Local Magnetic Properties in Non-oriented Electrical Steel and Their Dependence on Magnetic Easy Axis and Misorientation Parameters

Abstract

An understanding of how material parameters, especially orientation and misorientation, influence the magnetic properties of non-oriented electrical steel (NOES) is important for improving the efficiency of the material in service. In this study, the local magnetic properties were measured using magnetic Barkhausen noise (MBN) on different test locations on different strips of NOES material. Local variations in magnetic properties, texture, and misorientation were revealed. A new interpretation for misorientation, called the easy axis misorientation (EAM), was created to describe the alignment of the magnetic easy axes between neighboring grains. This new EAM, visualized as a single value parameter or graphed as a distribution, was shown to be more effective at predicting the isotropic magnetic properties than previously used texture parameters based on standard orientation/misorientation definitions. It was found that a larger EAM value, especially when associated with a lower small angle EAM intensity distribution, was associated with a larger MBN energy. A larger MBN energy has been previously associated with lower losses, and therefore a greater material efficiency.