Purpose The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of five key build parameters – layer thickness, deposition angle, infill, extrusion speed and extrusion temperature, and their interactions – on the maximum flexural force in specimens which are made of polylactic acid (PLA). Design/methodology/approach Through a previous study on the flexural properties of PLA specimens, a statistically significant effect of layer thickness was indicated, requiring further experimentation to establish the values of quadratic term in the model, as well as to perform optimization. Instead of performing a conventional Central Composite Design, a novel, definitive screening design (DSD) was used as statistical method. DSD allowed the reduction of the number of runs required for optimization while minimizing aliasing. Findings Significance of deposition angle and infill as main effects was established. Moreover, significant two-way interactions between infill/layer thickness and infill/extrusion speed were detected and discussed. The optimization procedure showed that minimum level of deposition angle, maximum levels of extrusion speed and infill and near mid-level of layer thickness yield maximum flexural force. Research limitations/implications In this study, the three levels of infill were 0.1, 0.2 and 0.3, which corresponds to 10, 20 and 30 per cent of infill, respectively. In everyday practice, infill is usually kept within this range since it allows time-efficiency, i.e. significant reduction of build time. Though, unsurprisingly, higher infill is positively correlated with flexural strength, this study provides practical directions for optimal selection of other key parameters when working with low infill values. Social implications Optimal 3D printing with low infill can contribute to lower material waste and pollution, while PLA plastic’s biodegradability remains high on the environment protection agenda. Originality/value According to available literature, no previous studies have investigated the FDM extrusion of PLA material using a combination of low infill, deposition angle, layer thickness, extrusion speed and extrusion temperature.

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Original scientific paper A new geometric form of fins (needle fins) for finned heat exchangers of gas-liquid type is described. It achieves a higher heat transfer coefficient and lower mass of the heat exchange surface relative to the heat exchangers with circular fins which in this case served as a basis for comparison. For the analysis of the heat transfer, the computational fluid dynamics analysis with ANSYS Fluent software was applied. Numerical simulation was performed for the round fins and fins with a new, innovative geometric shape at air flow speeds of 1 m/s to 5 m/s. The results of numerical simulations, with regard to the exchanged heat and pressure drop were verified by the correlations available in the literature and compared to the simulation results for tubes with innovative fins. Results show an increase in the amount of Nu from 20 % to 30 % for 2300 >Re > 12000 while reducing mass of heat exchange surfaces of 23,8 %.Keywords: finned heat exchanger; heat exchange; heat exchanger efficiency; needle fins; numerical simulation Razvoj novog tipa lamelnog izmjenjivača toplineIzvorni znanstveni članak Opisan je novi geometrijski oblik lamele (igličaste lamele) za orebrene cijevne izmjenjivače topline plin -tekućina pomoću kojeg se postiže veći koeficijent prijelaza topline, a time i manja masa izmjenjivačkih površina u odnosu na izmjenjivače topline s okruglim lamelama koji su u ovom slučaju poslužili kao baza za usporedbu. Za analizu izmjene topline i pada tlaka primijenjena je računalna dinamika fluida s programom ANSYS Fluent. Numerička simulacija provedena je za slučaj zagrijavanja zraka koji struji oko cijevi s lamelama novog geometrijskog oblika te oko cijevi s lamelama konvencionalnog kružnog oblika brzinama od 1 m/s do 5 m/s. Rezultati numeričke simulacije obzirom na izmijenjenu toplinu i pad tlaka za cijevi s okruglim lamelama provjereni su pomoću korelacija dostupnih u literaturi te su uspoređeni s rezultatima simulacije za cijevi s inovativnim lamelama. Rezultati pokazuju povećanje iznosa Nu značajke od 20 % do 30 % za 2300 > Re > 12000 uz smanjenje mase izmjenjivačkih površina od 23,8 %.

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An important role in the dimensioning of heat exchange surfaces with an annular fin is the fin efficiency. The fin efficiency is usually calculated using analytical expressions developed in the last century. However, these expressions are derived with certain assumptions and simplifications that involve a certain error in the calculation. The purpose of this paper is to determine the size of the error due to the assumptions and simplifications made when performing the analytical expression and to present what has the greatest impact on the amount of error, and give a recommendation on how to reduce that error. In order to determine the error, but also to gain a more detailed insight into the physics of heat exchange processes on the fin surface, computational fluid dynamics was applied to the original definition of fin efficiency. This means that a numerical simulation was performed for the actual fin material and for the ideal fin material with infinite thermal conductivity for the selected fin geometry and Re numbers from 2000 to 18,000. The results show that fin efficiency determined by numerical simulations is greater by up to 12.3% than the efficiency calculated analytically. The greatest impact on the amount of error is the assumption of the same temperature of the fin base surface and the outer tube surface and the assumption of equal heat transfer coefficient on the entire fin surface area. Using a newly recommended expression for the equivalent length of the fin tip, it would be possible to calculate the fin efficiency more precisely and thus the average heat transfer coefficient on the fin surface area, which leads to a more accurate dimensioning of the heat exchanger.