Mechanical properties and crystallographic texture of non-oriented electrical steel processed by repetitive bending under tension

Improving the magnetic properties of non-oriented electrical steel (NOES) through the optimization of crystallographic texture has been an on-going research activity for decades. However, using traditional rolling and annealing procedures, the obtained final textures were usually very similar, i.e., exhibiting the {111} (γ) and 〈 (α) fibres, which were not the desired {001} texture (θ-fibre) for optimal magnetic quality. In the current work, a 1.8 wt% Si NOES was processed using a new sheet metal deformation method, i.e., repetitive bending under tension (R-BUT), also known as continuous bending under tension (C-BUT), to modify the texture of the electrical steel. The hot-rolled and annealed NOES plates were repeatedly bent and unbent when they were pulled under tension. The deformed plates were then heat treated at different temperatures for various times. Neutron diffraction and electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) characterisation of the macro- and micro-textures proved that the R-BUT process significantly reduced the undesired {111} texture while promoting the {001} texture. The cube texture, which rarely formed after conventional rolling and annealing, was also seen in the R-BUT samples after annealing. It was shown that, the shear plastic deformation (induced by R-BUT) played a significant role in promoting the desired textures. In addition, the results indicated that the NOES processed by R-BUT could be deformed beyond its common formability limit, which may provide a method to address the poor workability challenge of high silicon electrical steels.