Numerical simulation of induction hardening of steel

• Published in: Compel Vol. 18; no. 3; pp. 482 - 493
• Main Authors: Fuhrmann, Jürgen, Hömberg, Dietmar, Uhle, Manfred
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Bradford MCB UP Ltd 01.09.1999; Emerald Group Publishing Limited
• Subjects: Algorithms; Finite element analysis; Finite element method; Finite volume method; Heat transfer; Heat treating; Heat treatment; Mathematical models; Numerical analysis; Ordinary differential equations; Partial differential equations; Phase transitions; Simulation; Steel; Finite element method; Finite volume method; Heat treatment; Phase transitions
• ISSN: 0332-1649; 2054-5606
• DOI: 10.1108/03321649910275161

We discuss a model that is capable of describing the process of induction hardening of steel: induction heating - heat transfer - solid-solid phase transitions in steel. It consists of a reduced system of Maxwell's equations, the heat transfer eqaution and a system of ordinary differential equations for the volume fractions of the occuring phases. The model is applied to simulate surface heat treatments, which play an important role in the manufacturing of steel. The numerical methods are implemented with tools from pdelib, a collection of modular algorithms. We present numerical simulations of surface hardening applied to the steel 42 CrMo 4.