Modeling The Induction Hardening Of High-Carbon Saw Blades

Saws for food processing are designed to exhibit good resistance to corrosion and wear during service; the saws are made from high-carbon steel and are subjected to induction hardening to achieve the required properties. Such process offers good industrial advantages because heating is done at specific regions during very short times without heating all the material. The localized heating allows for the rapid cooling of the heated-up regions that result in transformation to austenite. This work presents the results of the simulation of induction heating using the finite and the boundary element methods to solve the heat transfer and electromagnetic phenomena. The model was coupled to a commercial package that considers the phase transformations occurring during the heating and quenching stages. The results of the simulation were validated with trials carried on site.