Lipetsk State Technical University (Lipetsk, Russia):

V. N. Meshcheryakov, Dr. Eng., Prof., Head of the chair of electric drive, e-mail: algebra934@yandex.ru
D. V. Bezdenezhnykh, Cand. Eng., Associate prof., Chair of electric drive

Nizhniy Novgorod State Technical University (Nizhniy Novgorod, Russia):

O. V. Fedorov, Dr. Eng., Prof., Chair of innovation management

“Systema 48” Scientific and Production Enterprise (Lipetsk, Russia):
S. S. Titov, Cand. Eng., General director

To create energetically efficient continuous-action equipment for symmetric heating of spherical metal products to a given depth for heat treatment without oxidation and decarburization is a challenging problem for some industries, including the mass production of milling bodies for ore-dressing and processing enterprises and cement plants, balls for rolling bearings and valves in hydraulic systems, and wear-resistant balls in the backwater gates of deep-well pumps for oil production. Induction heating with direct high-rate (several seconds or fractions of a second) conversion of electric energy into heat energy meets these industrial heating requirements best of all. This method of heating is characterized by simple temperature and heating depth control, which makes it possible to obtain the optimum combination of a high surface hardness (back-to-back endurance) of products with a relatively plastic core (anticracking) after quenching and tempering. However, despite all advantages of this method, it is only applied to produce articles of a continuous or near-continuous cross section with ensured symmetry of heating in the world practice. Therefore, the actual task is the research and development of equipment for symmetric induction heating of metal balls with subsequent studies to determine the optimal frequency and value of the current of the inductor, as well as the heating time of the ball. As a result of this research, one section of the inductor was research and developed, the optimal frequency and value of the inductor current was chosen, the heating time of the ball was estimated. The obtained results allow us to develop a concept for the construction of a induction heating plant with a spatially-spiral chute and an inductor consisting of a set of sections.
The study has been performed under the Start-1 program of the Innovation Assistance Fund (Contract No. 1195GS1 / 21661 dated 05.05.2016).

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