Design and optimization of induction heating for tungsten heavy alloy prior to rotary swaging

Abstract

Induction heating is advantageously used in the industry to (pre)heat workpieces from ferromagnetic metallic materials. However, its application for heating of paramagnetic workpieces is still a challenge. The presented study focuses on design and optimization of induction heating for a pre-sintered WNiCo tungsten heavy alloy billet intended to be subjected to plastic deformation via warm rotary swaging. Firstly, induction heating to the initial deformation temperature of 900 degrees C is simulated via two different computational software based on the finite element method (FEM) in order to perform the best possible optimization of the heating process. Secondly, experimental induction heating is performed, prior to subsequent warm rotary swaging, to verify the designed process. Comparison of the final billet temperatures and their developments acquired via simulation and ex-periment exhibited satisfactory correlation. The study is supplemented with structure observations documenting the required heating through the WNiCo billet; the swaged structure exhibited deformed tungsten agglomerates, as well as high quality oxidation-free surface.