Background. Currently, the determination of the temperature profile of the furnace required to ensure the specified heating parameters of the metal is carried out using the temperature measurement method or mathematical models. They are most based on solution of the differential equation of non-stationary thermal conductivity. Previously, the thermal diagram method of I.D. Semikin was widely used. It allows us, under given heating conditions, to determine heating duration. In practice, it is important to develop a simple engineering method that would allow the temperature field of the metal to be determined with sufficient accuracy under given heating conditions.
Materials and methods. The development is based on the thermal diagram method of I.D. Semikina. But at the same time, the final equation describing the heat balance of the metal within the furnace zone is solved relative to the enthalpy of the metal at the exit from the zone. The specified heating conditions (productivity, zone temperature) are used to determine the quantities of the right-hand side of the equation (time heating, average heat flux density).
Results. The authors have proposed the method for continuous furnaces of various types (push-type and with a mechanized hearth) that allows us for a given productivity and temperature profile of the furnace to calculate the change in the temperature state of the metal for all heating zones, from the moment of loading to the release of metal. The adequacy of the proposed methodology has been tested for two types of furnaces. For methodical push-type furnaces, the results obtained have been compared to the results of modeling the temperature state of the metal using a numerical method. The discrepancy between the results after passing the inertial heating period does not exceed 1 %. For a walking-beam furnace the calculated value of the metal surface temperature after the furnace has been compared with the results of operational measurements. The discrepancy is less than 2 %.
Conclusions. The totality of the results obtained ensures the achievement of the research goal. The proposed method is based on the heat balance equation and allows us to consider it to be correct. It is an engineering method and quite simple to implement. The method is recommended to be used to design furnaces and to calculate the temperature profile of furnaces by engineering departments of metallurgical enterprises.