When it comes to electromagnetic applications and electrical equipment, electrical steel is the real MVP thanks to its unbeatable magnetic properties. If you’re thinking of using it, there are a lot of technical details to know (type, forms, properties, etc.), so we’ve broken it all down for you below.
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With iron as its main ingredient and up to 6.5% silicon, electrical steel is classed as an iron-silicon alloy. Its standout feature is its magnetism thanks to the silicon content (and why it’s also known as silicon steel—one of its several monikers). It’s a type of low-carbon alloy (typically under 0.05%) to minimize magnetic losses. The amount of silicon added plays a big role in what it’s used for. For example, silicon levels around 2–3.5% are ideal for non-oriented electrical steel used for electric motors and generators. If it has 3–4.5% silicon, it’s used for grain-oriented electrical steel, which is specially processed for transformer cores, where reducing energy loss is important.
The most common form it comes in is thin sheets, which are usually coated with an insulator for lamination—which is the reason for another of its aliases, “lamination steel.” This involves stacking several sheets together, while keeping them protected from each other to cut down on energy losses caused by eddy currents. The magic is all in the combination of iron, which helps guide magnetic flux, and silicon, which increases electrical resistance and reduces energy waste. To top it off, its crystal structure is aligned in a way that allows for fast magnetization and demagnetization—something that also adds to its usefulness in motor and transformer cores.
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Silicon steel was first used for electrical applications in the late s, when English metallurgist Sir Robert Hadfield, who discovered manganese, found that silicon increased the magnetic permeability of iron. The correlation between magnetic permeability and crystallographic orientations in iron single crystals was discovered in by Honda and Kaya, which led to subsequent developments to silicon steel. It wasn’t until that Baosteel—after inventing the technologies and machinery for high-grade, effective non-oriented silicon steel production—managed to accomplish a rapid, all-encompassing product upgrade.
To make electrical steel, the raw materials (i.e., iron ore, scrap steel) are melted together in an electric arc furnace, and then the appropriate amount of silicon is added. The mixture is hot-rolled into thin sheets and refined. This entails deoxidization (removing the oxygen from the molten mix) and vacuum degassing to up the purity and give it better electrical properties. After that, it’s annealed to boost the magnetism.
There are two main electrical steel types, non-grain-oriented (NGOES) and grain-oriented (GOES). They both have high permeability and low core loss, but where they differ is in their grain structure and magnetic properties. NGOES has randomly oriented crystal grains, making its magnetism uniform in all directions (isotropic), allowing it to adapt well to changing magnetic fields. GOES, though, has a deliberately aligned crystal structure (anisotropic) for magnetization in a specific direction. This makes it good for fixed-field applications but not so much for constantly changing magnetic fields.
Electrical steel is a unique product used in a broad range of industries, including energy, automotive, aerospace, manufacturing, and medical device. Also known as silicon steel and lamination steel, this material provides excellent magnetic properties, making it ideal for use in things, like generators, motors, and transformers. Electrical steel also cuts power losses, boosts electrical device efficiency, and reduces energy use. The exact formulation for electrical steel, however, must be tailored to produce specific magnetic properties for specific applications.
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Electrical steel is an iron alloy with silicon as the main additive element rather than carbon. The silicon additive increases its electrical resistivity. That reduces eddy currents—the circular electrical currents induced in a conductor by a changing magnetic field. Eddy currents waste energy and heat the conductor. The silicon also helps create a finer grain structure in the steel, further reducing eddy currents. Electrical steels also have low hysteresis losses—the energy losses that occur when you magnetize or demagnetize ferromagnetic materials.
Electrical steels offer a range of benefits that make them ideal for use in electromagnetic devices. Electrical steel:
Many types of electrical steels exist, each with its properties and applications. Two common types of electrical steels are grain-oriented (GO) steel and non-grain-oriented (NGO) steel. GO steel’s grain structure aligns in one direction. That gives them higher magnetic permeability and lower core losses than other electrical steel types. Manufacturers often use GO steel in static devices and equipment, like transformers, where energy efficiency is critical. GO steels, however, are expensive and difficult to manufacture.
NGO electrical steel lacks a preferred grain orientation. Plus, it has higher core losses than GO electrical steel. NGO steels are ideal for applications where manufacturability and cost are more important than efficiency. Often used in rotating devices and equipment, like electric motors, generators, and high-frequency converters, NGO electrical steel is less expensive and easier to manufacture than other electrical steels.
Other types of electrical steel are high-silicon electrical steel and amorphous electrical steel. High-silicon electrical steels, which contain more silicon than other types of electrical steel, are typically used in high-performance applications, such as large transformers and motors. Amorphous electrical steels, which features a non-crystalline structure, are typically used in high-performance applications where the highest possible efficiency is required. Both steels are expensive and difficult to manufacture.
Electric steel’s properties make it ideal for a wide range of applications, including capacitors, inductors, relays, and solenoids. It is also used in the cores of household appliances, in the rotors and stators, and to step down voltage in electricity transmission and distribution systems. Plus, it’s used in the motors and other electrical components of industrial equipment and machinery, such as robots, CNC machines, and conveyor belts.
Electrical steel’s properties also make it well-suited for use in the cores of autotransformers to improve performance and efficiency and in current transformers to measure the current flowing in electrical circuits. They also make electric steel well-suited for use in the cores of magnetic switches and relays to measure the current flowing in an electrical circuit and in electrical ballast to improve their performance and efficiency.
This material’s properties include:
The manufacturing process for electrical steel is complex and requires tight control to ensure the desired properties are achieved. The most critical steps in the process include melting, casting, reheating, and hot rolling. It also involves cold rolling, annealing, and finishing. However, the specific manufacturing process for electrical steel varies depending on the type produced and the properties desired. For instance, an NGO electrical steel material needs a less complex manufacturing process to achieve its unique properties than does GO steel does.