System Features

HOTPOINT - The Heat Treating Workplace, is a two-dimensional Finite Element Method (FEM)-based integrated computational system for simulating the complex material responses in industrial heat treating processes. HOTPOINT predicts the changing temperature, distortion, stress, strain, and microstructure during the cyclic operations of heating, soaking, and quenching. The induction module determines the power of Joule heating based on the calculated electric and magnetic fields. The system has the very unique feature in determining the accurate thermal boundary conditions by using the temperature histories measured at thermocouples embedded in the workpiece being heated or quenched.

Benefits

Reduced inconsistent distortion
Predict and ensure product quality
Significantly reduce lead-time to market
Reduced/eliminated corrective machining

System Structures

Graphical Pre-processor

- Process definition
- Material properties
- Transformation kinetics
- Workpiece data
- Automatic meshing
- Inverse calculation
- Simulation control

FEM Solver

- Heat transfer
- Induction heating
- Microstructural transformation
- Distortion/stress analysis
- Inverse calculation

Graphical Post-processor

- Snapshots
- Histograms
- Thermal boundary conditions

Industrial Applications

HOTPOINT can be well used in the following industrial applications:

• Distortion and failure analysis of heat-treated components
• Microstructure analysis of heat-treated components
• Heat treating by induction coil or furnace for forging or heat treating
• Optimize the induction heating/hardening processes
• Characterize the quenching power of media

Computing Hardware

Operation system: MS Windows NT/95/98 on 486/Pentium IBM compatible Personal Computers
RAM: At least 32 MB
Hard disk space: About 10 MB for code, at least another 500 MB for data files

Availability

The basic system includes the Pre-processor, FEM Solver (thermal module), and the Post-processor. Optional modules are also available for distortion/ stress analysis, induction heating, microstructural transformation, and inverse calculation. A 14-day free trial period is available. Contact the Developer for details.

Technical Papers

Contact the Developer for further technical papers regarding the theories being used in the computational system, and various industrial applications.

Developer

Professor T. Calvin Tszeng, Ph.D.
Department of Mechanical, Materials, and Aerospace Engineering
Illinois Institute of Technology
Chicago, IL 60616
Tel: (312) 567-3780
Fax: (312) 567-8875
E-mail:tszeng@iit.edu

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