Abstract
Induction hardening serves as one of the best mass production processes used recently due to its ability to quickly generate high-intensity heat in a well-defined location of the part. Numerous advantages of this method make it a reliable technique to produce a thin martensite layer on the part surface that has compressive residual stresses. In this regard, the presented study is devoted to investigating utilizing induction heating for surface hardening of AISI 4340 steel disc. The purpose is to evaluate the performance of magnetic flux concentrators and the effects of the induction process parameter on the case-depth and edge effect in the surface hardening of the disc. Once the proper range of parameters is defined, Taguchi experimentation planning is used to frame comprehensive experimentation with the minimum possible trial. Then, the case-depth of discs is evaluated on their cross-sections (edge and middle plane) through hardness profile measurement of samples using a micro-indentation hardness machine. The results are then statistically analyzed using analysis of variance (ANOVA) and response surface methodology (RSM) to determine the best combination of parameters to achieve maximum case-depth yet minimum edge effect. The goodness-of-fit regression models are then developed to predict the case-depth profile as a function of machine parameters based on linear regression utilizing case-depth responses in the edge and middle planes of discs. Results imply that maximum case-depth with minimum edge effect can be produced by using the highest heating time along with the average amplitude of the power, axial gap, and radial gap. This study gives a good exploration of case-depths optimized by setting up process parameters when a magnetic flux concentrator is utilized; thus, a guideline to reduce discs edge effect in induction surface hardening application is given.
Highlights
The importance of Induction heat treatment and its numerous applications have been increased over the last decades
This study investigates the effect of the concentrators position as well as the induction heating process parameters including machine power, frequency, heating time on the edge effect aiming at tuning them to minimize the edge effect
4340 steel discs are used in this study to investigate the effects of induction hardening process parameters on the case-depth and edge effect with the presence of magnetic concentrators
Summary
The importance of Induction heat treatment and its numerous applications have been increased over the last decades. Multiple advantages of induction heat treatment make it superior to traditional methods: capability to produce high power density in a shorter time that results in saving time, being high energy efficient, limiting the risks of distortion and deformation during conventional heat treatments [3]. It is a fast and clean-energy process and repeatable in terms of treating parts with the same quality. The ability to generate localized heat during the heating process in hardening processes is one of the most important industrial applications of induction heating employing improving wear and fatigue resistance of the parts such as bearings, shafts, and disc-shaped parts like gears [5, 6]
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