Review of Electrical Steels with their Properties and Recent Trends for Improvement

Objectives: This review study provides a thorough analysis of the magnetic behavior and characteristics of electrical steels, including established and novel materials (3%wt Silicon). Methods: We investigate how composition, microstructure, and processing methods affect the magnetic performance of these steels as well as the basic principles guiding their behavior. Thermomechanical processing can be observed for its impact on the material’s microstructure and magnetic properties. This review discusses testing over samples for conventional processes for different % of cold worked or strain hardening and annealing at higher temperatures i.e., 1200°C. For uncertainties regarding the impact of impurities or inclusions on their magnetic properties, the study was carried out to know the effect of cerium addition on the material’s magnetic properties of the material. Findings: It was observed that rolling temperature has significant effect over magnetic properties of the material. A notable improvement in the magnetic permeability of the material and its critical performance metric for soft magnetic materials is indicated by the increase in “Gamma max”. Similarly, the effects of compressive stresses, doping effect, grain size, annealing, and other manufacturing processes were studied, and observed their impact on magnetic properties. This review discusses the literature on future scope with the latest trends. This helps clarify the trade-offs associated with maximizing electrical steels for certain uses. Novelty: This study presents a novel approach towards electrical steel and its magnetic properties by incorporating different alloying elements and optimizing rolling & annealing parameters. A key innovation is the application of machine learning and neural network to predict and optimize material behavior, core loss and provide methods to improve magnetic properties of electrical steels. Significance: Electrical steels are crucial in transformers and electric motors, enhancing efficiency by minimizing energy losses and improving magnetic performance. This can be achieved by changing manufacturing parameters and operating conditions with the help of latest trends. Keywords: Electrical steel, Magnetic properties, Machine learning, Composition, Microstructure, Core loss