Magnetic Flux Controllers in Induction Heating and Melting
MAGNETIC FLUX CONTROLLERS are materials other than the copper coil that are used in induction systems to alter the flow of the magnetic field. Magnetic flux controllers used in power supplying components are not considered in this article. Magnetic flux controllers have been in existence since the development of the induction technique. Michael Faraday used two coils of wire wrapped around an iron core in his experiments that led to Faraday’s law of electromagnetic induction, which states that the electromotive force (emf) induced in a circuit is directly proportional to the time rate of change of the magnetic flux through the circuit. After the development of the induction principle, magnetic flux controllers, in the formof stacks of laminated steel, found widespread use in the development of transformers for more efficient transmission of energy (Ref 1, 2). Magnetic cores gained widespread use in the transformer industry because they increased the amount of magnetic flux produced with the same alternating current. The higher the magnetic flux, the higher the emf, which results in an increase in energy transfer efficiency from the primary winding to the secondary winding. Similar to transformers, magnetic cores were used on early furnaces for induction melting (Ref 1, 2). The benefits of magnetic flux controllers vary depending on the application. For induction heating, magnetic flux controllers can provide favorable and unfavorable paths for magnetic flux to flow, resulting in increased heating in desired areas and reduced the heating in undesirable areas, respectively. Magnetic flux controllers are not used in every induction heating application, but their use has increased (Ref 3, 4).
Optimal Design of Magnetic Flux Concentrators in Induction Heating
Magnetic flux concentrators (MFCs) are widely used in induction heating systems for concentration, shielding or redistribution of the magnetic field. They provide an accurate heat pattern control and improve the performance of the entire installation. In this paper, the coupled electromagnetic-thermal model simulates the entire system, and it takes into account the hysteresis losses in magnetic flux concentrators, as well as the cooling effect of the water in the coil. Firstly, it is investigated how the geometry of the flux concentrator influences the electromagnetic efficiency and the temperature distribution. Secondly, making use of a multi-objective optimization code, the trade-off between maximum temperature in the work-piece and in the MFC is studied.
Powder Metallurgical Processing of Intermetallic Gamma Titanium Aluminides
Intermetallic γ‐TiAl‐based alloys represent a new class of light‐weight structural materials for use at high temperatures. Because of their unique properties these alloys are considered for applications in aerospace and automotive industries. During the last decade both, alloy development and materials processing progressed significantly. New materials and powder metallurgy (PM) have formed a symbiosis since many decades. In fact, PM is an ancient technology which has been used for the processing for almost every metal or ceramic material. Therefore, it is hardly surprising that PM plays an important role in research and development of γ‐TiAl‐based alloys.