Abstract: A carrier transport system transports a plurality of carriers by a transport conveyor into a heating furnace, advances a comb-shaped carrier stopper having a plurality of protrusions toward the carriers, moves the carriers by the transport conveyor in a transport direction to engage cutout grooves, provided respectively for the carriers, with the protrusions of the carrier stopper to thereby position the carriers at a time. The carrier transport system advances the carrier stopper toward the carriers to insert distal ends of the protrusions of the carrier stopper into insertion holes, and then determines, on the basis of a moved distance X of the carrier stopper, whether the carriers are properly positioned.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for heating a workpiece. An induction heating system is used to induce magnetic fields in a workpiece to inductively heat the workpiece. The induction heating system may comprise a portable power source, a portable power source controller, a fluid-cooled induction heating cable, and a portable cooling unit. The induction heating system may be used to perform a variety of induction heating operations, including: annealing, surface hardening, heat treating, stress-relieving, curing, shrink-fitting, etc.

Abstract: Equipment for metallic part hardening treatment comprising a support (10) and at least one working unit (50). The support is adapted to rotate the metallic part (20) during a hardening treatment. The working unit (50) comprises an inductor winding (51) to be positioned in front of a portion of said metallic part for heating said surface. According to the invention, the support (10) comprises one fixed spindle (11) to secure a first end (21) of the metallic part and one mobile tail stock (12) to contact a second end (22) of the metallic part. Therefore, only one end of the metallic part is secured whereas the other end is free to expand. The mechanical stresses applied to the metallic part during the hardening treatment are reduced and the distortion of the metallic part is prevented. Such equipment is well suited to crankshaft hardening treatment.

Abstract: A probe system for reliably monitoring a condition in a metallurgical process is provided which includes a probe having a circuit for generating a low DC voltage signal indicative of a condition in the metallurgical process, and an impedance monitoring circuit electrically connected to the probe circuit for passively and continuously measuring the impedance of the probe circuit to determine its reliability without disturbing its DC signal. The probe may be a slag detector, a thermocouple, a sulfur sensor, or an oxygen sensor of the type used in steel manufacturing processes. The impedance monitoring circuit includes an oscillator assembly and a known impedance that is serially connected to the probe circuit by means of coupling capacitors that prevent the conduction of potentially biasing DC currents through the probe circuit.