Analysis and Research on the Influence of a Magnetic Field Concentrator on the Gear Heating Process Using a High-Frequency Resonant Inverter

The article presents basic information about the induction heating of gears, which are widely used in various industries. This article presents the methodology and results of a coupled FEM simulation of a circuit model for a power electronics converter connected to an inductor-charged heating system. The induction heating of gears was performed using a high-frequency inverter with SiC MOSFET transistors. A prototype inverter was built using a full-bridge structure with a series-parallel resonant circuit. The operating frequency was 350 kHz, the output power of the inverter was 3.5 kW, and the drain efficiency was equal to 96%. Coupled simulation was performed for a charge in the form of a gear made of 42CrMo4 steel (material parameters are provided in the article) for two types of heating: with and without a magnetic field concentrator. In addition, the article presents the results of co-simulation studies in the following form: a distribution of magnetic induction in the gear, energy density in the gear, the characteristics of energy density in a single tooth on the 8 mm length and the temperature of the tooth tip for two types of induction heating.