A heating blanket includes an interlaced heating layer having a fabric thread and a heat-generating thread interlaced with the fabric thread to form the interlaced heating layer. The heat-generating thread includes a conductor wire configured to generate a magnetic field in response to an electrical current applied to the conductor wire, and a susceptor wire formed of a susceptor material configured to inductively generate heat in response to the magnetic field of the conductor wire when a temperature of the susceptor wire is below a Curie point of the susceptor wire. Methods of forming the heating blanket and methods of heating a contoured surface using the heating blanket are also disclosed.

A coaxially arranged smart susceptor conductor, comprising a smart susceptor core comprising an alloy having a first Curie temperature point and a first smart susceptor shell coaxially arranged around the smart susceptor core. The first smart susceptor shell comprising a second Curie temperature point that is different than the first Curie temperature point of the smart susceptor core. In one arrangement, the second Curie temperature point of the first smart susceptor shell is lower than the first Curie temperature point of the smart susceptor core. In another arrangement, the smart susceptor conductor further comprises a second smart susceptor shell disposed about the first smart susceptor shell. The second smart susceptor shell comprising a third Curie temperature point.

There is described an aerosol-forming substrate for use in combination with an inductive heating device. The aerosol-forming substrate comprises a solid material capable of releasing volatile compounds that can form an aerosol upon heating of the aerosol-forming substrate and at least a first susceptor material for heating of the aerosol-forming substrate. The first susceptor material is arranged in thermal proximity of the solid material. The aerosol-forming substrate further comprises at least a second susceptor material having a second Curie-temperature which is lower than a predefined maximum heating temperature of the first susceptor material. There is also described an aerosol-delivery system.

Thermoplastic welding apparatus and related methods are disclosed. An example method includes providing a smart susceptor between composite parts that are to be joined via thermoplastic welding. The example method includes positioning the composite parts and the smart susceptor on a tooling surface within a cavity of a tooling apparatus and applying a seal to the composite parts and the tooling surface to form a vacuum chamber between the composite parts and the tooling surface at a welding joint of the composite parts; producing a magnetic field at the welding joint. The example method includes providing a vacuum in the vacuum chamber during a welding operation.

An inductive heating device heats an aerosol-forming substrate including a susceptor. The device includes a device housing, a DC power source for providing a DC supply voltage and a DC current, power supply electronics including a DC/AC converter, the DC/AC converter including an LC load network including a series connection of a capacitor and an inductor having an ohmic resistance, a cavity in the device housing for accommodating a portion of the aerosol-forming substrate to inductively couple the inductor of the LC load network to the susceptor. The inductor is embedded in the device housing at a proximal end of the device housing to surround the cavity which is also arranged at the proximal end of the device housing. A microcontroller determines from the DC supply voltage and the DC current an apparent ohmic resistance, and from the apparent ohmic resistance the temperature of the susceptor.

A heating blanket is disclosed. The heating blanket may include a conductor yarn configured to receive electrical current and generate a magnetic field in response to the electrical current, and a plurality of susceptor yarns composed of a magnetic material including a Curie point. The conductor yarn and the plurality of susceptor yarns may be interlaced to form a layer of fabric.

An electrically heatable aerosol-generating device configured to receive an aerosol-forming article including a magnetic material, the device including: a heater element configured to heat the aerosol-forming article; an inductor; and a controller configured to measure an inductance of the inductor, the heater element being further configured to be controlled in response to a measured inductance of the inductor and to provide a predetermined heating profile based on a type of the aerosol-forming article. An aerosol-generating system including the aerosol-generating device and at least one aerosol-forming article is also provided. A method of operating an electrically heated aerosol-generating system is also provided.

An aerosol-generating article is provided, including: a plurality of elements assembled within a wrapper in the form of a rod having a mouth end and a distal end upstream from the mouth end, the plurality of elements including an aerosol-forming substrate disposed at or towards the distal end of the rod; and a susceptor configured to heat the aerosol-forming substrate, the susceptor including a first susceptor material and a second susceptor material being different from the first susceptor material, the second susceptor material being plated, deposited, or welded onto the first susceptor material, the susceptor being an elongate susceptor having a length dimension that is greater than a width dimension thereof or than a thickness dimension thereof, the susceptor being disposed in a radially central position within the aerosol-forming substrate, and the second susceptor material having a Curie temperature that is lower than 500° C.

A processing apparatus such as a heating and/or debulking apparatus that may be used to debulk a plurality of uncured composite layers to form an article such as an aircraft component may include a plurality of interconnected smart susceptor heater blankets. The plurality of smart susceptor heater blankets may be connected in series or in parallel, and may be controlled to uniformly heat the component during formation. The plurality of smart susceptor heater blankets may be supported by a deployment system that lowers the plurality of smart susceptor heater blankets toward, and raises the plurality of smart susceptor heater blankets away from, a working surface.

Disclosed is a heating element for use in heating aerosolizable material to volatilize at least one component of the aerosolisable material. The heating element includes a heat resistant support and a coating on the support. The coating includes cobalt.