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Show Table 3 - Heat Treating R&D Needs Furnace design • Improved cooling methods for batch anneal furnaces (e.g., forced cooling) • Improved cont inuous gas -fi red furnace des igns that use ceramic fiber linings, cutting down on fiber erosion from the gas flow and fiber damage from the moving stock • Testing of pulse-fired technologies • Reliable, rapid on-line equipment for heat treatment of rolled steel to alter grain structure • Higher temperature gas-fired fluidized beds to compete with high-temperature salt bath furnaces (i.e., for specialized heat treatments) • Furnace designs to improve use of exhaust heat (e.g., for preheating or drying workpieces) • Furnace designs that generate atmospheres directly within the furnace • Improved atmosphere generator designs to reduce maintenance requirements (e.g. , down time caused by corrosion) Automation and controls • Smaller, more automated gas-fired systems for flexible manufacturing cell installations • Improved controls and automation for flame hardening equipment Automation and controls (continued) • Gas-related sensors and controls to improve the compatibility of gas-fired equipment with automation efforts aimed at reducing operating costs and increasing reliability and repeatability • On-line regulators to control atmosphere gas composition (e.g., automated carbon diffusion modeling with furnace control feedback) Information transfer • Training materials for personnel who must operate and maintain advanced equipment (e.g., training for operation of computer controls) • Information on the results of pilot tests for new heat treating equipment and processes 257 • Computer models to simulate reactions at the meta 1/ atmosphere interface and gas di ffus ion into the workpiece • Computer-aided diagnostics to analyze equipment breakdowns • Computer models for off-line "what-if" analyses (e.g., what happens if the refractory brick is changed?) • Compiled data on pressure control, refractory linings, and recuperation in a condensed and usable form (not like a publicity bulletin) |