A novel methodology to ascertain the heating mechanism of steel wire during annealing in a tube furnace

The paper describes a methodology to determine the heating mechanism of steel wire inside a tube furnace used for annealing. The approach is based on Lumped Heat Capacity method of heating where the ‘surface heat transfer coefficient’ is obtained from radiation considerations. The developed methodology calculates the temperature of the wire as it travels along the tube furnace whose surface temperature is kept at about 800 oC. The results obtained from the developed methodology have been compared with experimental data and the possible reasons for the discrepancies identified. The influence of surface emissivity and its consequence on the heating rate has also been documented. The approach highlights that the method may serve as a useful tool to predict temperatures for this kind of furnace in order to optimize the manufacturing process.