Numerical Analysis Evaluation of Carburizing Depth Measurement Method for Surface Carburizing Steel Using AC Magnetic Field

The carburizing and quenching process is a surface hardening technique employed to enhance durability, particularly wear resistance. In this process, only the surface of the steel material is carburized, resulting in a steel material with a hardened surface and a tough core. Measuring the depth of the hardened layer in carburized material is crucial for quality control. There are notable differences in the hysteresis magnetization curve and electrical conductivity between the carburized and non-carburized layers. Consequently, an electromagnetic inspection method is proposed to measure the depth of the carburized layer by detecting these differences in electromagnetic properties. This paper demonstrates the efficacy of the proposed method through 3D nonlinear finite element method (FEM) analysis using the play model method, which accounts for the hysteresis magnetization curves and conductivities of both the carburized and non-carburized layers. Additionally, a verification experiment is being conducted.