Four à induction
An induction furnace melts metal without a flame and without touching it. This simulation shows the water-cooled coil, the alternating field it produces, and the eddy currents driven inside the charge that heat it to melting point.
Comment utiliser cette simulation
- Vary the coil current and the driving frequency
- Choose different charge materials
- Watch the temperature rise over time
Ce qu’il faut observer
- Heating rate climbs steeply with both coil current and frequency
- The metal heats from within, so the crucible itself stays comparatively cool
- Non-conducting materials placed in the coil barely heat at all
La physique derrière
A high-frequency alternating current in the coil produces a rapidly changing magnetic field, which induces large eddy currents in the conducting charge. Those currents dissipate power as I²R heating directly inside the metal. Because higher frequencies concentrate current near the surface — the skin effect — frequency choice controls how the heat is distributed through the charge.