University Of Gezira

Journals Of University Of Gezira

Gezira Journal of Engineering and Applied Sciences
Vol3 No2
Developing an Induction Heating & hardening System

Sulieman M.S. Zobly
1
, Abdu I. Omer
2


1. Dep. of Physics & Medical Instrumentation, Institute of Nuclear Medicine, Molecular
Biology & oncology, University of Gezira, Wad Medani, Sudan.
2. Dep. of Applied Physics & Electronics & Instrumentation, Faculty of Engineering &
technology, University of Gezira, Wad Medani, Sudan.
ABSTRACT
The aim of this paper is to discuss the developing of a new induction heating &
hardening system to harden a shallow depth of stainless steel that used to manufacture
surgical blades. The system has been designed to satisfy the requirement for this
application by using radio frequency generator, current transformer and inductor coil.
These three parts represent the main part of the system which is known as induction
heating system. The system is connected to a temperature measurement device to control
the system by limiting the temperature during the process of heating up the material to
very high temperature and cool it rapidly, to satisfy the required characteristic for
quenched material. Using this method, the process time is very short, yielding high
quality. The results of the experiment show that the designed system is faster than all
other types of induction heating systems that can harden only one side of the material.
This design was conducted at University of Applied Science, Soest Division Germany.
INTRODUCTION
Surface hardening is a widespread technique to improve the mechanical
characteristics of different workpieces, to provide a treated layer (called martensite layer)
on specific area of the material (Brown et al., 1947).
The purpose of this work is to develop such a system that fit the specification
provided in Figure (1) below (heat up the material to around 1100 C. The system has to
reach the maximum temperature within 2 - 3 seconds, hold on for a bout 10 seconds and
then cool down the material within 3 - 4 seconds); other specifications related to selective
hardening the material in only one side (along the surface) to specific depth (about 2mm)
( Norna & Nacke, 2003).

Figure 1 - Hardening process specification (Norna & Nacke, 2003)

Hardening materials methods are used to change the properties of the material,
hardening the material pass through two steps. During the first step, the material is heated
up to degrees above the critical point, then the temperature is kept at that high to change
the structure of the material. The second step is to cool the material to low temperatures
by using coolants like water, oil, air or chemicals.
Treatment process:
Most factories use furnace system to treat steel for manufacturing surgical blades.
The block diagram of the system is shown in Figure (2) .The system consists of four
heating units that were arranged in a series with maximum reachable temperature for
each stage.
The work pieces transferred mechanically from one stage to the next. The first
stage concerned to heat up the material to 950C, while the second stage heats it up to
1080C and the third stage heats up the material up to 1125C however, the fourth stage
heats up the material up to 1065C (IQ technologies, 2002). The temperature of the
workpieces developed via heat that radiated to surrounding heating elements. The
Hardening process specification diagram described during the ramp-up phase then the
temperature was held on for a while. This allows the energy radiated to the workpiece


surface to conduct throughout the workpiece. Such approach can achieve equilibrium
temperature and facilitate metallurgical changes which are time dependent. After the high
temperature bath, the workpiece temperature is rapidly decreased in a process phase
known as quenching. A wide range of the metallurgical properties of the metal can be
achieved with small variation in temperature-time profiles. The cooling time is very
critical to achieve the desired properties of strength and hardness while avoiding
brittleness. The lifetime of the intensively quenched workpieces made of plain carbon
steel proved to be 50% - 80% longer than the parts made of alloy steel and quenched in
conventional ways (IQ technologies, 2002). After quenching is achieved, a second cycle
of heating and cooling at lower temperatures are used to temper the workpieces.
Tempering is used to adjust the toughness against strength parameters of the workpieces.



Figure 2 - Block diagram of the furnace system
The developed system:
Its not possible to achieve the customer requirement by using furnaces system,
thus a new technology has been adopted to fulfil the requirements of the customer.
Comparing the old system (Figure 2) with the new one, it is realised that the new
system is faster and easy to control so as to meet the requirement. This can be done by
using radio frequency (RF) generator, current transformer, designing special coil and
temperature sensor. This system is known as induction heating system. Figure (3) shows
the block diagram of the system.


Figure 3 - Induction heating system block diagram

Induction heating is a production of an electric charge, magnetism, or electromotive
force in an object without contact of a similarly energized body or by the variation of a
magnetic flux. Induction heating is accomplished by eddy currents induced by a varying
electromagnetic field (Norna & Nacke, 2003). The current is caused to flow through the
material to be heated by the electromagnetic induction.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
The basic component of the system were an AC power supply, induction coil,
workpiece, workpiece handling unit, temperature measurement and control system. When
steel or cast iron is hardened, it quenched. The power supply provides alternating current
through the coil, generating a magnetic field. When the workpiece is placed in the coil
and cut the magnetic field, eddy currents are induced within the workpiece, generating
precise amount of heat without a physical contact between the coil and the workpiece.
The temperature of the material is sensed by infrared sensor (IR). The sensor is connected
to the computer so as to control the system, monitor and record the data. Figure (4) shows
the developed system.

Figure 4 - The developed system
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
After fixing the system, the material is heated up by applying different
frequencies. The suitable range of the frequencies (400 450 kHz) is used to harden the
material. Due to the fact that some experiments have been conducted by using other
range of frequencies, however, the results were not reliable, this because the heated
material has a width of 8.2 mm, while the latter range of frequencies is capable only to
harden a narrow part of then material to a depth less than 2 mm Figure (5) shows the
material in the coil during the heating process.

Figure 5 - Heating up the material to a round 1100 C, using 450 kHz
Heating up the material and cool down should be within a few seconds. The
temperature is recorded during the process so as to plot it to know how the process is
going. Figure (6) shows the temperature vs. the time. From Figure (6), the temperatures
begin to increase from 0 C to 1000C within 3 second. It remains at this temperature for
10 seconds. Then it sharply decreases to 400C for 3 seconds.

Figure 6 - Temperature during hardening the material
From the process in figure (5) and figure (6), the hardened part of metal is shown
in Figure (7).

Figure 7 - Hardened part using 450 kHz


Table 1 - hardened depth in for different frequencies
Frequency (KHz) Hardened depth (mm)
390 1.12
400 1.04
450 0.98

CONCLUSION
Using induction heating, the material can be heated up within a short time to a
very high temperature and cool it down rapidly. Thus the induction heating is the most
suitable method in manufacturing application which needs to change the material
property.
For surface heating or shallow case depth of penetration, it required high
frequencies. The depth of heated material depends not only on the frequency but also
there are many other parameters affect it such as the position of the material inside the
coil and changing the coupling distance of the coil. By adjusting all the parameters in the
system it possible to get good results for quenched materials to the specific depth needed
in the application.
The developed system is simple, cost-effective and power consumption during the whole
phases of processing. Also heating the material takes very short time comparing to the
other types of heating applications used in industries.

REFERENCES

Brown, George Harold, Cyril N. Hoyler, and Rudolph A. Bierwirth, (1947), Theory and
application of radio-frequency heating, New York, D. Van Nostrand Company, Inc,
LCCN 47003544.
E. Norna, B. Nacke, (2003). 3-D modeling for solution of sophisticated induction
hardening Tasks, International workshop, Gothenburg.
IQ technologies, Inc. (2002). IntensiQuenchSM process theory and
application.[Online]available:http://www.Intensivequench.com// IQ theory and
application. pdf [accessed 26 March 2005].
Shields, John Potter, (1969), Abc's of radio-frequency heating 1
st
ed, Indianapolis, H. W.
Sams, LCCN 76098943.
Fireman, Jerry, (2000), Induction Heating Helps Reduce Cost of Producing New Power
Source, AMS International, Advanced Materials & amp; Processes.
B. Zhang, F. Wang & G. Feng, (2002). A medium-frequency induction heater for
development of viscous and high-solidifying oil deposits, Power Electronics and
Motion Control Conference, vol.3, pp. 1318-1322.
V. Rudnev, D. Loveless, R. Cook, and M. Black, (2003). Handbook of induction heating.
Marcel Dekker Inc., New York, NY 10016. ISBN: 0824708482. 800 p.
Yuu Ono, Cheng-Qing Zheng, Franois G Hamel, Rmi Charron, and Chee Ang Loong,
(2002), Experimental investigations on monitoring and control of induction heating
process for semi-solid alloys using heating coil as sensor, Meas. Sci. Technol 13, PP
1359-1365.
Valery Rudnev, (May/ June 2004). Afresh look at induction heating of tubular product:
part 1. Heat treating progress. PP 17-19.
Fred R. Specht, (July / August 2004). Things to remember a bout induction heating
progress. Heat treating progress. PP 35-39.
Industrial Heating Equipment Association & U. S. Department of Energy, (March 2001).
Roadmap for process heating technology.
Denki Kogyo Co. LTD, (2001) RF Induction Heating Equipment.
Induction heating system topology review, (2000), http://
www.fairchilsemi.com/an/AN/AN-9012.pdf.
Radio Frequency and Induction Heating Processing,
http://www.plyforms.com/2-10.pdf.