Efficiency of Model Induction Motor Using Various Non-Oriented Electrical Steels

The performance of a 3-phase 6-pole 400 W inverter-drive induction motor was investigated using a variety of non-oriented electrical steels for stator core at PWM inverter fundamental wave frequencies of 30 to 300 Hz. There existed an optimum Si content of the material depending on the tooth flux density. Both reduction of material thickness and stress-relief annealing of the stator core improved the motor efficiency. The influence of Si content on the efficiency was small at lower PWM frequencies, while at higher frequencies the motor efficiency increased with increasing Si content. The Cu loss WC increased and the Fe loss Wi counteractiveiy decreasedwith increasing Si content at lower frequencies; while at higher frequencies Wi had dominant effect on the efficiency. Newly developed materials RMA, having lower Fe losses after stress-relief annealing and higher flux densities with lower Si contents, showed motor efficiencies superior to conventional J1S grade materials with comparable Fe losses.

Effect of Boron Content on the Microstructure and Magnetic Properties of Non-oriented Electrical Steels

The effects of boron content in the range of 0-0.0082 wt%, on the inclusion type, microstructurc, texture and magnetic properties of non-oriented electrical steels have been studied. After final annealing, the addition of excess boron（w（B0〉0.004 1 wt%） led to the formation of Fe2B particles. As boron content increased, grain size increased and reached a maximum in steel with 0.004 1 wt% boron. Furthermore, steel containing 0.004 1 wt% boron had the strongest { 100} fiber texture, Goss texture and the weakest { 111 } fiber texture among the five tested steels. Flux density firstly rapidly increased and then suddenly decreased with increasing boron content and reached a maximum in steel with 0.004 1 wt% boron. Conversely, core loss first sharply decreased and then abruptly increased with the increase of boron content and reached a minimum in steel containing 0.004 1 wt% boron. Steel containing 0.004 1 wt% boron obtained the best magnetic properties, predominantly through the development of optimum grain size and favorable texture.

Fatigue Cracking Characterization of High Grade Non-oriented Electrical Steels

The fatigue behavior of 30 WGP1600 non-oriented electrical steel, which is generally used in the motors for electrical vehicles, was investigated. The detailed microstructure and dislocation configurations of the fatigue specimens were examined by OM, SEM, and TEM. The test results showed that fatigue cracks were commonly initiated from the surface grain boundaries, crystals plane, and inclusions. The rapid fatigue crack propagation was characterized by transgranular cleavage fracture, while most transient fracture exhibited ductile tearing characteristics. After cyclic deformation of the non-oriented electrical steels, various dislocation structures, such as short and thick lines, veins, persistent slip bands, cells, and labyrinth, were observed.

AlN Precipitates and Microstructure in Non-oriented Electrical Steels Produced by Twin-roll Casting Process

Aluminum nitride （AIN） precipitates and microstructure of 4 wt.% （Si＋AI） non-oriented electrical steel were investigated. The 2.0 mm thick cast strips with three different silicon/aluminum （Si/AI） ratios were produced by twin-roll casting process, then the strips were reheated, warm rolled, cold rolled and annealed. The microstructure and AIN precipitates were characterized using optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The results showed that with the increase of Si/AI ratio, on the one hand, the casting microstructure changed from columnar grains to equiaxed grains, and the uniformity of annealed microstructure was improved; On the other hand, the number of AIN precipitates in cast strips reduced meanwhile the distribution became dispersed. By the reheat treatment, the size and distribution of the AIN precipitates can be changed. Moreover, the grain size of the annealed strips is in the range of 20-50 #m, at the same time, many AIN precipitates were located at grain boundaries. Therefore, controlling the Si/AI ratio is a simple method to obtain desired microstructure. Then AIN precipitates in non-oriented electrical steel prepared by twin-roll casting process hinder markedly the recrystallized grains growth, A compatible reheat treatment can be an approach worth exploring to control the behavior of AIN precipitates.

Effect of lanthanum content on microstructure and magnetic properties of non-oriented electrical steels

The effect of lanthanum content in the range of 04）.01 1 wt.%, on the inclusion size distribution, microstructure, texture and magnetic properties of three non-oriented electrical steels was studied. After final annealing, lanthanum effectively inhibited the precipitation of MnS precipitates in steel, the formations of La2O2S and LaS inclusions not only acted as nuclei of AlN precipitates, but also combined with A1203 and formed composite inclusions with larger size. Grain size firstly increased and then decreased with lanthanum content increasing. Steel containing 0.0066 wt.% lanthanum obtained the largest grain size, the strongest { 110} 〈 110〉 texture and the weakest { 112}〈110〉 texture among all the tested steels. Magnetic flux density firstly increased and then decreased, core loss firstly dramatically decreased and then slightly decreased with lanthanum content increasing. Among the three tested steels, steel with 0.0066 wt.% lanthanum demonstrated the best comprehensive magnetic properties mainly through the development of favorable texture and appropriate final grain size.

Effect of normalization on texture evolution of 0.2-mm-thick thingauge non-oriented electrical steels with strong η-fiber textures

Thin-gauge non-oriented electrical steel sheets of 0.2 mm in thickness with high magnetic induction and low core loss were produced by a two-stage cold-rolling method with and without normalization annealing.The through-process texture evolutions of the two processes were compared and studied by means of X-ray diffractometer and electron backscattered diffraction.Results showed that excellent magnetic properties were attributed to strong η-fiber recrystallization texture in the final sheet.Coarse γ-fiber-oriented grains after intermediate annealing and medium cold-rolling reduction were considered key factors to obtain a strong γ-fiber texture given that a large number of shear bands within the γ-fiber deformed matrix provided dominant nucleation sites for η-fiber-oriented grains.The normalization annealing after hot rolling was favorable for the retention of cube texture,thereby decreasing the magnetic anisotropy of thin-gauge non-oriented electrical steels.

Effects of Sn Addition on Core Loss and Texture of Non-Oriented Electrical Steels

The effects of Sn addition on core loss and texture of non-oriented electrical steels were investigated. Experiments revealed that the core loss of non-oriented electrical steels could be obviously decreased and the intensity of {111 } texture and { 112} texture of final annealed specimens could be markedly reduced by Sn addition. The reasons for reducing core loss and the intensity of unfavorable texture were analyzed.

Effect of pre-annealing prior to cold rolling on the precipitation,microstructure and magnetic properties of strip-cast non-oriented electrical steels

A novel processing route involving strip casting, pre-annealing treatment, cold rolling and recrystallization annealing was applied to a Fe-2.6%Si steel to improve the magnetic properties. The impact of as-cast strip pre-annealing on the microstructure, texture, precipitation and magnetic properties were investigated by electron probe micro-analysis, transmission electron microscopy, and X-ray diffraction analysis,etc. It was found that the precipitation of second-phase particles during strip casting was restrained by rapid solidification. The absence of pre-annealing led to the occurrence of a large amount of 20-50 nm Mn S precipitates in the final annealed sheets, which is responsible for fine grains and high core loss（4.01 W/kg） due to grain boundary pinning effect. Although the microstructure and texture of 900-1000？C pre-annealed samples were similar to those of as-cast strip, significant grain coarsening together with the strengthening of-fiber texture was observed in the 1100？C pre-annealed strips. In comparison with the case of as-cast strip, a higher amount of large-sized precipitates consisting of manganese sulfide and/or aluminum nitride occurred in matrix after pre-annealing. Correspondingly, in the final annealed sheets, the number density of precipitates with sizes smaller than 100 nm was substantially reduced, and100-200 nm and 200-500 nm sized particles became more dominant in samples subjected to 30-min and 120-min pre-annealing treatments respectively. In addition, the average grain size of final annealed sheets increased with the pre-annealing temperature and time because of the weakened pining effect of coarsen precipitates. Ultimately, the magnetic induction of samples subjected to pre-annealing was slightly increased and ranged from 1.73 T to 1.75 T owing to the enhancement of {100} recrystallization texture, and simultaneously the core loss significantly decreased until a minimum of 3.26 W/kg was reached. Nevertheless, large number of 200-500 nm particles presented during pre-annealing for 120 min could weaken the improvement in core loss which is likely associated with the pinning effect on magnetic domain wall.

Operation and Management of Electrical Equipment in Iron and Steel Enterprises

How to ensure the reliable operation of the complex and huge electrical system composed of a large number of electrical equipment in iron and steel enterprises?Combined with working experience,the author introduces four main factors affecting the normal operation of equipment,analyzes five main problems existing in the operation and management of electrical equipment,and puts forward corresponding improvement measures,so as to improve the management level of electrical equipment in iron and steel enterprises.

Possible influence of sulfur content on magnetic aging behaviors of non-oriented electrical steels

Six non-oriented steel sheets of similar grade produced by different steel companies were used to analyze the magnetic aging behaviors after aging at 200~C for 48 h. It was observed that tiny S atoms, besides C and N, could also induce certain increase of core loss during aging. Thermodynamic calculation indicated that the nucleation driving force of FeS is much higher than those of Fe3C and Fe4N at low temperature, while S atoms, which tend to segregated around dislocations and boundaries, would diffuse rapidly along the crystalline defects while FeS particles would form. Therefore, higher content of tiny S atoms could increase core loss during service time of non-oriented steel sheets.

Effect of Cutting Techniques on the Structure and Magnetic Properties of a High-grade Non-oriented Electrical Steel

The high grade non-oriented electrical steel sheets containing 3.0%Si were manufacturing processed using different cutting techniques, then they were stress relief annealed（SRA）, the profiles and textures of the cutting edges were compared before and after annealing, and the magnetic properties of these specimens were tested and compared. The experimental results show that the iron loss of the specimen by water jet cutting is the lowest, but the magnetic induction under the low magnetic field is the highest, the iron loss of the specimen by laser cutting is the highest, but the magnetic induction under the low magnetic field is the lowest. It is necessary to adopt suitable production conditions and minimize the deterioration involved, and the magnetic property can be recovered by SRA effectively.

Development history and technological progress of non-oriented electrical steel sheets at Baosteel

This paper briefly summarized the development history, product catalogue and magnetic properties of non- oriented electrical steel sheets at Baosteel, as well as the development and application of high-value-added steel grades. Recent advances in manufacturing electrical steel sheets were also introduced, including technologies for controlling inclusion,for producing high-grade steel strips by a tandem rolling mill and for controlling the transverse thickness difference of steel sheets, and the development of environmentally friendly coatings.

Effect of annealing parameter on microstructure and magnetic properties of cold rolled non-oriented electrical steel

The microstructure and magnetic properties of cold rolled non-oriented electrical steel,annealed at 200-1 000 ℃ for 0-240 min with different heating rates,were investigated by optical microscopy,scanning electron microscopy,Epstein frame,and transmission electron microscopy. The results show that the magnetic properties of cold rolled non-oriented electrical steel can be improved by controlling the annealing process to obtain uniform coarse grains with critical sizes after the recovery,recrystallization and growth of grains. Additionally,the annealing temperature influences the magnetic properties more significantly than annealing time,and with the increase of heating-up rate during the annealing process,the magnetic properties of the cold rolled non-oriented electrical steel increase.

Effect of Typical Elements on the Heredity of Hot-rolled and Annealed Texture in Non-oriented Electrical Steel

Macroscopic texture and microscopic orientation in hot-rolled and annealed sheets of nonoriented electrical steel were studied by XRD and EBSD techniques. The microstructure of hot-rolled and annealed samples was studied by OM. Experimental results indicate that a strong heredity is observed in texture evolution between hot-rolled texture and annealed texture. Typical elements have a large effect on the recrystallization microstructure and texture distribution. The texture distribution through thickness is highly affected by recrystallization in hot rolled sheets. The recrystallization is boosted by Si and Al. Goss grains originate from cracked initial 〈100〉 columnar grains. {110}〈112〉, {112}〈111〉 and {111}〈112〉 grains are related to Goss grains. In subsurface lay of hot rolled sheets, Al can strengthen Goss texture and weaken copper-type texture. {112}〈111〉 texture and {110}〈112〉 texture are strengthened by Si. In the central layers, {100}〈001〉 texture and {111}〈121〉 texture are weakened by Al. {100}〈011〉 texture is increased by Al. Si can increase the proportion of γ-fiber texture and decrease that of {100}〈011〉 texture. In annealed texture, {100}〈001〉 texture and Goss texture are decreased by Al and Si. γ-fiber texture is increased by Si and {111}〈121〉 texture is preferentially increased by Al. The recrystallized grain size is increased and iron loss of annealed sheets is reduced by Al and Si, which means that the magnetic properties are optimized by the Al and Si content.

High temperature plastic deformation behavior of non-oriented electrical steel

High temperature plastic deformation behavior of non-orientated electrical steel was investigated by Gleeble 1500 thermo-mechanical simulator at strain rate of 0.01-10 s-1 and high temperature of 500-1 200 ℃. The stress level factor (α), stress exponent (n), structural factor (A) and activation energy (Q) of high temperature plastic deformation process of non-orientated electrical steel in different temperature ranges were calculated by the Arrhenius model. The results show that, with dynamic elevation of deformation temperature, phase transformation from α-Fe to γ-Fe takes place simultaneously during plastic deformation, dynamic recovery and dynamic recrystallization process, leading to an irregular change of the steady flow stress. For high temperature plastic deformation between 500 and 800 ℃, the calculated values of α, n, A, and Q are 0.039 0 MPa-1, 7.93, 1.9×1018 s-1, and 334.8 kJ/mol, respectively, and for high temperature plastic deformation between 1 050 and 1 200 ℃, the calculated values of α, n, A, and Q are 0.125 8 MPa-1, 5.29, 1.0×1028 s-1, and 769.9 kJ/mol, respectively.

A Physical Core-Loss Model for Laminated Magnetic Sheet Steels

A full-frequency instant core-loss equation built from the induction physical model of magnetic materials, where the iron loss, eddy loss, and hysteresis loss no longer have an integral term, and this new equation provides high simulation accuracy and performs dynamic core loss analysis on non-sinusoidal or pulse magnetic fields. The simulation examples use a high-grade electrical steel sheet 65CS400 by Epstein experimental data covering magnetic field 0.1 - 1.8 T and frequency 50 - 5000 Hz, and the average error of the simulated core loss is less than 4%. Since the simulation is converged by magnetic physical parameters, so the physical relevance of the similar laminated materials can be compared with the coefficient results. .

Effect of retained austenite and nonmetallic inclusions on the thermal/electrical properties and resistance spot welding nuggets of Si-containing TRIP steels

Five advanced high-strength transformation-induced plasticity(TRIP) steels with different chemical compositions were studied to correlate the retained austenite and nonmetallic inclusion content with their physical properties and the characteristics of the resistance spot welding nuggets. Electrical and thermal properties and equilibrium phases of TRIP steels were predicted using the JMatPro? software. Retained austenite and nonmetallic inclusions were quantified by X-ray diffraction and saturation magnetization techniques. The nonmetallic inclusions were characterized by scanning electron microscopy. The results show that the contents of Si, C, Al, and Mn in TRIP steels increase both the retained austenite and the nonmetallic inclusion contents. We found that nonmetallic inclusions affect the thermal and electrical properties of the TRIP steels and that the differences between these properties tend to result in different cooling rates during the welding process. The results are discussed in terms of the electrical and thermal properties determined from the chemical composition and their impact on the resistance spot welding nuggets.

Model Transformer Evaluation of High-Permeability Grain-Oriented Electrical Steels

The dependence of transformer performance on the material properties was investigated using two laboratory-processed 0.23 mm thick grain-oriented electrical steels domain-refined with elec-trolytically etched grooves having different magnetic properties. The iron loss at 1.7 T, 50 Hz and the flux density at 800 A/m of material A were 0.73 W/kg and 1.89 T, respectively; and those of material B, 0.83 W/kg and 1.88 T. Model stacked and wound transformer core experiments using the tested materials exhibited performance well reflecting the material characteristics. In a three-phase stacked core with step-lap joints excited to 1.7 T, 50 Hz, the core loss, the exciting current and the noise level were 0.86 W/kg, 0.74 A and 52 dB, respectively, with material A; and 0.97 W/kg, 1.0 A and 54 dB with material B. The building factors for the core losses of the two materials were almost the same in both core configurations. The effect of higher harmonics on transformer performance was also investigated.

Effect of lanthanum on inclusions in non-oriented electrical steel slabs

The effect of lanthanum on the characteristics of inclusions in the slab of non-oriented electrical steels was investigated through industrial trials and thermodynamic analysis.The number,size,and chemical composition of inclusions in the surface,one-quarter of thickness and the center of slabs with and without lanthanum addition were statistically analyzed using an automatic inclusion analysis system.In the lanthanum-free slab,inclusions were predominately MgO.Al_(2)O_(3),MgO,and AlN as well as a small number of Al_(2)O_(3)-MgO-CaO and MgS.The number densities of oxide inclusions and AlN decreased from the surface to the center of the slab,which was ascribed to the difference in cooling intensity during the continuous casting.In the steel with lanthanum addition,inclusions were modified into LaAlO_(3) and La_(2)O_(2)S and gradually transformed into dual-phase MgO-La_(2)S3 with an increasing distance from the slab surface due to the reaction between the lanthanum-containing inclusion and the steel matrix.The uneven distribution of oxide inclusions along the thickness of the slab was eliminated in the lanthanum-bearing slab because the dissolved oxygen was remarkably decreased by lanthanum.Lanthanum-bearing inclusions were more likely to agglomerate AlN by inducing the heterogeneous nucleation of AlN on their surface,while small-size MgO.Al_(2)O_(3) inclusions hardly showed a coarsening effect on the size of AlN.

Recent progress of high silicon electrical steels

This paper summarized recent progress of high silicon grain-oriented and non-oriented electrical steels. Technical development in composition adjustment, inclusion control and process optimization was introduced, and future development trend was explored. In addition, a brief introduction was provided to technical progress of high silicon thingauge strips with a Si content of 6.5%.