczegółowo omówiono plan twierdzy Kamieniec Podolski Józefa Ekerta z 1793 r., znajduj... more W artykule szczegółowo omówiono plan twierdzy Kamieniec Podolski Józefa Ekerta z 1793 r., znajdujący się w Rosyjskim Państwowym Wojennym Archiwum Historycznym w Moskwie. W celu ustalenia daty jego powstania porównano go z planami Jana Schüllera z 1773 r. oraz Dementija Mieleszczenkowa 1797 r. Wykazano, że choć plany Ekerta i Schüllera zostały wykonane na kanwie „Dużego Panu Kamieńca Podolskiego” z jedynie niewielkimi zmianami w strukturach obronnych twierdzy, to plan Ekerta przedstawia nieco wcześniejszą wersję umocnień. Plan ten umożliwia ustalenie pierwotnej, niezrealizowanej koncepcji położenia koszar kamienieckich Stanisława Zawadzkiego.

Dams and Reservoirs

Infrared thermography measurements are more and more frequently performed in order to diagnose th... more Infrared thermography measurements are more and more frequently performed in order to diagnose the technical condition of buildings, and they can also be applied to hydraulic structures. The paper demonstrates that thermography may be used for detecting the location of places of increased seepage. The paper also presents examples of thermograms of surface damage of concrete surfaces and leakages through hydraulic structures.

Historia i Świat

The paper discusses a plan of the Kamianets-Podilskyi fortress from the year 1773, which has not ... more The paper discusses a plan of the Kamianets-Podilskyi fortress from the year 1773, which has not been known until now. The performed analyses of the biographical notes of the Reibnitz family, demonstrated that the most probable author is Ferdinand Friedrich Christoph von Reibnitz, a standard-bearer and later captain of the regiment of royal infantry. The descriptions in the plan and the legend were made in German. The shape of the city and of the castles is represented in a very deformed way, however, the plan includes many details of the city surroundings, such as the locations of windmills or of the Evangelical and Jewish cemeteries. The errors in the representation of both castles, the new one and the old one, suggest that the discussed plan is a copy of the plan kept in Berlin, at the Prussian Privy State Archives.

History Research

From the 15th to the 18th century Kamieniec Podolski was one of the most important fortresses, no... more From the 15th to the 18th century Kamieniec Podolski was one of the most important fortresses, not only of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth (it constituted a key location for the defense of its southern border) but also of entire Central Europe. The fortress repelled the invaders' attacks many times. Its international fame increased in the period of fights between the Holy League, and the Ottoman Empire. Holy League was composed of the Holy Roman Empire, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, Venice and Russia after the battle of Vienna in 1863 r. This is confirmed by the printed publishing of twenty-four different plans of this fortress and twelve different figures in the second half of the 17th century and in the first half of the 18th century. The collection of manuscript plans is equally extensive. Until 1793, i.e. until the fortress was taken over by the Russian Empire, at least 46 of them were created. The majority of the preserved cartographic monuments come from the 18th century and are kept not only in Polish libraries and archives, but also in Moscow,

The article discusses a new mathematical method for comparing the consistency of two particle siz... more The article discusses a new mathematical method for comparing the consistency of two particle size distribution curves. The proposed method was based on the concept of the distance between two graining curves. In order to investigate whether the distances between the particle size distribution curves are statistically significant, it was proposed to use the statistical test modulus-chi. As an example, the compliance of three sieve curves taken from the earth dam in Pieczyska on the Brda River in Poland was examined. In this way, it was established from which point of the dam the soil was washed away. However, it should be remembered that the size of the soil grains built into the dam does not have to be identical to the grain size of the washed out soil, because the fine fractions will be washed away first, while the larger ones may remain in the body of the earth structure.

The file contains data of dam failures from the publication: ICOLD-CIGB (1995) Dam Failures. Stat... more The file contains data of dam failures from the publication: ICOLD-CIGB (1995) Dam Failures. Statistiacal analysis, Bulletin no. 99; Polish edition: IMGW (2000) Katastrofy zapór, analiza statystyczna, and also calculations of mean time to failure and reliability function of dams.