Kazimieras Ragulskis

Kazimieras Ragulskis (5 October 1926 in Klovainiai, Pakruojis district) is a Lithuanian scientist and engineer. He created the scientific school of precise vibromechanics and vibroengineering. He is Dr. (1954), Habil. Dr. (1963), Professor Emeritus, corresponding member of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR (later of the Russian Academy of Sciences) (1987), member of the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences (1987), Honored Inventor of the USSR (1987).

Ragulskis was in the family of Mykolas Ragulskis and Liucija Kazlauskaitė-Ragulskienė. He attended the Primary School of Klovainiai (1934–1938), Primary School of Pakruojis (1938–1940), Gymnasium of Linkuva (1940–1946), Kaunas Polytechnical Institute (1946–1951), and post graduate studies in the Academy of Sciences of the USSR (1952–1954). In 1954–1963 he worked at the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences. From 1963 he worked at the Kaunas Polytechnical Institute where he created Scientific Center Vibrotechnika and was its scientific supervisor.

He created some new and developed known non-linear effects and qualities. For this purpose he created methods for investigation of essentially non-linear dynamical systems. He created methods based on non-linear phenomena which enable to transform vibrations, waves and energy into continuous motions or motions of desirable type that are one-dimensional or multi-dimensional. He created new methods and means for experimental investigations, basis for creation of systems the operation of which is based on new principles. The created systems ensure high precision of positioning of bodies in space, of performing complicated trajectories and laws of motions and of ensuring the prescribed stable shapes of systems.

Ragulskis with scientists supervised by him and working with him created basis of theory of separate types of mechanical systems, created inventions and patents, innovations and their practical implementations. Original precise devices, manipulators and robots have been created, which found application in various branches of industry and science.

K. Ragulskis created new scientific domain, the so-called precise vibromechanics and vibroengineering. He created new and developed known effects and qualities of nonlinear dynamical systems, formulated scientific backgrounds of separate directions of this domain, created principles for the creation of new systems, which together with scientists supervised by him developed up to the applied scientific results for engineering practice. The obtained results are important for contemporary and future science and engineering.

The created scientific domain of precise vibromechanics and vibroengineering is not of functional character, because it is applicable in all areas (industry, aerospace technology, medicine, biology, art). In this scientific domain the scientific directions of stabilization, robotisation, control were created, which are based on vibrations, waves and nonlinear effects and qualities of dynamical systems.

Theoretical and experimental scientific evolutionary work and making of inventions were performed accompanied by pleasant minirevolutions, which arose because of discovered and created new facts.

Principles of effects:

• the effect of combined dynamical synchronization and original methods and means of implementation were created;
• or the effect of dynamical directivity of definite types of systems was created. Here because of vibrations the laws of motions of self organizing systems are created, as well as trajectories or unstable and stable dynamical structures of systems. On this basis new technologies were created. For example, when liquid polymers in the process of transition to a rigid status are excited by vibrations the dipoles are oriented, which enable the electrical resistance of the polymer in different directions to be made of values differing even by one thousand times.

Principles of change of motions:

• several new principles were created, which are based on vibrations and waves of bodies by using nonlinear effects in order to make the bodies move according to the desired laws and trajectories or to perform positioning in space with high precision. On the basis of those principles a great number of vibrational drives and vibrational devices were created;
• dynamical systems without kinematic connections were created, which change rotational and step motions one into another;
• for implementation of very small displacements the vibrational capillary method was created;
• also for performing of small displacements the systems based on definite designed shapes of deformations of rigid bodies were created.

Principles of stabilization:

• for the stabilisation of moving systems principles based on micro vibrations of high frequency and travelling waves were created;
• methods and means of protection from vibrations with self-regulation according to the force fields were created;
• for the change of static centering of rotor systems effective vibrational dynamic centering methods and means were created;
• the identification and stabilisation of rigid bodies rotating about any axis is ensured by the created method, based on investigation of their dynamics about three orthogonal axes;
• automatic dynamic isolation of vibrating systems with several degrees of freedom was implemented, which protects the environment from vibrations;
• active protection of human hearing organs from external noises was implemented;
• methods and means to receive external signals by technical devices instead of eyes, ears and to transfer them to the brain through vibrations of human skin were created.

Principles of change of energy:

• methods and means to transform mechanical energy of rigid bodies or flows into electrical by auto vibrations or auto waves were created;
• ecological motors and vibrational devices, based on energy accumulated by constant magnets were created;
• thermal motors, based on materials with so called memory were created;
• effective dynamical transformation of mechanical energy between rotational and step motions was implemented;
• systems for high speed focusing of optical energy in space were created.

Principles of control:

• precise methods and means of measurement of vibrations which eliminate disturbances were created;
• methods and means of measurement of displacements and their derivatives based on surface waves were implemented;
• also methods of measurement of displacements and their derivatives based on photo – stroboscopical process were created;
• optical methods for measurement of displacements in the level of nano scale were created;
• powerful acoustic vibrators with controlled spectrums for testing or diagnostics or destruction of objects and buildings were created.

Those and other facts were revealed as a result of investigations and on their basis methods and means for a number of inventions and innovations were created. They were and are effectively revolutionary used in science and engineering. Operation of some of the created objects seems as wonderful phenomena.

He is the author and co-author of 28 monographs, of 1750 inventions and patents and of hundreds of scientific works. He was Editor in Chief of scientific journal Vibrotechnika (69 issues in the Russian language), of the journal Vibration Engineering and now of the international journals Journal of Vibroengineering and Journal of Measurements in Engineering. He was editor-in-chief of the series of books Library of Vibration Engineering (published in the USSR and the USA) and also of some other publications. He was scientific supervisor or consultant of about 300 defended doctoral and habilitated doctoral dissertations.

• Honored Inventor of the USSR (1987)
• Merited Worker of Science and Engineering of Lithuania (1970)
• Laureate of the USSR Technology – the Driving Motor of Progress (1982)
• Five times Laureate of the Academician Sergey Vavilov Prizes (1970–1986)
• Three State Prizes of Lithuanian SSR (1967, 1976, 1986)
• Council of Ministers Prize (1981)
• K. Semenavičius Prize (1995)
• Gold Medal of the World Exhibition of Inventions, awarded for inventions by the institutions of Lithuania and the USSR
• 3 Diplomas of Honor, 2 Grand Memorial Medals, 7 Gold Medals, a number of Silver and Bronze Medals of the Exhibition of Economic Achievements of the USSR
• Several prizes of the Lithuanian contest of the best invention of the year Eureka
• Gold and Platinum Medal of the Russian National Academy of Applied Sciences (2006, 2011)
• Diploma of Honor and Medal of the Government of the Republic of Udmurtia (2006)
• Santaka Medal of Kaunas city
• Doctor of Honor of Vilnius Gediminas Technical University (2002) and of Khmelnytskyi National University (2006)