Study on the Temperature Uniformity of Sprocket Surface Based on Electromagnetic Guidance

Sprockets, as the most important component of chain drives, are widely used in low‐speed and heavy‐duty engineering equipment. Due to the complex contour shape, it is difficult to obtain a uniform temperature layer before quenching, which limits the strength, hardness, wear resistance, and service life of the sprocket. Therefore, the distribution of the temperature gradient of the sprocket in asynchronous dual‐frequency induction heating is investigated. A bilateral arrangement method of magnetizers is proposed to guide the spatial magnetic field distribution and control the surface temperature uniformity of the sprocket. Reinforced and shielded magnetizers are designed, revealing the characteristic effect of the main structural parameters of these magnetizers on the temperature uniformity of the sprocket. The results indicate that using these magnetizers during the medium‐frequency heating stage can change the heat source distribution characteristics at the top and bottom of the sprocket tooth. The sprocket obtains a more uniform temperature layer during the subsequent high‐frequency heating stage. The method reduces the temperature difference of the sprocket tooth profile by 53.2%. It is proven that the designed magnetizers and the bilateral arrangement method effectively improve the uniformity of the temperature distribution of the sprocket.