Numerical and Experimental Study of the Deformation of Gray Cast Iron Plates

Abstract

Helical heating coils are widely used in most conventional electric stoves for many years, these heating coils can reach 600-700°C, which is higher than the ignition point of oil and grease (about 400°C), leading to many fires. Pioneering Technology Inc. has developed a Safe-T Element plate to address such problem. The Safe-T Element plate is manufactured from Gray Cast Iron. However, these plates deform during its use. This study was carried out to investigate the current Safe-T Element design, both experimentally and numerically, in order to determine the root causes behind the deformation problem of the plate, and to suggest changes to the existing design in order to limit its distortion to acceptable targets. A chemical analysis was carried out to establish the type of material of the Safe-T Element plate. Chemical analysis showed that the material of the plate is cast iron. The microstructure of the plate was tested in order to examine its type and homogeneity. Tensile testing was carried to establish the grade of the material, and to calculate the value of its young's modulus and yield strength. Tensile testing indicated that the material of the Safe-T Element plate is close to Gray Cast Iron Class 40. Differential scanning calorimetry testing was carried out to investigate thermal stability of the plate material. This test indicated that material is thermally stable. Thermal cycling testing indicated that the root cause of the deformation problem is elastic thermal buckling. Temperature uniformity tests were carried out. More than 100°C temperature variation in the radial direction was observed. To address the distortion of the plate, an optimum geometry has been suggested based on the findings of the numerical investigation by removing the outer ring from the original design of the plate.