Method for heat treating a metal component
AssigneeHayes Wheels International, Inc.
InventorDaniel C. Wei
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method for heat treating a metal component uses a first heating system having a first high intensity heating portion to rapidly heat the component to a desired temperature and a second heating portion to maintain the component temperature for solution heat treatment. The heating system is an indexing-type system which includes a plurality of individual heating stations to effect solution heat treatment of the component. Following quenching, a second heating system having a first high intensity heating portion to rapidly heat the component to a desired temperature and a second heating portion to maintain the component temperature artificially ages the component.
Claims31
A method for heat treating a metal component comprising the steps of:
- (a) providing a heat treatment apparatus, the apparatus including a first portion having a plurality of high intensity heaters for rapidly heating the component to a temperature within a heat treatment temperature range, the first portion having a first temperature sensor which is operative to sense the temperature of the component and transmit the data to a control unit, the control unit being responsive to the sensed temperature to control the high intensity heaters, the apparatus also including a second portion having a heat source which is different from the heat source in the first portion for maintaining the component temperature within the heat treatment temperature range;
- (b) loading a component formed from a selected metal into the first portion of the apparatus;
- (c) supplying heat energy to the component from the high intensity heaters at a level to rapidly heat the component;
- (d) sensing the temperature of the component with the first temperature sensor and transmitting the temperature to the control unit;
- (e) monitoring the sensed component temperature with the control unit, the control unit being responsive to the sensed component temperature to reduce the heat energy supplied from the high intensity heaters when the component is heated to the temperature within the heat treatment temperature range;
- (f) moving the component from the first portion of the apparatus to the second portion of the apparatus;
- (g) supplying heat energy to the component in the second portion of the apparatus to maintain the component temperature within the heat treatment temperature range for a heat treatment time period;
- and
- (h) immediately following the heat treatment time period, quenching the component.
The method according to claim t wherein the second portion of the apparatus in step (a) includes electric resistance heaters for maintaining the component temperature.
A method for heat treating a metal component comprising the steps of:
- (a) forming a metal component from a selected metal, the metal component defining an axis and having a first portion formed perpendicular to the axis and a second portion formed concentric with the axis;
- and
- (b) heat treating the metal component by directing infrared radiation from a first group of infrared emitters in a first direction toward the first portion of the metal component and by directing infrared radiation from a second group of infrared emitters in a second direction toward at least a circumferential portion of the second portion of the metal component, the second direction being nonparallel to the first direction, both the first and second groups of infrared emitters being controlled to supply the infrared radiation at a level to rapidly heat the metal component and thereafter maintain the metal component temperature within a heat treatment temperature range for a heat treat time period corresponding to the selected metal.
A method for heat treating a metal component comprising the steps of:
- (a) providing a heat treatment apparatus, the apparatus including a first portion having a plurality of infrared heaters for rapidly heating the component to a temperature within a heat treatment temperature range and a second portion for maintaining the component temperature within the heat treatment temperature range;
- (b) loading a component formed from a selected metal into the first portion of the apparatus;
- (c) supplying heat energy to the component from the infrared heaters at a level to rapidly heat the component to the temperature within the heat treatment temperature range;
- (d) moving the component from the first portion of the apparatus to the second portion of the apparatus;
- (e) supplying heat energy to the component in the second portion of the apparatus to maintain the component temperature within the heat treatment temperature range for a predetermined time period;
- and
- (f) immediately following the heat treatment time period, quenching the component.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.