Process[edit]

Induction heating is a non contact heating process which utilises the principle
of electromagnetic induction to produce heat inside the surface layer of a work-piece. By placing
aconductive material into a strong alternating magnetic field, electric current can be made to flow in
the material thereby creating heat due to the I2R losses in the material. In magnetic materials, further
heat is generated below the curie point due to hysteresis losses. The current generated flows
predominantly in the surface layer, the depth of this layer being dictated by the frequency of the
alternating field, the surface power density, the permeability of the material, the heat time and the
diameter of the bar or material thickness. By quenching this heated layer in water, oil, or
a polymer based quench, the surface layer is altered to form a martensitic structure which is harder
than the base metal.[2]

Definition[edit]
A widely used process for the surface hardening of steel. The components are heated by means of
an alternating magnetic field to a temperature within or above the transformation range followed by
immediate quenching. The core of the component remains unaffected by the treatment and its
physical properties are those of the bar from which it was machined, whilst the hardness of the case
can be within the range 37/58 HRC. Carbon and alloy steels with an equivalent carbon content in the
range 0.40/0.45% are most suitable for this process.[1]
A source of high frequency electricity is used to drive a large alternating current through a coil. The
passage of current through this coil generates a very intense and rapidly changing magnetic field in
the space within the work coil. The workpiece to be heated is placed within this intense alternating
magnetic field where eddy currents are generated within the workpiece and resistance leads to Joule
heating of the metal.
This operation is most commonly used in steel alloys. Many mechanical parts, such as shafts, gears,
and springs, are subjected to surface treatments, before the delivering, in order to improve wear
behavior. The effectiveness of these treatments depends both on surface materials properties
modification and on the introduction of residual stress. Among these treatments, induction hardening
is one of the most widely employed to improve component durability. It determines in the work-piece
a tough core with tensile residual stresses and a hard surface layer with compressive stress, which
have proved to be very effective in extending the component fatigue life and wear resistance.[3]
Induction surface hardened low alloyed medium carbon steels are widely used for critical automotive
and machine applications which require high wear resistance. Wear resistance behavior of induction
hardened parts depends on hardening depth and the magnitude and distribution of residual
compressive stress in the surface layer.[2]

History[edit]
The basis of all induction heating systems was discovered in 1831 by Michael Faraday. Faraday
proved that by winding two coils of wire around a common magnetic core it was possible to create a
momentary electromotive force in the second winding by switching the electric current in the first
winding on and off. He further observed that if the current was kept constant, no EMF was induced in
the second winding and that this current flowed in opposite directions subject to whether the current
was increasing or decreasing in the circuit.[4]
Faraday concluded that an electric current can be produced by a changing magnetic field. As there
was no physical connection between the primary and secondary windings, the emf in the secondary
coil was said to be induced and so Faraday's law of induction was born. Once discovered, these
principles were employed over the next century or so in the design of dynamos (electrical
generators and electric motors, which are variants of the same thing) and in forms of
electrical transformers. In these applications, any heat generated in either the electrical or magnetic

circuits was felt to be undesirable. Engineers went to great lengths and used laminated cores and
other methods to minimise the effects.[4]
Early last century the principles were explored as a means to melt steel, and the motor generator
was developed to provide the power required for the induction furnace. After general acceptance of
the methodology for melting steel, engineers began to explore other possibilities for the utilisation of
the process. It was already understood that the depth of current penetration in steel was a function
of its magnetic permeability, resistivity and the frequency of the applied field. Engineers at Midvale
Steel and The Ohio Crankshaft Company drew on this knowledge to develop the first surface
hardening induction heating systems using motor generators.[5]