FEM Simulation Analysis of the Effect of Air Gap on Spot Induction Hardening Process

Spot induction hardening (SIH) is a novel heat treatment for hardening small region area on metal component surface. The air gap (AG) between inductor and workpiece is one of most important factors for SIH hardening effect. On the basis of the characteristics of SIH, a 3D finite element model coupled electromagnetic and temperature filed as well as phase transformation was developed via commercial software ANSYS. The investigation of the effect of AG on SIH process was carried out and the relationship between AG and temperature field, the microstructure transformation and the micro-hardness were obtained respectively via SIH model.