Finite element method analysis of flow and heat transfer of aging heat furnace for aluminum alloy plates

Due to its high hardness and easy processing in certain tempers, the 2014 aluminum alloy is often used in the aerospace industry. Therefore, heat treatment for the aging of the 2014 aluminum alloy plates is an important quality concern, and its prediction using numerical simulations may contribute to the optimization of the process. The simulation of the aging treatment covers steps from the introduction of the plates in the furnace, at room temperature until their removal, respectively after 9 hours at 177°C ± 3°C. The simulation results are compared with the industrial tests on an indirectly heated, fuel-fired batch furnace. The study is aimed to determine the airflow inside the furnace and the minimum time to reach the set temperature. The simulation results help to better understand the healing process and to predict the minimum time required for a batch to reach the set temperature according to its weight.