On the anhysteretic magnetization of soft magnetic materials

Abstract

Electrical steels are still the materials of choice for large-scale transformers and most electric motors. Yet, they may present a nonhomogeneous magnetic nature which prevents describing accurately their anhysteretic magnetization with the Langevin-Weiss model. Although interpolation and extrapolation methods may be used to model any anhysteretic curve, a simple and physically-based model would be of great value for fundamental and applied research. Inspired in the law of partial volumes for gas mixtures, we proposed a law of partial magnetizations for magnetic mixtures. In a two-component system, the model leads to the double Langevin-Weiss function. We also introduced a graphical method and a fitting approach to analyze and model anhysteretic magnetization curves. A semi-log magnetization derivative plot is central to this end. We validated our strategy through well-motivated examples using published data on soft magnets. The single Langevin-Weiss function provided an accurate description of the magnetization of isotropic and anisotropic magnetically homogeneous materials: a soft ferrite and a nanocrystalline alloy, respectively. For modelling a magnetization transverse to the material's preferred direction, the key is to allow a negative molecular field constant. The double Langevin-Weiss function was suitable for less homogeneous materials, such as a grain-oriented electrical steel magnetized along the rolling direction and a non-oriented electrical steel. Moreover, a highly-grain-oriented electrical steel magnetized transverse to the rolling direction, which exhibits a constricted hysteresis loop, could be modeled in excellent agreement with data. The key for the latter, has been to allow an antiparallel arrangement of the mean magnetization of both components.