Effect of Cr and annealing process on microstructure and properties of 4.5 wt-% Si steel thin strip

The effects of intermediate annealing and Cr on the microstructure, texture, mechanical properties and magnetic properties of 4.5 wt-% Si non-oriented electrical steel were investigated by microstructure characterisation, magnetic properties, and mechanical properties testing. The results show that the components in the {111}〈112〉 and {111}〈121〉 recrystallised zones in the intermediate annealed Cr-containing non-oriented electrical steel increase significantly. In Cr-free electrical steel, the rotating cube texture component increases significantly, while the {111}〈112〉 texture component. Cr-containing electrical steel with the optimal matching between mechanical properties and magnetic properties was successfully obtained using the intermediate annealing process. The intermediate annealed Cr-containing electrical steel magnetic induction B₅₀ was 1.626 T, and the iron loss was 3.09 W/kg (P1.5/50), 16.26 W/kg (P1.0/400) and 15.73 W/kg (P0.5/1000), respectively. The tensile strength and elongation of the plate without intermediate annealing were 705 MPa and 19.33%.