Induction heating is a process that heats electrically conductive materials through electromagnetic induction. It generates heat within materials through two main mechanisms: hysteresis loss caused by molecular friction in magnetic fields, and eddy current losses caused by resistance to circulating currents induced within the material. An induction furnace uses a high-frequency alternating current passed through a coil to generate an alternating magnetic field and induce eddy currents within iron or steel placed inside, heating the material. This allows for precise temperature control and is used to produce high quality steels.
Induction heating is a process that heats electrically conductive materials through electromagnetic induction. It generates heat within materials through two main mechanisms: hysteresis loss caused by molecular friction in magnetic fields, and eddy current losses caused by resistance to circulating currents induced within the material. An induction furnace uses a high-frequency alternating current passed through a coil to generate an alternating magnetic field and induce eddy currents within iron or steel placed inside, heating the material. This allows for precise temperature control and is used to produce high quality steels.
Induction heating is a process that heats electrically conductive materials through electromagnetic induction. It generates heat within materials through two main mechanisms: hysteresis loss caused by molecular friction in magnetic fields, and eddy current losses caused by resistance to circulating currents induced within the material. An induction furnace uses a high-frequency alternating current passed through a coil to generate an alternating magnetic field and induce eddy currents within iron or steel placed inside, heating the material. This allows for precise temperature control and is used to produce high quality steels.
THE PRODUCTION OF HIGH QUALITY STEELS – THE INDUCTION HEATING PROCESS
Induction heating is defined as “raising of temperature of a material, by means of electrical generation of
heat within material and not by any other heating method such as convection, conduction, or radiation”. The material being heated is not part of closed electrical circuit as it would be in resistance welding or as it is in the electric furnace. Induction heating is a phenomenon caused by an alternating magnetic field created in electrical conductors whenever alternating current flows through them. Magnetic materials, such as iron and steel, when placed within the area of an alternating magnetic field, are heated by both Hysteresis and eddy current losses. Hysteresis loss is caused by friction among the molecules of the material as they move within the metal in magnetic field. The magnitude of this hysteresis loss and the heat created by it, is proportional to the frequency of the magnetic field. Eddy current losses are losses caused by resistance resulting from small circulating currents within a material placed in an alternating magnetic field. These resistance losses cause heat which is absorbed by the metal being heated. The amount of heat created by eddy currents is proportional to the square of the alternating frequency of the current, and the square of amperage flowing in the conductor, which produces the magnetic field. In the electric- induction furnace (Fig 10-1), the charge is placed in a refractory crucible entitled by a water- cooled copper coil through which a high-frequency alternating current varying from 60 to 60,000 cycles per second is passed. This “induces” secondary eddy currents in the iron and heats it by virtue of its resistance to the passage of these currents. The furnace is primarily a remelting furnace, very little refining or purifying of the metallic charge being accomplished. Close control of composition is accomplished by selection of raw materials, the speed of melting being such that control by chemical methods is impractical. In addition, it is possible to accurately control the temperature of the metal being heated, by accurately controlling the frequency and amperage of the alternating current passing though the induction coil. Violent stirring of the molten charge, as indicated by the arrows in Fig 10-2, is produced by the interaction of the eddy currents with the high-frequency field. Since lower frequencies are most efficient for stirring, many modern furnaces have two frequencies applied to the coil, a high frequency for rapid melting, and a low frequency for a rapid stirring. The stirring action, keeps the slag of the surface agitated, providing openings in the slag layer through which gases may escape. These electric furnaces are being used to produce high quality steels, such as ball bearing, stainless, magnet and tool steels. PROIZVODNJA VISOKOKVALITETNIH ČELIKA – PROCES INDUKCIJSKOG ZAGRIJAVANJA Indukcijsko zagrijavanje se definise kao “povišenje temperature materijala, pomoću električne generacije topline unutar materijala, a ne bilo kojim drugim načinom grijanja kao što je konvekcija, provodljivost ili zračenje”. Materijal koji se zagrijava nije dio zatvorenog električnog kola kao što bi to bilo kod otpornog zavarivanja ili kao što je to u električnoj peći. Indukcijsko grijanje je pojava uzrokovana naizmjeničnim magnetskim poljem koje se stvara u električnim provodnicima kad god kroz njih teče naizmjenična struja. Magnetni materijali, kao što su gvožđe i čelik, kada se stave u područje naizmjeničnog magnetnog polja, zagrijavaju se i histereznim gubicima i gubicima usljed vrtložnih struja. Histerezni gubitak je uzrokovan trenjem između molekula materijala dok se kreću unutar metala u magnetskom polju. Veličina ovog gubitka histereze i toplote koja se time stvara, proporcionalna je frekvenciji magnetskog polja. Gubici usljed vrtložnih struja su gubici uzrokovani otporom koji nastaje zbog malih cirkulirajućih struja unutar materijala smještenog u naizmjeničnom magnetskom polju. Ovi gubici otpora uzrokuju toplinu koju apsorbira metal koji se zagrijava. Količina topline koju stvaraju vrtložne struje proporcionalna je kvadratu naizmjenične frekvencije struje i kvadratu amperaže koja teče u vodiču, koji proizvodi magnetsko polje. U elektroindukcijskoj peći (Slika 10-1), punjenje se stavlja u vatrostalni lončić sa vodo-hlađenim bakrenim namotajem kroz koji prolazi visokofrekventna naizmjenična struja koja varira od 60 do 60.000 ciklusa u sekundi. Ovo „indukuje“ sekundarne vrtložne struje u gvožđu i zagreva ga zahvaljujući otporu na prolazak ovih struja. Peć je prvenstveno peć za pretapanje, pri čemu se postiže vrlo malo rafiniranja ili pročišćavanja metalnog punjenja. Pazljiva kontrola sastava postiže se odabirom sirovina, pri čemu je brzina topljenja takva da je kontrola hemijskim metodama nepraktična. Osim toga, moguće je precizno kontrolirati temperaturu metala koji se zagrijava, preciznom kontrolom frekvencije i amperaže naizmjenične struje koja prolazi kroz indukcijski kalem. Prinudno miješanje rastopljenog punjenja, kao što je prikazano strelicama na slici 10-2, nastaje interakcijom vrtložnih struja sa visokofrekventnim poljem. Budući da su niže frekvencije najefikasnije za miješanje, mnoge moderne peći imaju dvije frekvencije koje se primjenjuju na kalem, visoku frekvenciju za brzo topljenje i nisku frekvenciju za brzo miješanje. Djelovanje miješanja održava šljaku na površini uzburkanom, stvarajući otvore u sloju šljake kroz koje plinovi mogu izaći. Ove električne peći se koriste za proizvodnju visokokvalitetnih čelika, kao što su kuglični ležajevi, nehrđajući čelici, magneti i alatni čelici.