Fused deposition modeling (FDM) is the most versatile additive manufacturing technology owing to the low-cost materials that handle. However, FDM produce very rough parts which limit its use in molds and other industrial applications owing to stair-case effect. To obtain smoother surfaces, a post-processing phase may be introduced. In this research, a non-contact finishing process to FDM parts using hot air was developed. The hot air is directed locally at the stair-case in the surface till melting it which results after cooling to a smoother surface. An experimental setup was constructed to study the effects of different process parameters including air temperature, air flow rate and the moving velocity of air nozzle over parts surface. An improvement in the Roughness Average of a surfaces measured microscopic peaks and valleys (Ra) down to values of sub-micron was recorded from specimens with average surface roughness from7 to 8 μm.

Fused deposition modeling (FDM) is the most versatile additive manufacturing technology owing to the low-cost materials that handle. However, FDM produce very rough parts which limit its use in molds and other industrial applications owing to stair-case effect. To obtain smoother surfaces, a post-processing phase may be introduced. In this research, a non-contact finishing process to FDM parts using hot air was developed. The hot air is directed locally at the stair-case in the surface till melting it which results after cooling to a smoother surface. An experimental setup was constructed to study the effects of different process parameters including air temperature, air flow rate and the moving velocity of air nozzle over parts surface. An improvement in the Roughness Average of a surfaces measured microscopic peaks and valleys (Ra) down to values of sub-micron was recorded from specimens with average surface roughness from7 to 8 μm.

Fused deposition modeling (FDM) is the most versatile additive manufacturing technology owing to the low-cost materials that handle. However, FDM produce very rough parts which limit its use in molds and other industrial applications owing to stair-case effect. To obtain smoother surfaces, a post-processing phase may be introduced. In this research, a non-contact finishing process to FDM parts using hot air was developed. The hot air is directed locally at the stair-case in the surface till melting it which results after cooling to a smoother surface. An experimental setup was constructed to study the effects of different process parameters including air temperature, air flow rate and the moving velocity of air nozzle over parts surface. An improvement in the Roughness Average of a surfaces measured microscopic peaks and valleys (Ra) down to values of sub-micron was recorded from specimens with average surface roughness from7 to 8 μm.

Fused deposition modeling (FDM) is the most versatile additive manufacturing technology owing to the low-cost materials that handle. However, FDM produce very rough parts which limit its use in molds and other industrial applications owing to stair-case effect. To obtain smoother surfaces, a post-processing phase may be introduced. In this research, a non-contact finishing process to FDM parts using hot air was developed. The hot air is directed locally at the stair-case in the surface till melting it which results after cooling to a smoother surface. An experimental setup was constructed to study the effects of different process parameters including air temperature, air flow rate and the moving velocity of air nozzle over parts surface. An improvement in the Roughness Average of a surfaces measured microscopic peaks and valleys (Ra) down to values of sub-micron was recorded from specimens with average surface roughness from7 to 8 μm.

Fused deposition modeling (FDM) is the most versatile additive manufacturing technology owing to the low-cost materials that handle. However, FDM produce very rough parts which limit its use in molds and other industrial applications owing to stair-case effect. To obtain smoother surfaces, a post-processing phase may be introduced. In this research, a non-contact finishing process to FDM parts using hot air was developed. The hot air is directed locally at the stair-case in the surface till melting it which results after cooling to a smoother surface. An experimental setup was constructed to study the effects of different process parameters including air temperature, air flow rate and the moving velocity of air nozzle over parts surface. An improvement in the Roughness Average of a surfaces measured microscopic peaks and valleys (Ra) down to values of sub-micron was recorded from specimens with average surface roughness from7 to 8 μm.

Post-earthquake damages investigation in past and recent earthquakes has illustrated that the ground motion spatial variation plays an important role in the structural response of long span bridges. For the structural control of seismic-induced vibrations of cable-stayed bridges, it is extremely important to include the effects of the ground motion spatial variation in the analysis for design of an effective control system. The feasibility and efficiency of different vibration control strategies for the cable-stayed bridge under multiple support excitations have been examined to enhance a structure’s ability to withstand earthquake excitations. Comparison of the response due to non-uniform input ground motion with that due to uniform input demonstrates the importance of accounting for spatial variability of excitations. The performance of the optimized designed control systems for uniform input excitations gets worse dramatically over almost all of the evaluation criteria under multiple-support excitations.

Past and recent earthquakes events demonstrate that buildings with configuration irregularity are more vulnerable to earthquake damages. So it's essential to investigate the seismic response of these structures in active seismic zones to reduce the potential seismic damages. The configuration irregularities introduce major challenges in the seismic design of building structures. One such form of irregularity is the presence of re-entrant corners that causes stress concentration due to sudden changes in stiffness and torsion amplification in the buildings; hence causes early collapse. This, the conventional design codes have not recommendations for proper evaluation of these buildings yet. Thus, a constructive research into re-entrant corner irregularity problems is essentially needed greater than ever. The objective of this study is to grasp the seismic behavior of the buildings with irregular plan of L-shape floor plan through the evaluation of the configuration irregularity of reentrant corners effects on measured seismic response demands. The measured responses include inter-story drift; story shear force; overturning moment; torsion moment at the base and along the building height; top floor displacement; and torsional Irregularity Ratio. Three dimensional finite element model of nine stories moment resisting frame buildings as reference model is developed; six L-shaped models are formulated with gradual reduction in the plan of the reference model. The models are analyzed with ETABS using Equivalent Static Load (ESL) and Response Spectrum (RS) Methods. The results prove that buildings with severe irregularity are more vulnerable than those with regular configuration resulting from torsion behavior, and the additional shear force produced in the perpendicular direction to the earthquake input. Also, in the codal empirical equation for the calculation of fundamental period of vibration could not grasp significant higher vibration modes such as torsional vibration of irregular buildings that could significantly affect seismic demands.

Past and recent earthquakes events demonstrate that buildings with configuration irregularity are more vulnerable to earthquake damages. So it's essential to investigate the seismic response of these structures in active seismic zones to reduce the potential seismic damages. The configuration irregularities introduce major challenges in the seismic design of building structures. One such form of irregularity is the presence of re-entrant corners that causes stress concentration due to sudden changes in stiffness and torsion amplification in the buildings; hence causes early collapse. This, the conventional design codes have not recommendations for proper evaluation of these buildings yet. Thus, a constructive research into re-entrant corner irregularity problems is essentially needed greater than ever. The objective of this study is to grasp the seismic behavior of the buildings with irregular plan of L-shape floor plan through the evaluation of the configuration irregularity of reentrant corners effects on measured seismic response demands. The measured responses include inter-story drift; story shear force; overturning moment; torsion moment at the base and along the building height; top floor displacement; and torsional Irregularity Ratio. Three dimensional finite element model of nine stories moment resisting frame buildings as reference model is developed; six L-shaped models are formulated with gradual reduction in the plan of the reference model. The models are analyzed with ETABS using Equivalent Static Load (ESL) and Response Spectrum (RS) Methods. The results prove that buildings with severe irregularity are more vulnerable than those with regular configuration resulting from torsion behavior, and the additional shear force produced in the perpendicular direction to the earthquake input. Also, in the codal empirical equation for the calculation of fundamental period of vibration could not grasp significant higher vibration modes such as torsional vibration of irregular buildings that could significantly affect seismic demands.

Past and recent earthquakes events demonstrate that buildings with configuration irregularity are more vulnerable to earthquake damages. So it's essential to investigate the seismic response of these structures in active seismic zones to reduce the potential seismic damages. The configuration irregularities introduce major challenges in the seismic design of building structures. One such form of irregularity is the presence of re-entrant corners that causes stress concentration due to sudden changes in stiffness and torsion amplification in the buildings; hence causes early collapse. This, the conventional design codes have not recommendations for proper evaluation of these buildings yet. Thus, a constructive research into re-entrant corner irregularity problems is essentially needed greater than ever. The objective of this study is to grasp the seismic behavior of the buildings with irregular plan of L-shape floor plan through the evaluation of the configuration irregularity of reentrant corners effects on measured seismic response demands. The measured responses include inter-story drift; story shear force; overturning moment; torsion moment at the base and along the building height; top floor displacement; and torsional Irregularity Ratio. Three dimensional finite element model of nine stories moment resisting frame buildings as reference model is developed; six L-shaped models are formulated with gradual reduction in the plan of the reference model. The models are analyzed with ETABS using Equivalent Static Load (ESL) and Response Spectrum (RS) Methods. The results prove that buildings with severe irregularity are more vulnerable than those with regular configuration resulting from torsion behavior, and the additional shear force produced in the perpendicular direction to the earthquake input. Also, in the codal empirical equation for the calculation of fundamental period of vibration could not grasp significant higher vibration modes such as torsional vibration of irregular buildings that could significantly affect seismic demands.

The main target of this research is to allow modern distributed energy resources (DERs) to contribute effectively in the economic feasibility of hybrid renewable power generation system. There are several factors such as the net present cost (NPC), levelized cost of energy (COE), amount of greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions, and the ability of the hybrid system to meet the load at different meteorological conditions to consider when evaluating the effectiveness of hybrid generation system within microgrids. A multi-objective based optimization algorithm to reduce cost, emissions, and a combined solution between cost and emissions is investigated in this research. This research presents an approach to optimize a hybrid microgrid (HMG) system with different fuel options. The power management approach determines the optimal sizing of DERs based on ant colony optimization (ACO) algorithm. In order to find the best configuration, the obtained results are compared with genetic algorithm (GA), particle swarm optimization (PSO), and HOMER. Three isolated areas in Egypt with different metrological conditions are selected for optimization of HMG system, namely: Kharga, Saint Katherine, and Qussair. The results show that the combined optimal configuration of HMG system is better in satisfying load demands without violating any restraints.