An equivalent volumetric heat source model for thermal conduction of plate forming by inducted line heating

Efficient computation for thermal conduction is particularly important for analyzing the plate forming induced by induction line heating. Coupled magneto-thermal model is time-consuming while the existing alternative heat source models are mainly based on empirical assumptions. This paper introduces an equivalent volumetric heat source model to enable the rapid estimation of thermal conduction in plate forming for a linear inductor. First, the distribution features of induced heat sources were investigated with a local yet accurate coupling model. Second, according to these features, an equivalent volumetric heat source (EVHS) model was proposed. Third, the relationship between the proposed EVHS model and the heating parameters was determined. Finally, the proposed model was applied to perform the thermal conduction analysis for a large-scale plate. The results reveal that the proposed model can be used to considerably reduce the calculation time while maintaining the same level of engineering precision.