Nonoriented electrical steel sheet with low iron loss for high-efficiency motor cores

A new material was studied for high-efficiency motor cores that need higher magnetic flux density, lower iron loss, and lower mechanical hardness. Excessively high Si content tends to decrease magnetic flux density of nonoriented electrical steel sheets. The composite addition of rare-earth metals (REM) and Al into molten steel was found to make inclusions coarse and remarkably improve grain growth during stress relief annealing, which resulted in decreased iron loss. A new nonoriented electrical steel sheet (50RMA350) with Si, Al, and REM has been successfully developed to give a higher efficiency to inverter drive model motors than a conventional material.