Influence of Process Parameters on Grain Size and Texture Evolution of Fe-3.2 wt.-% Si Non-Oriented Electrical Steels

The magnetic properties of non-oriented electrical steel, widely used in electric machines, are closely related to the grain size and texture of the material. How to control the evolution of grain size and texture through processing in order to improve the magnetic properties is the research focus of this article. Therefore, the complete process chain of a non-oriented electrical steel with 3.2 wt.-% Si was studied with regard to hot rolling, cold rolling, and final annealing on laboratory scale. Through a comprehensive analysis of the process chain, the influence of important process parameters on the grain size and texture evolution as well as the magnetic properties was determined. It was found that furnace cooling after the last hot rolling pass led to a fully recrystallized grain structure with the favorable ND-rotated-cube component, and a large portion of this component was retained in the thin strip after cold rolling, resulting in a texture with a low gamma-fiber and a high ND-cube component after final annealing at moderate to high temperatures. These promising results on a laboratory scale can be regarded as an effective way to control the processing on an industrial scale, to finally tailor the magnetic properties of non-oriented electrical steel according to their final application.

Automated summary

This article focuses on the research of controlling the evolution of grain size and texture in non-oriented electrical steel in order to improve its magnetic properties. The study on a laboratory scale revealed that certain process parameters can influence the grain size, texture evolution, and magnetic properties of the material. Promising results show that controlling the processing on an industrial scale can tailor the magnetic properties of non-oriented electrical steel for specific applications.