A tunnel oven and associated method for the heat treatment of friction elements, and in particular of braking elements such as brake pads is provided. The friction elements are arranged on a resting surface of a conveyor device, are moved between an inlet opening and an outlet opening of the tunnel oven, and are heated by irradiation by at least one heating device. The heating device includes a radiating plate made from stainless steel arranged facing the conveyor device and heated by electromagnetic induction by means of at least one inductor arranged facing the radiating plate and spaced apart therefrom on the side opposite to the conveyor device. A cooling air flow for the braking elements between the resting surface and the radiating plate is directed in counterflow to a feeding direction of the conveyor device.

A method of heating direct reduced iron between a direct reduced iron source and processing equipment for the direct reduced iron, comprises providing a conduit heater assembly between the direct reduced iron source and the processing equipment, wherein the conduit heater assembly receives a flow of the direct reduced iron from the direct reduced iron source and heats the direct reduced iron as the direct reduced iron flows through the conduit heater assembly and to the processing equipment.

The functional condition of an induction crucible furnace is checked by first establishing a set-point parameter corresponding to an optimum functional condition of the induction crucible furnace and characterizing the vibratory behavior of same. Then, during normal operation of the furnace, an actual-value parameter of the vibratory behavior is determined. These two parameters are then compared and, if a magnitude of a difference therebetween exceeds a threshold, an alarm is generated.

The present invention relates to a plasma furnace capable of separating and discharging different kinds of molten material, which comprises a furnace body 110; and a heating portion 140 for heating the lateral discharge gate 120, 130, wherein the furnace body comprises a melt discharge portion formed through a lower portion of the melting chamber 101 provided for accommodating molten material; and at least two lateral discharge gates 120, 130 provided at different heights capable of discharging molten material.

A railless billet electric induction heating apparatus and method is provided where billets are continuously or statically heated by induction by moving the billets without billet support rails through an induction coil supplied with alternating current power when the billets are in direct sliding contact with the interior surface of a clay graphite billet slider disposed within the induction coil. The clay graphite billet slider can also provide thermal insulation between the induction coil and the clay graphite billet slider to eliminate the requirement for a separate induction coil refractory.

A circulating apparatus for circulating the body of molten metal within an associated furnace is provided. The circulating apparatus includes a molded body with an inlet and an outlet. The inlet and the outlet are aligned with corresponding openings on the associated furnace. The inlet and the outlet define a flow chamber within the molded body. An inductor is secured to a portion of the molded body. The inductor is configured to pump molten metal from the associated furnace and into the flow chamber. A flow channel is spaced from the inlet and the outlet on the molded body. A dam assembly is positioned adjacent the outlet. The dam assembly is movable between a raised position and a lowered position relative to the outlet. The molten fluid flows back into the associated furnace when the dam assembly is in the raised position and the molten fluid flows to the flow channel when the dam assembly is in the lowered position.

A shaping machine comprising an induction coil for inductive heating, in particular melting, of a material, and a body substantially surrounding the induction coil, wherein the body substantially radially and/or axially surrounding the induction coil is a magnetic and/or magnetizable body.

A method of heating direct reduced iron between a direct reduced iron source and processing equipment for the direct reduced iron, comprises providing a conduit heater assembly between the direct reduced iron source and the processing equipment, wherein the conduit heater assembly receives a flow of the direct reduced iron from the direct reduced iron source and heats the direct reduced iron as the direct reduced iron flows through the conduit heater assembly and to the processing equipment.

The invention proposes a method for heating a steel sheet wherein the generation of buckling can be prevented regardless of presence or absence of rolls restraining the steel sheet by antecedently heating the widthwise central portion of the steel sheet with a solenoid type induction heating coil having a convex form projected onto the surface of the steel sheet toward an upstream side in rapidly heating the continuously traveling steel sheet, whereby an isotherm of the steel sheet in the heating is a convex form toward the upstream side, so that a large wrinkle is generated on the steel sheet, and also proposes a heating apparatus used in this method.

An induction furnace assembly comprising a chamber having a mold; a primary inductive coil coupled to the chamber; a susceptor surrounding the chamber between the primary inductive coil and the mold; and a shield material contained in a reservoir coupled to or proximate the mold between the susceptor and the mold; the shield material configured to attenuate a portion of an electromagnetic flux generated by the primary induction coil that is not attenuated by the susceptor.