Flux concentrator assembly for inductor

• US 4,549,057 A
• Filed: 10/24/1984
• Issued: 10/22/1985
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/1984
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Tocco, Inc. (Park-Ohio Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Tocco, Inc. (Park-Ohio Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Anderson, Keith
• Primary Examiner(s): Leung, Philip H.
• Application Number:
  US06/664,371
• Time in Patent Office: 363 Days
• Field of Search: 219/10.79, 219/10.49 R, 219/10.43, 219/10.57, 219/9.5, 219/8.5, 29/602 R, 29/606, 29/607, 29/608, 29/609, 336/233, 336/234, 336/62
• US Class Current: 219/673
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 6/102 the metal pieces being rotated while induction heated
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 6/365 using supplementary conductive or ferromagnetic pieces
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49073 by assembling coil and core
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49078 Laminated

Abstract

A single loop inductor for inductively heating elongated workpieces is provided with flux concentrator assemblies accurately located on the parallel conductors by lamination keepers retained in keyways in the conductor.

Claims

1. An inductor for inductively heating a cylindrical workpiece fixedly mounted for rotation about an axis and having an exterior cylindrical surface to be heated over a predetermined axial length comprising:

a conductor member fixedly mounted with respect to the workpiece connectable to a power supply and having an axial conductor section in radially spaced relation to the workpiece surface and said axis said conductor section having a length greater than the predetermined axial length to be heated;

slot means formed in the conductor section transverse to said axis, the axial distance between said slot means and the location thereof on said conductor section being accurately referenced to said predetermined axial length of the workpiece surface in said heating position;

keeper means carried in the slot means having mutually facing axial faces defining said predetermined length; and

, flux concentrator means carried on the conductor section, said flux concentrator means having an axial length equal to said predetermined length for establishing a uniform heating pattern over the predetermined length of the workpiece surface when the conductor member is energized by the power supply.

2. The inductor recited in claim 1 wherein said slot means comprise pairs of keyways formed transversely in opposed surfaces of said conductor section and said keeper means having spaced legs slidably retained in a pair of said slots.

3. The inductor recited in claim 2 wherein said flux concentrator means comprises a plurality of elements each having spaced legs slidably received over said opposed surfaces of said conductor section with said plurality of elements being retained between said facing surfaces of said keeper means.

4. The inductor recited in claim 3 wherein said concentrator means and said keeper means have substantially identical peripheral configurations.

5. In a single turn inductor comprising a pair of parallel conductors having a generally square cross section interconnected at the ends thereof by arcuate crossover conductors and having generally U-shaped flux concentrating members having spaced legs carried by the parallel conductors for establishing a flux concentration effect on a workpiece fixedly mounted for rotation about an axis and electrically inductively loaded therebetween wherein said flux concentrating members have predetermined widths and said workpiece has a predetermined length over which the flux concentration effect is to be imposed, the improvement comprising:

at least two pairs of transverse slots formed in opposed surfaces of the parallel conductors and keeper members having spaced legs slidably received in pairs of the opposed slots, said slots being accurately spaced such that opposed mutually facing surfaces of the keeper members define the predetermined length whereby an even number of flux concentrators can be mounted therebetween to establish said predetermined length based on an even multiple of the predetermined widths of the flux concentrator members, said slots being located on the parallel conductor so to establish the flux concentration effect over said predetermined length of said workpiece and thereby accurately inductively heat the workpiece upon energization of the inductor.

6. The single turn inductor recited in claim 5 wherein said flux concentrator members are retained between adjacent keeper members.

7. The single turn inductor recited in claim 5 wherein flux concentrator members are retained between a flux concentrator member and one of said crossover conductors.

8. An inductor for establishing a flux concentration effect with respect to a cylindrical surface of predetermined axial length on a workpiece rotating about an axis comprising:

a conductor having ends adapted to be connected to a power supply and a conductor section radially spaced from the workpiece surface and axially overlying said cylindrical surface, said conductor being rectangular and having spaced top and bottom surfaces, and radially spaced inner and outer surfaces;

a flux concentrator comprising a plurality of generally U-shaped laminates having axial end faces axially spaced equal to said predetermined length and spaced legs slidable with respect to said top and bottom surfaces of said conductor with a base engaging said outer surface of said conductor;

first and second generally U-shaped keepers, said first keeper engaging one end face of said concentrator and said second keeper engaging the other end face of said concentrator, said keepers having leg portions of predetermined width; and

,

first and second sets of keyways transversely formed in top and bottom surfaces of the conductor complementary to the width and spacing of said keeper legs for slidably receiving the legs thereof, said first set of keyways being axially aligned with one end of said predetermined workpiece length, said second set of keyways axially aligned with the other end of said predetermined workpiece length, the spacing between mutually facing surfaces of said keepers being equal to said length of said concentrator, said concentrator being slidably received over said conductor section and retained between said keepers whereby energization of the power supply will provide said flux concentration effect over said predetermined length of said rotating workpiece.