Effects of Primary Annealing Condition on Recrystallization Texture in a Grain Oriented Silicon Steel

The recrystallization texture in grain oriented silicon steel sheets, which were annealed at different primary annealingtemperatures with and without an electric field, was investigated. An automated electron backscattered diffraction(EBSD) technique was used to analyze the recrystallization texture. It was found that recovery and application ofelectric field in primary annealing lead to an increase of {001} component and a decrease of {111} component afterannealing at 900℃. The development of recrystallization texture can be explained in terms of the effects of electricfield and primary annealing temperature on recovery.

STUDY ON REDUCING THE CORE LOSS OF GRAIN ORIENTED SILICON STEEL AND IMPROVING ITS AGING PROPERTY BY LASER NITRIDING TECHNIQUE IN ATMOSPHERIC AMBIENT

CW-CO2 laser nitriding technique was applied to improve the properties （such as aging property and the core loss） of grain oriented silicon steel. The samples were nitrided with regular space. Laser power density and scanning speed were chosen as 7.8×10^5W·cm^-2 and 100mm·min^-1. By some laser irradiation, Fe4N and Fe3N were formed in the nitrided zone. The nitrided samples were annealed at the temperatures ranged from 100 to 90℃. The core loss of some interested samples was tested. The results show that the core loss of the nitrided samples with different thickness of 0.23 and 0.30mm decreased by 14.9% and 9.4% respectively, and the aging property were improved up to 800℃. The mechanism of laser nitriding to improve the properties of grain oriented silicon steel is discussed.

Balanced solubility product and enthalpies of formation of Nb compounds in 0.09 % oriented silicon steel

Balance solubility products and enthalpy of for- mation for NbC0.75, NbC0.85, NbC0.88, NbC and NbN in oriented silicon steels were calculated and compared quali- tatively. Meanwhile, the mixing enthalpies of these five Nb compounds were calculated based on Miedema Model. The results show that the solubility products of Nb compounds in ferrite and austenite meet the following relationship, NbC0.75 〉 NbC0.85 〉 NbC0.88 〉 NbC 〉 NbN and NbN has the minimum enthalpy of formation. It indicates that NbN easily precipitate out, but it is more difficult for NbC0.75.

Primary Recrystallization of Grain Oriented Silicon Steel Strip Rolled by CSR and Annealed in Magnetic Field

The magnetic properties and textures of grain oriented silicon steel with different thickness rolled by cross shear rolling （CSR） of different mismatched speed ratio （MSR） and annealed in magnetic field under hydrogen were presented.Effects of the factors such as thickness and mismatched speed ratio on the magnetic properties and recrystallization texture were analyzed and the recrystallization principles in magnetic field annealing were discussed. The study would provide a new route for mass production of high quality ultra-thin grain oriented silicon steel strip.

EFFECTS OF Sn AND Sb ON STRUCTURE AND MAGNETIC PROPERTIES OF HIGH INDUCTION ORIENTED SILICON STEEL

Effects of Sn and Sb on the structure and magnetic properties of high induction oriented silicon steel have been investigated.The heats with Sn or Sb possess rather fine primary and secondary gram sizes.Sn or Sb promotes the finer AlN particles,increases the amount of pre- cipitated AlN after normalizing and strengthens the ability of inhibition.After decarburizing annealing,the texture components of{110}〈115〉and〈110〉〈001〉tend to increase and form more secondary grain nuclei.

Recent Developments in the Study on Oriented Silicon Steel Sheets

Over the past several decades, the texture, properties and manufacture of quality silicon steels have been investigated for application in magnetic devices requiring magnetically soft materials, such as transformers, inductive devices, etc. Most recently, the factors effecting the texture and magnetic properties, e.g. impurities, rolling process and annealing process, have been greatly studied. The benefits of this study are that low core loss silicon steels with stable high-performance can be obtained through an economic production process. This review is intended to summarize the recent developments in the texture, properties, manufacture and application of oriented silicon steel sheets.

Texture Characteristics of Thin Grain Oriented Silicon Steel Sheet Produced by Cross Shear Rolling

Commercial grain oriented silicon steel was cold rolled to thickness from 0.06 to 0.10 mm by cross shear rolling, then annealed in vacuum or a hydrogen atmosphere furnace. Deformation textures of the sheets were researched by ODF method and reverse pole figure quantitative analyses. The results indicate that: in the condition of the cross shear rolling, the deformation texture of rolled sheet is generally similar to that of conventional rolled sheet, however, the texture distribution through the thickness is asymmetrical. With mismatch speed ratio increasing, the amount of Goss texture increases. With reduction ratio increasing, the intensity of γ-fiber becomes strong.

Through Thickness Variation of Cross Shear Rolling Texture in Grain Oriented Silicon Steel

The texture inhomogeneity in cross shear rolled grain oriented Si steel was investigated by means of the through thickness texture analysis. For the chosen rolling reductions (55%, 66.5%) and mismatch speed ratios (1.0, 1.1, 1.3), the deformation textures in various thickness layers consist of three major components, i.e. strong γ-fiber, medium α-fiber and weak η-fiber, and they show an asymmetrical distribution throughout the thickness. The effect of reduction on the texture gradient is found to be more significant at and near the center layer; however, the effect of mismatch speed ratio is less important. In most cases, a strong {111}<112> texture component appears in the subsurface layers, that may favour the formation of a sharp Goss texture during the subsequent annealing.

New process for production of ultra-thin grain oriented silicon steel

The Hi-B silicon steels were cold rolled by cross shear rolling (CSR) with different mismatch speed ratio(MSR)s and conventional rolling(CR) respectively, followed by primary recrystallization annealing. The effects of MSR and annealing temperature on magnetic properties of ultra-thin grain oriented silicon steel were analyzed. Experimental results show that, with the increase of MSR, the magnetic properties can be remarkably improved. The higher the annealing temperature is, the higher the magnetic induction and the lower the iron loss in ultra-thin silicon steel is.

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.

Evaluation on the contribution of steel products to environmental improvement from LCA perspectives

High functionality given to steel products results in an increase of environmental loads in the steelmaking stage. However, at the stage of their utilization, the high-functional steel products prove to be more environmentally friendly than their conventional counterparts in many cases. In view of this contradiction, the evaluation on the contribution of steel products to environmental improvement requires a more integrated approach--Life Cycle Assessment （ LCA ）, which incorporates the effects over the products＇ entire life cycles. This paper discusses the relationship between the improvement of steel products＇ performance and the according environmental impact from the entire life cycle perspectives. How to evaluate and assess the contribution of high-functional steel products to environmental improvement using LCA method is explained in detail. Two case studies of Baosteel are given to substantiate the effectiveness of LCA as a scientific and systematic method for eco-material evaluation or eco-design： @ For a power transformer, by replacing silicon steel B30G130 with B30Pll0,the carbon dioxide emissions were reduced by 15.1% over the life cycle of the transformer. @ Tinplate steel of Baosteel used for two-piece steel cans experienced six reductions in thickness from 0.28 mm to 0.225 mm,which results in a 14.5% emission reduction over the life cycle of two-piece steel cans.

Low-loss B18R065 and B20R070 grain oriented electrical steels for grade 1 energy efficiency distribution transformers

To reduce distribution transformer losses and carbon dioxide emissions, in recent years, the major countries in the world have issued mandatory standards for high-energy efficiency in distribution transformers. In 2013,China has carried out a new standard GB 20052-2013. To meet the update of the standard and energy efficiency,it is important to enhance the magnetic properties of core materials. The new products B18R065 and B20R070 which are developed by Baosteel, are successfully used for grade 1 energy efficiency distribution transformers. And Baosteel becomes one of the companies which can supply both the 0.20 mm and the 0.18 mm gauge grain oriented electrical steels （GOES） in the world. The development principle, material properties, and transformer performance of B18R065 and B20R070 were introduced,which were expected to be a useful reference for materials selection by transformer manufacturers.

Research on the Drawing-up of the Pole Figure for Orientation Analysis of Directional Si Steel Sheet

The magnetic property of soft magnetic metals and alloys depends strongly on the crystallo-graphic orientation. In automated equipment for orientation research, the intensity for drawing up the pole figure is measured in detail. The present research shows that the accurate pole figure can be drawn up without measuring concretely the intensity. For directional Si steel sheet the measuring step may be 4～5 degrees. In this paper the experimental equation for defo-cusing correction was derived from the experimental data in different specimens with random orientation.

Optimizing Domain Distribution of Grain Oriented Silicon Steel by Using Antimony as the Laser Surface Alloying Element

For reducing the core loss of grain oriented silicon steel and improving its aging property, a new method, the LLSA by using Sb as the laser surface alloying element, was investigated, and at proper technique conditions rather good result was obtained.

Effect of Electropulsing on Recrystallization and Mechanical Properties of Silicon Steel Strips

Electropulsing-induced recrystallization and its effect on mechanical properties of oriented silicon steel strips （Fe-3.0%Si） were studied by optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and electron back-scatter diffraction. The results indicated that electropulsing accelerated recrystallization, and decreased the temperature of recrystallization. Electropulsing favors refinement of the grain structure of the alloy. Effects of electropulsing on strength and elongation of the alloy were discussed from the point view of dislocation dynamics, microstructural changes, and electropulsing kinetics.

Goss Texture Evolution of Grain Oriented Silicon Steel by High-Energy X-ray Diffraction

High energy synchrotron diffraction offers great potential to study the recrystallization kinetics of metallic materials. To study the formation of Goss texture （{ [10}（001）） of grain oriented （GO） silicon steel during secondary recrystallization process, an in situ experiment using hi gh energy X-ray diffraction was designed. The results showed that the secondary recrystallization began when the heating temperature was 1,494 K, and the grains grew rapidly above this temperature. With an increase in annealing temperature, the large grains with 7 orientation [〈111〉//normal direction] formed and gradually occupied the dominant position. As the annealing temperature increased even further, the grains with Goss orientation to a very large size by devouring the 7 orientation grains that formed in the early annealing stage. A single crystal with a Goss orientation was observed in the GO silicon steel when the annealing temperature was 1,540 K.

Evaluation on Contribution of Steel Products to Environmental Improvement from Life Cycle Assessment Perspectives

High functionality given to steel products results in incremental environment loads at the steelmaking stage.However,at the stage of utilization,high-functional steel products prove more environment friendly than their conventional counterparts in many cases.Therefore,evaluation on contribution of steel products to environmental improvement requires an integrated approach that considers the product over its entire life cycle - life cycle assessment(LCA).This paper discusses the relationship between the improvement of steel products performance and environmental impact from the entire life cycle perspectives.The LCA method to calculate and assess contribution of high-functional steel products during the life cycle to environmental improvement is explained.Two case studies of Baoshan Iron & Steel Co.,Ltd.(Baosteel for short) are given to show that LCA is a scientific and systematic method for eco-materials evaluation or eco-design:in a power transformer,using silicon steel B30P110 to replace B30G130 can reduce carbon dioxide emissions in the region of 15.1% over the life cycle of the power transformer;tinplate steel of Baosteel for two-piece steel cans experienced six times thickness reduction from 0.280 to 0.225 mm,which results in 14.5% emission reduction over the life cycle of two-piece steel cans.It is a systematic and scientific method for evaluating on products environmental performance from life cycle perspective.

Inhomogeneous Distribution of Second Phase Particles in Grain Oriented Electrical Steels

The second phase particles were observed during the whole manufacturing process of conventional grain oriented electrical steels, exhibiting that the areal density of particles in the center was obviously higher than that on the surface at each manufacturing stage. After hot rolling, the approximately equiaxed grains formed upon recrystallization were present on the sheet surface while the deformation structures were retained in the central part. Thus, the dislocation density on the surface was evidently lower than that in the center and this trend became more noticeable after the first cold rolling. Since new precipitates were mainly nucleated at dislocations during both hot rolling and annealing following cold deformation, the difference in dislocation density resulted in the inhomogeneous distribution of particles through the thickness of sheet. According to this, Goss grains, which were usually found near the surface, tended to grow up more easily during the secondary recrystallization treatment.

Opposite Relationship between Orientation Selection and Texture Memory in the Deformed Electrical Steel Sheets during α→γ→α Transformation

The undesired {111} texture component for the magnetic properties mainly exists in the sheets of electrical steels by the conventional process, whereas the sheets with the non-{111} texture can be obtained by α→γ→α transformation. In this paper, we mainly investigate the opposite relationship between orientation selection and texture memory in the deformed ultra-low carbon steel sheet during →→ transformation annealing. A 0.5 mm thick hot-rolled sheet is directly subjected to transformation. The result shows that the specific transformation textures are not possible to generate in the sheets without deformation. Besides, transformation annealing is conducted on the recrystallized sheets in hydrogen and vacuum, respectively. The near {100} and {110} grains have the growth advantage at the atmosphere/metal interface, and the initial ferrite textures are retained in vacuum. Cold-rolled sheets with different thicknesses are annealed for transformation in vacuum, hydrogen and nitrogen, respectively.The near {100} and {110} textures are still the preferential orientations at the atmosphere/metal interface. When the surface grains have sufficiently large growth advantage, the {111} grains developed by texture memory effect will be annexed. Otherwise, the {111} grains at the center layer of the sheets are hard to be replaced, and they are retained after α→γ→α transformation cycle. The results of deformed sheets annealed with different heating rates in hydrogen show that the growth of initial recrystallization grains has a great effect on variant selection.

Quantitative Analysis of the Crystallographic Orientation Relationship Between the Martensite and Austenite in Quenching–Partitioning–Tempering Steels

The orientation relationships（ORs）between the martensite and the retained austenite in low-and medium-carbon steels after quenching–partitioning–tempering process were studied in this work.The ORs in the studied steels are identified by selected-area electron diffraction（SAED）as either K–S or N–W ORs.Meanwhile,the ORs were also studied based on numerical fitting of electron backscatter diffraction data method suggested by Miyamoto.The simulated K–S and N–W ORs in the low-index directions generally do not well coincide with the experimental pole figure,which may be attributed to both the orientation spread from the ideal variant orientations and high symmetry of the low-index directions.However,the simulated results coincide well with experimental pole figures in the high-index directions{123}_（bcc）.A modified method with simplicity based on Miyamoto’s work was proposed.The results indicate that the ORs determined by modified method are similar to those determined by Miyamoto’method,that is,the OR is near K–S OR for the low-carbon Q–P–T steel,and with the increase of carbon content,the OR is closer to N–W OR in medium-carbon Q–P–T steel.