Investigation of magnetic induction heating using finite element method

The technology of induction heating of gears emerged with the patent publications from the USA and the Soviet Union between the years 1926-1939. This technology is commonly used for surface hardening of critical pieces used in industry. This method of surface hardening has superiority over alternatives comes from its repeatability, eco-friendliness and being a practically rapid method. At the present time, numerical methods have gained as much importance as to become as a reference for the induction heating industry; now thanks to finite element methods, multiphysics simulation has been developed which enables us to optimize the parameters of the most important ones. Experimental methods are costly and time demanding. However, making use of finite element method software, induction heating simulations of a steel gear can be performed relatively cost effective and in a short time. In this way, the model can be optimized by sequential simulations and can be included into the manufacturing process. Experimentally validated and thus ensured models then be involved into the optimization process. In this study, using ELTA software, induction heating process of AISI 4340 steel gear workpiece is investigated and comparison of hardness profile and temperature profile is made with an academic publication found from literature. The effect of altering inductor frequency and gear workpiece-inductor coil distance on the temperature distribution of AISI 4340 steel gear workpiece during induction heating process is investigated. From the temperature distribution occurring on the steel gear workpiece, the regions of the gear at which the austenitizing temperature (Ac3) -responsible for martensite phase formation- has been observed. In terms of fatigue resistance and wear resistance of the steel gear workpiece, it is critical that the martensite phase can form at the root zone of the gear and how deep it is. The coil frequency used in the induction heating process and the distance between the workpiece and the coil were found to affect the hardening depth in the gear that is used in the study. In this study, ELTA 7.0 © software is used in the analysis of the induction heating process of the 4340-steel gear workpiece and the reliability of the results is shown in comparison with other studies in the literature.