Intelligent systems for induction hardening processes

摘要

Induction hardening is widely used to provide enhanced strength, wear resistance, and toughness in components made from medium and high carbon steels. Current limitations of the process include the lack of closed-loop process control, previously unidentified process and material variations which cause continual adjustment of the process parameters, coil and process development by trial and error, and an instability to monitor coil condition. Improvement of the induction hardening process is limited by an inadequate understanding of process fundamentals and material/process interactions. A multidisciplinary team from Sandia National Laboratories and Delphi Saginaw Steering Systems is investigating the induction hardening process under a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA). The application of intelligent control algorithms has led to the development of a closed-loop process controller for the combination of one material, one geometry, single frequency, single shot, process that controls to (plus minus) 0.1mm. This controller will be demonstrated on the production floor this year. Our approach and the opportunities for expanding the usefulness of this technology will be described.