9/18/2020 Electrical steel - Wikipedia

Electrical steel
Electrical steel (lamination steel, silicon
electrical steel, silicon steel, relay steel, Polycrystalline structure of electrical steel after
transformer steel) is an iron alloy tailored to produce coating has been removed.
specific magnetic properties: small hysteresis area
resulting in low power loss per cycle, low core loss, and
high permeability.

Electrical steel is usually manufactured in cold-rolled strips less than 2 mm thick. These strips are cut to
shape to make laminations which are stacked together to form the laminated cores of transformers, and
the stator and rotor of electric motors. Laminations may be cut to their finished shape by a punch and
die or, in smaller quantities, may be cut by a laser, or by wire EDM.

Contents
Metallurgy
Iron-silicon relay steel
Physical properties examples
Grain orientation
Amorphous steel
Lamination coatings
Magnetic properties
See also
References
External links

Metallurgy
Electrical steel is an iron alloy which may have from zero to 6.5% silicon (Si:5Fe). Commercial alloys
usually have silicon content up to 3.2% (higher concentrations result in brittleness during cold rolling).
Manganese and aluminum can be added up to 0.5%.[1]

Silicon increases the electrical resistivity of iron by a factor of about 5; this change decreases the induced
eddy currents and narrows the hysteresis loop of the material, thus lowering the core loss by about three
times compared to conventional steel.[1][2] However, the grain structure hardens and embrittles the
metal; this change adversely affects the workability of the material, especially when rolling it. When
alloying, contamination must be kept low, as carbides, sulfides, oxides and nitrides, even in particles as
small as one micrometer in diameter, increase hysteresis losses while also decreasing magnetic
permeability. The presence of carbon has a more detrimental effect than sulfur or oxygen. Carbon also
causes magnetic aging when it slowly leaves the solid solution and precipitates as carbides, thus resulting

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in an increase in power loss over time. For these reasons, the carbon level is kept to 0.005% or lower.
The carbon level can be reduced by annealing the alloy in a decarburizing atmosphere, such as
hydrogen.[1][3]

Iron-silicon relay steel

Steel type Nominal composition[4] Alternate description

1 1.1% Si-Fe Silicon Core Iron "A"[5]

1F 1.1% Si-Fe free machining Silicon Core Iron "A-FM"[6]

2 2.3% Si-Fe Silicon Core Iron "B"[7]

2F 2.3% Si-Fe free machining Silicon Core Iron "B-FM"[7]

3 4.0% Si-Fe Silicon Core Iron "C"[8]

Physical properties examples

Melting point: ~1,500 °C (example for ~3.1% silicon content)[9]
Density: 7,650 kg/m3 (example for 3% silicon content)
Resistivity (3% silicon content): 4.72×10−7 Ω·m (for comparison, pure iron resistivity: 9.61×10−8 Ω·m)

Grain orientation
Electrical steel made without special processing to control crystal Non-oriented electrical silicon steel
orientation, non-oriented steel, usually has a silicon level of 2 to (image made with magneto-optical
3.5% and has similar magnetic properties in all directions, i.e., it is sensor and polarizer microscope)
isotropic. Cold-rolled non-grain-oriented steel is often abbreviated
to CRNGO.

Grain-oriented electrical steel usually has a silicon level of 3% (Si:11Fe). It is processed in such a way
that the optimal properties are developed in the rolling direction, due to a tight control (proposed by
Norman P. Goss) of the crystal orientation relative to the sheet. The magnetic flux density is increased by
30% in the coil rolling direction, although its magnetic saturation is decreased by 5%. It is used for the
cores of power and distribution transformers, cold-rolled grain-oriented steel is often abbreviated to
CRGO.

CRGO is usually supplied by the producing mills in coil form and has to be cut into "laminations", which
are then used to form a transformer core, which is an integral part of any transformer. Grain-oriented
steel is used in large power and distribution transformers and in certain audio output transformers.[10]

CRNGO is less expensive than CRGO. It is used when cost is more important than efficiency and for
applications where the direction of magnetic flux is not constant, as in electric motors and generators
with moving parts. It can be used when there is insufficient space to orient components to take
advantage of the directional properties of grain-oriented electrical steel.

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Magnetic domains Magnetic domains Magnetic domains

and domain walls in and domain walls in and domain walls in
oriented silicon steel oriented silicon steel non-oriented silicon
(image made with (image made with steel (image made
CMOS-MagView) CMOS-MagView) with CMOS-
MagView)

Amorphous steel

This material is a metallic glass prepared by pouring molten alloy onto a rotating cooled wheel, which
cools the metal at a rate of about one megakelvin per second, so fast that crystals do not form.
Amorphous steel is limited to foils of about 50 µm thickness. The mechanical properties of amorphous
steel make stamping laminations for electric motors difficult. Since amorphous ribbon can be cast to any
specific width under roughly 13 inches and can be sheared with relative ease, it is a suitable material for
wound electrical transformer cores. In 2019 the price of amorphous steel outside the US is
approximately $.95/pound compared to HiB grain-oriented steel which costs approximately
$.86/pound. Transformers with amorphous steel cores can have core losses of one-third that of
conventional electrical steels.

Lamination coatings
Electrical steel is usually coated to increase electrical resistance between laminations, reducing eddy
currents, to provide resistance to corrosion or rust, and to act as a lubricant during die cutting. There are
various coatings, organic and inorganic, and the coating used depends on the application of the steel.[11]
The type of coating selected depends on the heat treatment of the laminations, whether the finished
lamination will be immersed in oil, and the working temperature of the finished apparatus. Very early
practice was to insulate each lamination with a layer of paper or a varnish coating, but this reduced the
stacking factor of the core and limited the maximum temperature of the core.[12]

ASTM A976-03 classifies different types of coating for electrical steel.[13]

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Classification Description[14] For Rotors/Stators Anti-stick treatment

C0 Natural oxide formed during mill processing No No

C2 Glass like film No No
C3 Organic enamel or varnish coating No No
C3A As C3 but thinner Yes No
C4 Coating generated by chemical and thermal processing No No
C4A As C4 but thinner and more weldable Yes No
C4AS Anti-stick variant of C4 Yes Yes
C5 High-resistance similar to C4 plus inorganic filler No No
C5A As C5, but more weldable Yes No
C5AS Anti-stick variant of C5 Yes Yes
C6 Inorganic filled organic coating for insulation properties Yes Yes

Magnetic properties
The typical relative permeability (μr) of electrical steel is 4,000 times that of vacuum.

The magnetic properties of electrical steel are dependent on heat treatment, as increasing the average
crystal size decreases the hysteresis loss. Hysteresis loss is determined by a standard Epstein tester and,
for common grades of electrical steel, may range from about 2 to 10 watts per kilogram (1 to 5 watts per
pound) at 60 Hz and 1.5 tesla magnetic field strength.

Electrical steel can be delivered in a semi-processed state so that, after punching the final shape, a final
heat treatment can be applied to form the normally required 150-micrometer grain size. Fully processed
electrical steel is usually delivered with an insulating coating, full heat treatment, and defined magnetic
properties, for applications where punching does not significantly degrade the electrical steel properties.
Excessive bending, incorrect heat treatment, or even rough handling can adversely affect electrical steel's
magnetic properties and may also increase noise due to magnetostriction.[12]

The magnetic properties of electrical steel are tested using the internationally standard Epstein frame
method.[15]

The size of magnetic domains in sheet electrical steel can be reduced by scribing the surface of the sheet
with a laser, or mechanically. This greatly reduces the hysteresis losses in the assembled core.[16]

See also
Ferrosilicon, starter material for silicon steel

References
1. Tong, Colin (2018). Introduction to Materials for Advanced Energy Systems (https://books.google.co
m/books?id=lcl-DwAAQBAJ&pg=PA400). Springer. pp. 400–. ISBN 978-3-319-98002-7.
2. Buschowl, K.H.J. et al. ed. (2001) Encyclopedia of Materials:Science and Technology. Elsevier. pp.
4807–4808. ISBN 0-08-043152-6
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3. Sidor, Y.; Kovac, F. (2005). "Contribution to modeling of decarburization process in electrical steels"
(http://publish.lnu.edu.ua/db/11/249/669/38_02.pdf) (PDF). Вісник Львівського університету.
Серія фізична. 38: 8–17.
4. "ASTM A867" (http://www.astm.org/Standards/A867.htm). ASTM. Retrieved 1 December 2011.
5. "Silicon Core Iron "A" " (http://cartech.ides.com/datasheet.aspx?i=103&e=193&c=TechArt). CarTech.
Retrieved 1 December 2011.
6. "Silicon Core Iron "A-FM" " (http://cartech.ides.com/datasheet.aspx?i=103&e=192&c=TechArt).
CarTech. Retrieved 1 December 2011.
7. "CarTech® Silicon Core Iron "B-FM" " (http://cartech.ides.com/datasheet.aspx?i=103&e=190&c=tech
art). CarTech.
8. "CarTech® Silicon Core Iron "C" " (https://cartech.ides.com/datasheet.aspx?i=103&e=189&c=TechAr
t). CarTech. Retrieved 21 November 2019.
9. Niazi, A.; Pieri, J. B.; Berger, E.; Jouty, R. (1975). "Note on electromigration of grain boundaries in
silicon iron". Journal of Materials Science. 10 (2): 361–362. Bibcode:1975JMatS..10..361N (https://ui.
adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1975JMatS..10..361N). doi:10.1007/BF00540359 (https://doi.org/10.1007%
2FBF00540359).
10. Vaughn, Eddie. "Single Ended vs. Push Pull: The Deep, Dark Secrets of Output Transformers" (http
s://web.archive.org/web/20060813235923/http://homepage.mac.com/tlinespeakers/vaughn/downloa
ds/SE-v-PP-Part2.pdf) (PDF).
11. Fink, Donald G. and Beatty, H. Wayne (1978) Standard Handbook for Electrical Engineers 11th ed.
McGraw-Hill. pp. 4–111. ISBN 978-0070209749
12. Jump, Les (March 1981) Transformer Steel and Cores, Federal Pioneer BAT
13. "ASTM A976 – 03(2008) Standard Classification of Insulating Coatings by Composition, Relative
Insulating Ability and Application" (http://www.astm.org/Standards/A976.htm). ASTM A976 –
03(2008). ASTM.
14. "Classification of Insulating Coating for Electrical Steel" (http://www.skodie.com/pdf/classification.pdf)
(PDF). Retrieved 27 March 2013.
15. IEC 60404-2 (http://webstore.iec.ch/webstore/webstore.nsf/mysearchajax?Openform&key=60404-2&
sorting=&start=1&onglet=1)
16. de Lhorbe, Richard (June/July 1981) Steel No Lasers Here, Federal Pioneer BAT

External links
Dynamic domain movement video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LFC6tbbMUaA) Video-File
from YouTube
Summary of Silicon Steels (http://www.protolam.com/page7.html)

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