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ASM 4C Principles of Induction Heating and Heat Treatment
ASM 4C Principles of Induction Heating and Heat Treatment
An
30 No
00 residual compressive stress is a result of the
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,q ize expansion that takes place during the transforma-
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Qu nc tion of the microstructure to martensite during
he
en da
ch
ed nd hardening. Another reason for induction surface
6 an dr hardening is to improve wear resistance or contact
dd aw
n strength and/or contact fatigue life.
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wn
5 Induction through hardening also may be used
for some parts such as snowplow blades, springs,
4 chain links, truck bed frames, certain fasteners
(including nails and screws), and so forth.
In these cases, the temperature of the entire
3 cross section is raised above the temperature at
0.06 0.07 0.08 0.09 0.10 0.11 0.12 0.13 0.14 0.15 which transformation to austenite is completed
Depth, in. (Ac3 critical temperature) and then quenched.
Through-hardening applications require uniform
Fig. 1 Influence of prior structure (fineness of microstructure constituents) on power requirements for surface heating through the entire cross section. Selection
hardening. Source: Ref 13
of the appropriate frequency and time is very
important for achieving the proper surface-to-
An annealed prior microstructure consisting of and poor formability. Even so, there are a variety core temperature uniformity.
ferrite and spheroidal carbides has the poorest of applications including valve-spring wire, drill
response to induction hardening. This type of bits, grinding balls, cutting tools, and others, for
microstructure can be formed by subcritical which high-carbon steels (such as SAE 1060 to
annealing. Spheroidized annealing is typically 1095) are specified. Electromagnetic and Thermal
used to aid in cold formability. It is not uncommon Although plain carbon steels are the least Aspects
for this type of microstructure to be only partially expensive steels, there may be engineering
martensitic after induction hardening. Substan- applications where they may not be suitable. As detailed in the article “Principles of Induc-
tially longer times and higher temperatures are Applications which require more hardenability tion Heating” in this Volume, the primary mech-
required for a sufficient austenitization of these for increased case depths, or greater impact anism of the heat generation is Joule heating
microstructures, noticeably dropping some of resistance, or higher fatigue life, may require (I2 R) by the induced eddy current, where R is
the main advantages of induction hardening. The the use of alloy steels. Examples of alloy steels electrical resistance of the workpiece and I is
poor induction-hardening response can be alle- used in induction hardening are SAE 4140, the induced current. An alternating current (ac)
viated by normalizing the part after forming. 4150, 4340, 5150, 5140, and 52100. in the induction coil produces an alternating
The full anneal method produces a microstruc- Typical Applications. Induction hardening magnetic field (with the same frequency as
ture consisting of ferrite and pearlite. The carbon can be used for a wide range of parts, and prom- the coil current), which induces eddy currents
content determines the amount of pearlite. This inent examples are discussed in separate articles in the workpiece in or near the coil. The induced
type of microstructure induction hardens easier in this Volume. Examples include machine tools, currents have the same frequency as the coil cur-
than the spheroidal microstructure, but not as well hand tools, crankshafts, camshafts, axle shafts, rent; however, their direction is opposite to the
as the normalized microstructure. transmission shafts, universal joints, gears, coil current (according to Faraday’s law of elec-
Steel selection depends on specifics of the sprockets, pins, valve seats, steering knuckles, tromagnetic induction). In fact, the coil acts in
working conditions of the component, required spindles, bearings, track links, connecting rods, much the same manner as a primary winding
hardness, and cost (Ref 1–11, 14, 15). Most induc- fasteners, and many others. In some cases, it is of a transformer, with the electrically conductive
tion surface hardening is done with steels contain- desirable to harden an entire cross section of a workpiece acting as a single-turn (or short-
ing 0.35 to 0.60% C. The corresponding component; however, other applications require circuited) secondary winding. An important fac-
minimum hardness, after tempering at 180 C only selected areas (e.g., the surface) to be hard- tor associated with the heat pattern control is the
(360 F), would be a Rockwell C hardness ened. For example, with a part such as an axle degree of coil-to-workpiece electromagnetic
(HRC) of approximately 48 to 60. Plain carbon shaft, typically the entire length is surface or coupling and heat time. Coupling is determined
steels are the least expensive steels used success- case hardened. On a component such as a crank- by the number of imaginary magnetic flux lines
fully for a variety of hardening applications. It is shaft, the bearing journals are selectively hard- that enter the workpiece or its portion.
important to remember that the carbon content ened. Figure 2 illustrates some examples of the Joule heating from the induced eddy currents
of steel plays a critical role in the maximum many types of ferrous components that can be occurs for any electrically conductive material
achievable hardness and it also affects the amount induction hardened. Components are induction and is not limited to only magnetic material.
of retained austenite and the depth of hardening. hardened for different reasons. Induction surface Heating intensity is typically controlled by
Medium-carbon steels (i.e., SAE 1035 to hardening, also sometimes called induction case the coil voltage/current and applied frequency.
1060) are the most common steels used in indus- hardening, increases the hardness and strength The induced eddy currents generate heat not only
try. Low-carbon steels are used where toughness at the surface. Surface hardening is an important at the surface but also in the subsurface regions. In
rather than high hardness is required, such as in method of improving torsional strength and/or tor- addition, a second mechanism of heat generation
clutch plates or pins for farm equipment. High- sional fatigue life, as well as bending strength and/ occurs in ferromagnetic materials (e.g., carbon
carbon steels are somewhat limited by their low or bending fatigue life. In torsion and in bending, steels) when energy is dissipated during the rever-
ductility and toughness, poor machinability, the stress is greatest at the surface and is zero at sal of magnetic domains and is called magnetic
60 / Induction Heat Treating
its initial value. In hardening applications, this These thermal gradients result in nonuniform dis- The existence of the magnetic-wave phenom-
increase often exceeds five times. Table 1 shows tributions of electrical resistivity and, in particular, enon is associated with the presence of mag-
typical values of current penetration depths for magnetic permeability, leading to the fact that the netic properties in subsurface regions of a
plain medium-carbon steel at different stages of common definition of d being an exponential workpiece, while the surface reaches austenitiz-
heating versus frequency. curve does not “fit” its principle assumption. ing temperatures thus being nonmagnetic. Ref-
At temperatures below the Curie point, an In applications such as surface hardening and erence 16 provides a case study of heating a
increase in carbon content of the plain carbon heating carbon steels to working temperatures 36 mm (1.4 in.) diameter medium-carbon steel
steels typically leads to a greater d caused by just above the Curie point, the power density dis- shaft using a frequency of 10 kHz. Temperature
a corresponding increase of r and a reduction tribution along the radius/thickness has a unique and the power density (heat source) distribution
of mr. Carbon content reduction results in an wave shape, which is appreciably different com- along the radius are plotted in Fig. 4 at the final
opposite effect. Variations of carbon content pared to the commonly assumed exponential dis- stage to produce a required case depth of 2 mm
in plain carbon steels usually produce approxi- tribution (Ref 1, 15, 16). The maximum power (0.08 in.). Temperature profile (Fig. 4a) indi-
mately 12 to 16% variation of d. For alloy density is located at the surface and decreases cates the temperature region of magnetic-to-
steels those differences may be greater. toward the core. However, at a certain distance nonmagnetic transition. In Fig. 3(b), there is
Surface Hardening and Magnetic-Wave from the surface, the power density increases, the second maximum of power density located
Phenomenon. It is important to note that com- reaching a maximum value before again at a distance of approximately 3 mm (0.12 in.)
monly accepted assumptions regarding current decreasing. This magnetic-wave phenomenon below the surface. This location coincides with
and power distribution due to a skin effect was introduced by Simpson (Ref 18), and the subsurface temperature of the magnetic core
are not valid for the great majority of induction Losinskii (Ref 19). Both scientists intuitively felt region with the austenitic (nonmagnetic) sur-
surface-hardening applications (Ref 15, 16). For that there should be conditions where the power face region. The resulting power density distri-
example, an exponential distribution of eddy cur- density (heat source) distribution would differ bution (Fig. 4b, solid curve) is dramatically
rent and induced power is only appropriate for a from that of the commonly accepted. They different compared to commonly assumed dis-
solid body (workpiece) having constant values provided a qualitative description of a magnetic- tribution (dotted curve).
of both electrical resistivity and magnetic perme- wave phenomenon based on intuition. At that In applications such as through hardening or
ability. Therefore, realistically speaking, this time, it was difficult to obtain a quantitative esti- steel normalizing, the impact of the magnetic-
assumption can be made for only some unique mation of this phenomenon due to limited com- wave phenomenon on the final temperature distri-
cases of induction heating of nonmagnetic materi- puter modeling capabilities. Also, it was not bution and overall process parameters is much less
als. Therefore, a classical definition of d can only possible to measure the power/current density dis- pronounced, because when steel is heated above
be used for rough estimates in appropriate cases. tribution inside the solid body during the heating the Curie point the nonmagnetic stage is substan-
For the great majority of induction surface- cycle. The first publication that provides the tially longer compared to a magnetic stage.
hardening applications, the power density distribu- results of the research studies with a quantitative In surface hardening, the magnetic-wave
tion is not uniform and substantial thermal gradi- estimation of this magnetic-wave phenomenon phenomenon exists during the majority of the
ents are present within the heated workpiece. was published in the mid-1990s (Ref 20). heat cycle and plays a very important role in
the selection of the optimal frequency and pre-
diction of final temperature distribution and
Table 1 Typical values of current penetration depths for plain medium-carbon steels hardened case depth.
during initial and final heat stages for induction hardening As an example, Fig. 5 shows the dynamics
Current penetration depths at various frequencies of the radial temperature distribution during
0.5 kHz 3 kHz 10 kHz 30 kHz 200 kHz single-shot hardening of a medium-carbon steel
Stage of heating Heat intensity mm in. mm in. mm in. mm in. mm in. shaft using a frequency of 125 kHz. The
required case depth is 1.2 mm (0.05 in.), the
Initial Moderate 3.3 0.13 1.3 0.05 0.7 0.03 0.4 0.02 0.17 0.01
High 3.9 0.15 1.6 0.06 0.9 0.04 0.5 0.02 0.2 0.01
material is SAE 4340, the heating time is 2 s,
Final 24 0.94 9.9 0.39 5.4 0.21 3.1 0.12 1.2 0.05 the quench time is 6 s, and the shaft diameter
is 16 mm (0.63 in.).
thumbnail pattern) in a round bar is obtained by variables, where R is the radius of the heated selection of coil design and process parameters
using a conventional coil winding (Fig. 10a). pipe and Ri is the inside coil radius: can help to compensate for the additional sur-
This problem can be corrected by varying a cou- face heat losses at the end by generating an
pling of coil turns (Fig. 10b). Figure 11 shows an Skin effect (R/d) appropriate power surplus due to the electro-
example of two inductor designs that rely pri- Coil overhang (s) magnetic end effect. This allows for obtaining
marily on the proximity effect for obtaining Ratios Ri /R and wall thickness to d a reasonably uniform temperature distribution
required hardness patterns. Figure 11(a) is used Power density within the required heated length (RHL) of the
for hardening constant velocity joint races while Presence of a flux concentrator workpiece.
Fig. 11(b) is used for hardening gear teeth. Space factor of coil turns (Kspace)—density Another important feature of the end-harden-
Electromagnetic End Effect. Aside from the of windings of coil turns—and their ing effect is the heat distribution under the
factors discussed previously, temperature distri- coupling opposite end of an induction coil that is in the
bution within the workpiece can also be C-D-E zone (Fig. 13). This is sometimes
affected by the electromagnetic end effect The effects of frequency (F) and the electro- defined as the heat-affected zone (HAZ) or
(Ref 1). End effect represents a distortion of magnetic physical properties of the steel axial transition zone. There is a considerable
the electromagnetic field at the end regions (r and mr) are included in the skin effect ratio longitudinal temperature gradient that results
of the inductor and/or the heated component. (R/d). in longitudinal heat flow due to thermal con-
Figure 12(a) shows a sketch of the induction Rule of thumb: With a conventional multiturn duction from the high-temperature region of
system for heat treating the end of a pipe. solenoid coil, a measurable power deficit at the the workpiece toward its colder area, manifest-
A complexity of the magnetic field distribution extreme (hot) end of the heated workpiece, ing itself as the heat sink phenomenon.
when steel is below the Curie temperature is which will therefore be noticeably underheated, Figure 14 shows the results of finite-
shown in Fig. 12(b). may be caused by one of following factors or element analysis (FEA) simulation of surface
Electromagnetic end effect can manifest their combination: hardening the ends of a carbon steel shaft and
itself as underheating or overheating of the longitudinal temperature distribution at differ-
workpiece end area. Figure 13 illustrates the ent stages of heating (1, 4, and 9.3 s) along
Low frequency
relative surface power density distribution the surface, 3 mm (0.12 in.) below the surface,
Modest power densities
along the heated length of the pipe (Ref 16). and 5 mm (0.20 in.) below the surface. The out-
Large coil-to-workpiece radial gaps
The electromagnetic end effect at the extreme side diameter of the shaft is 75 mm (2.95 in.);
Insufficient (small) coil overhangs (s)
end (“hot” end) of the pipe (Fig. 13, region
A-B) is defined primarily by the following
In contrast, the use of too high of a frequency
and power density, as well as a large coil over-
hang, can usually lead to a power surplus in the
end area. As a result, noticeable overheating
may take place.
It is important to understand that a uniform
power density (heat source) distribution along
the hot end of the workpiece will not corre-
spond to the uniform temperature distribution
because of the additional heat losses (due to
thermal radiation and heat convection) at the
hot end compared to its central region. Proper
Induction-Hardening Techniques