Precise Induction Heating of Non-ferrous Cylindrical Billets

Abstract

Electromagnetic treatment of materials by induction is becoming more widely used in science and industry.  The method of electromagnetic processing can be successfully used for melting and heat treatment of titanium and zirconium alloys. Different technologies using induction precise heating before plastic deformation are discussed in this paper.  For alloys of many metals such as titanium, zirconium, niobium, tantalum, etc., it is important to provide precision heating with a high degree of homogeneity of the temperature field and strict adherence to the condition of heating. This is explained by polymorphism of these alloys, their chemical activity at high temperatures and the specific thermal and electrical properties. It is very important for induction heating to define the extreme achievable unevenness of the temperature field. Optimal control can be used for massive billets to reduce significantly the heating time, energy expenses and to improve the quality of the temperature field distribution. Optimization of induction heating process can be achieved by synchronous solution of the problem of optimal control and design.