Numerical Analysis of the Process of Heating of a Bed of Steel Bars / Numeryczna Analiza Procesu Nagrzewania Złoza Pretów Stalowych

Abstract

The article describes the computation of the time of heating of a bed of bars in the heat treatment process. The charge was subjected to under-annealing, which is used in industry, e.g., to facilitate sawing of bars or billets into a sections intended for hot forging. The beds under examination were regarded as solid elements, which was possible thanks to the knowledge of the effective thermal conductivity, λ. The value of this quantity for the temperature range under consideration was determined based on the author’s original investigation. During heating of a bundle of bars at a constant heating medium temperature, a temperature difference occurs on the charge cross-section, which is significantly greater than that provided for by the technology. It is therefore essential to carry out a second soaking stage in order to achieve the cross-sectional temperature difference at a level of 20°C. The computation of soaking was conducted for the assumed conditions of a constant temperature on the charge surface and the parabolic distribution of temperature on the cross-section.