Heat treatment can be used to reduce residual stresses and thus increase the load-bearing capacity of components or welded joints. This involves heating the component to the necessary annealing temperature. In the case of components that cannot be annealed in a furnace due to their size or due to local treatment, the heat treatment can be carried out using local heating elements. With the help of the FEM calculation, we support our customers with extensive experience in designing the setup for the local heat treatment.
The temperature is raised to a target temperature in the desired area of a component in accordance with a reference temperature curve. After a specified holding time, a cooling phase follows according to the reference temperature curve.
The local heat treatment inevitably results in temperature differences and thus thermal gradients in the component. If these are too large, the component may be damaged. Furthermore, for complex components, or component areas that must not exceed certain temperature limits, a good preliminary investigation is crucial to ensure a uniform temperature distribution.
With the help of a simulation using a FEM calculation, the required heating power as well as various temperature results at any time of the heat treatment can be calculated in advance. It is also possible to ensure that thermal gradients and mechanical stresses in the component are permissible.
For this purpose, heating elements, insulation, ambient conditions, thermal sensors or even influences by thermal radiation or ventilation can be taken into account according to the physical situation.
In each time step of the heat treatment, a control algorithm determines the heating power of the heating elements required to make the temperature at individual support points (thermal sensors) follow the temperature of the reference temperature curve.
Your advantage through simulation
With the help of the results obtained, the setup of the heat treatment can be optimized in advance for improved temperature distribution by means of an FEM calculation. Furthermore, it shows positions where thermal sensors are useful as control points for the actual heat treatment.
Documentation of the simulation results
Depending on the customer’s requirements, documentation of the calculation results is provided in the form of a verifiable calculation report in German and English or in the form of a short documentation. In discussion with you, we present the results that are important to you in a clear and understandable way.