Texture Change during Grain Growth in Non-Oriented Electrical Steel

Abstract

Grain size and texture are very important for controlling the magnetic properties in non-oriented electrical steel. Grain size and texture are closely related because the texture usually changes during grain growth. In this study, texture changes with grain growth in non-oriented electrical steel are investigated. Two kinds of materials, Sample A and Sample B, were prepared in order to study the differences of the texture. Sample A, Fe-0.5wt%Si, is not annealed before cold rolling. Sample B, the same chemical composition as Sample A, is annealed before cold rolling. In Sample A, the {111} texture component increases markedly during grain growth. By contrast, in Sample B, the increase in {111} is less pronounced. The recrystallized orientations in both Samples are analyzed, and computer simulation is used to attempt to explain the texture changes during grain growth. In the case of Sample A, the simulations reproduce the experimental result well; for Sample B, however, the simulations do not agree as well. The microstructures before annealing exhibit strong alignment of the orientations, which will require a new approach to building the digital microstructures for instantiation of the simulations.

Development of Boundary Misorientations During Grain Growth in Silicon Steels

“…Most reports have been concerned with the frequency of occurrence of low Σ CSL boundaries but few of these were evident in the present steels except for a detectable small increase in boundaries around the 60º angle which may be Σ3 twins. Arita et al [9] reported a similar profusion of low angle boundaries in a 0.5% Si steel when it had coarse grains prior to cold rolling and annealing but not when the prior structure was fine grained. Szpunar and co-workers found a similar tendency in 2% Si steel [10] but apparently not in a 3% Si material [11].…”