Parametric study of a sprocket system during heat-treatment process

The entire heat-treatment process, including induction heating followed by oil quenching, for sprockets made of S45C mid-carbon steel has been systematically analysed. An attempt is made to investigate the effect of geometrical parameters, such as cutout length and height, inner diameter and number of teeth, on the distortion of sprockets by using numerical simulations. In the heat-treatment model, phase transformation and plasticity are considered and temperature-dependent material properties are incorporated. The simulation results of the deformation of the sprockets after heat-treatment show a good agreement with experimental data.