Grain-oriented electromagnetic steel sheet and method for producing grain-oriented electromagnetic steel sheet
The directional electromagnetic steel sheet achieves both low iron loss and low noise by employing a magnetic domain control processing that selectively targets areas with wider magnetic domains, ensuring effective iron loss reduction without compromising noise characteristics.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- PCT/JP2024/034799
- Authority / Receiving Office
- WO · WO
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Priority Date
- 2023-09-27
- Filing Date
- 2024-09-27
- Publication Date
- 2025-04-03
AI Technical Summary
Existing directional electromagnetic steel sheets struggle to simultaneously reduce iron loss and noise, as magnetic domain control treatments that minimize iron loss often deteriorate noise characteristics.
A directional electromagnetic steel sheet with a specific magnetic domain control processing that sets a standard deviation of 1.25 mm or more for the spacing between magnetic domain control points, along with an average magnetic domain width of 600 μm or less, is developed. This processing selectively applies magnetic domain control to areas with wider magnetic domains, minimizing treatment in regions with narrower domains.
The approach effectively reduces iron loss while maintaining low noise levels, as the selective magnetic domain control ensures that only areas contributing to reduced iron loss are treated, preserving the noise characteristics.
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Figure JP2024034799_03042025_PF_FP_ABST
Abstract
Description
Grain-oriented electrical steel sheet and method for manufacturing grain-oriented electrical steel sheet
[0001] This disclosure relates to a grain-oriented electrical steel sheet and a method for manufacturing the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet. This application claims priority to Japanese Patent Application No. 2023-166083, filed on September 27, 2023, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
[0002] Grain-oriented electrical steel sheets are steel sheets containing 7 mass% or less of Si and having a secondary recrystallization texture in which secondary recrystallized grains are concentrated in the {110}<001> orientation (Goss orientation), with the easy axis of magnetization <001> oriented in the rolling direction. Grain-oriented electrical steel sheets are mainly used as iron cores for power transformers. Reduction of energy loss (iron loss) is required for grain-oriented electrical steel sheets.
[0003] A technique for narrowing the magnetic domain width of grain-oriented electrical steel sheets (magnetic domain refinement technology using magnetic domain control treatment) has long been known to reduce iron loss. The magnetic domain width can be narrowed by irradiating the surface of the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet with a laser or electron beam in a direction intersecting the rolling direction to introduce thermal strain. The magnetic domain width can also be narrowed by forming grooves in the surface of the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet in a direction intersecting the rolling direction. Groove formation methods include laser or electron beam irradiation, mechanical processing such as gear machining, and chemical processing such as etching.
[0004] In recent years, various improved techniques relating to magnetic domain refinement have been proposed in order to provide grain-oriented electrical steel sheets with good iron loss characteristics (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 to 3).
[0005] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2012-57219 Japanese Patent Publication No. 2012-12664 Japanese Patent Publication No. 2012-57218
[0006] When magnetic domain control treatment is applied to grain-oriented electrical steel sheet, the magnetostriction characteristics of the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet change due to the closure magnetic domains. This causes the noise characteristics of the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet to deteriorate. The noise characteristics refer to the level of noise generated by electrical products (e.g., transformers, motors, etc.) manufactured using grain-oriented electrical steel sheet as a material. Magnetostriction is a phenomenon in which the external shape of a ferromagnetic material is slightly deformed when it is magnetized. When grain-oriented electrical steel sheet is excited with an alternating current, the magnitude of magnetostriction changes with the change in the strength of the magnetization, causing vibration. The magnitude of this magnetostriction is 10 -6 Although it is only on the order of magnitude, this magnetostriction generates vibrations in the iron core, which then propagate to external structures such as transformer tanks and cause noise. In other words, while magnetic domain control treatment is effective in reducing the iron loss of grain-oriented electrical steel sheets, it also worsens the noise characteristics of grain-oriented electrical steel sheets.
[0007] In recent years, there has been a growing demand for grain-oriented electrical steel sheets to not only reduce iron loss but also reduce noise. However, no magnetic domain refining technology has been proposed to date that can adequately achieve both low noise and low iron loss.
[0008] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a grain-oriented electrical steel sheet that can achieve both low iron loss and low noise, and a method for manufacturing the same.
[0009] The gist of the present disclosure is as follows.
[0010] (1) A grain-oriented electrical steel sheet according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes a plurality of magnetic domain control treatment lines on a surface thereof, the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet has a square evaluation area with one side 50 mm long and parallel to the rolling direction of the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet, and imaginary lines 50 mm long and parallel to the rolling direction are set within the evaluation area at 5 mm intervals, whereby, on at least one of the imaginary lines, the standard deviation of the spacing between magnetic domain control points, which are the intersections of the imaginary line and the magnetic domain control treatment line, is 1.25 mm or more, and the average magnetic domain width measured along the imaginary line is 600 μm or less. (2) Preferably, in the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet described above in (1), the average magnetic domain width is 500 μm or less on the imaginary lines where the standard deviation of the spacing between the magnetic domain control points is 1.25 mm or more. (3) Another aspect of the present disclosure provides a grain-oriented electrical steel sheet having a plurality of magnetic domain control treatment lines on its surface, wherein the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet has a square evaluation area with one side 50 mm long and parallel to the rolling direction of the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet, and within the evaluation area, imaginary lines 50 mm long and parallel to the rolling direction are set at 5 mm intervals, and in at least one of the imaginary lines, the standard deviation of the spacing between magnetic domain control points, which are intersections of the imaginary line and the magnetic domain control treatment line, is 1.25 mm or more, and the maximum value of the magnetic domain width measured along the imaginary line is 1200 μm or less. (4) Preferably, in the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet described in (3) above, the maximum value of the magnetic domain width is 800 μm or less along the imaginary line where the standard deviation of the spacing between the magnetic domain control points is 1.25 mm or more. (5) Preferably, in the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet described in (1) above, the standard deviation of the spacing between the magnetic domain control points is 1.25 mm or more and the average value of the magnetic domain width is 600 μm or less in each of the two or more virtual lines. (6) Preferably, in the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet described in (5) above, the average value of the magnetic domain width is 500 μm or less in each of the two or more virtual lines in which the standard deviation of the spacing between the magnetic domain control points is 1.25 mm or more.(7) Preferably, in the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet according to any one of (1) to (2) and (5) to (6) above, the standard deviation of the spacing between the magnetic domain control points, which are intersections of the virtual line and the magnetic domain control treatment line, in at least one of the virtual lines is 2.50 mm or more, and the average value of the magnetic domain widths measured along the virtual line is 600 μm or less. (8) Preferably, in the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet according to any one of (1) to (2) and (5) to (7) above, the average value of the magnetic domain widths in the virtual lines where the standard deviation of the spacing between the magnetic domain control points is 2.50 mm or more is 500 μm or less. (9) Preferably, in the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet according to any one of (1) to (2) and (5) to (8) above, among the imaginary lines for which the standard deviation of the spacing between the magnetic domain control points is 1.25 mm or more, the number of grain boundary points, which are intersections of the imaginary line and a crystal grain boundary, is 2 or less. (10) Preferably, in the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet according to any one of (1) to (2) and (5) to (9) above, the number of grain boundary points, which are intersections of the imaginary line and a crystal grain boundary, is 2 or less. (11) Preferably, in the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet according to (3) above, the standard deviation of the spacing between the magnetic domain control points is 1.25 mm or more, and the maximum value of the magnetic domain width is 1200 μm or less, for each of the two or more imaginary lines. (12) Preferably, in the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet according to (11) above, the maximum value of the magnetic domain width is 800 μm or less for each of the two or more imaginary lines for which the standard deviation of the spacing between the magnetic domain control points is 1.25 mm or more. (13) Preferably, in the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet according to any one of (3) to (4) and (11) to (12) above, the standard deviation of the spacing between the magnetic domain control points, which are intersections of the imaginary line and the magnetic domain control treatment line, for at least one imaginary line is 2.50 mm or more, and the maximum value of the magnetic domain width measured along the imaginary line is 1200 μm or less. (14) Preferably, in the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet according to any one of (3) to (4) and (11) to (13) above, the maximum value of the magnetic domain width is 800 μm or less on the imaginary line where the standard deviation of the spacing between the magnetic domain control points is 2.50 mm or more.(15) Preferably, in the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet according to any one of (3) to (4) and (11) to (14) above, among the imaginary lines along which the standard deviation of the spacing between the magnetic domain control points is 1.25 mm or more, at least one of the imaginary lines has two or less grain boundary points, which are intersections of the imaginary line and a crystal grain boundary. (16) Preferably, in the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet according to any one of (3) to (4) and (11) to (15) above, the number of grain boundary points is two or less on each of two or more imaginary lines. (17) Preferably, in the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet according to any one of (1) to (16) above, the magnetic domain control treatment lines are thermal strains. (18) Preferably, in the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet according to any one of (1) to (17) above, the magnetic domain control treatment lines are grooves. (19) Preferably, in the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet according to any one of (1) to (18) above, the standard deviation of the spacing is less than 1.25 mm for at least one of the imaginary lines.
[0011] (20) A method for producing a grain-oriented electrical steel sheet according to another aspect of the present disclosure includes the steps of acquiring a magnetic domain image of an original sheet of the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet, determining a magnetic domain control treatment area based on a distribution of magnetic domain widths in the magnetic domain image, and applying a magnetic domain control treatment to the magnetic domain control treatment area determined based on the distribution of magnetic domain widths, wherein a square evaluation area, each 50 mm long and parallel to the rolling direction of the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet, is set in the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet, and imaginary lines, each 50 mm long and parallel to the rolling direction, are set within the evaluation area at 5 mm intervals, and the standard deviation of the intervals between magnetic domain control points, which are intersections of the imaginary line and the magnetic domain control treatment line formed by the magnetic domain control treatment, is 1.25 mm or more. (21) Preferably, in the method for producing a grain-oriented electrical steel sheet according to the above (20), the magnetic domain control treatment area is an area where the magnetic domain width is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. (22) Preferably, in the method for producing a grain-oriented electrical steel sheet according to the above (20) or (21), the distribution of the magnetic domain widths is derived from the magnetic domain image using a two-dimensional Fourier transform. (23) Preferably, in the method for producing a grain-oriented electrical steel sheet according to any one of the above (20) to (22), the magnetic domain control treatment is applied by irradiating a laser or an electron beam.
[0012] According to the above-described aspects of the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a grain-oriented electrical steel sheet that can achieve both low iron loss and low noise, and a method for manufacturing the same.
[0013] 3B is a plan view of a grain-oriented electrical steel sheet according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; FIG. 4 is a plan view of a normal grain-oriented electrical steel sheet; FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the distribution of magnetic domain widths of a grain-oriented electrical steel sheet before magnetic domain refinement treatment; FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the distribution of magnetic domain widths of a grain-oriented electrical steel sheet after magnetic domain refinement treatment; FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the difference between FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B; FIG. 8 is a graph showing the relationship between the magnetic domain width before and after magnetic domain control treatment; FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of an image acquisition device; FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of an analysis device; FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of a laser irradiation device; FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing a manufacturing method of a grain-oriented electrical steel sheet according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram illustrating a method of cutting out multiple partial regions from a magnetic domain image of a grain-oriented electrical steel sheet; FIG. 14 is an example of multiple partial Fourier images obtained by applying a two-dimensional Fourier transform to each of multiple partial regions cut out from the magnetic domain image of the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet;
[0014] (1. Grain-oriented electrical steel sheet 1) The grain-oriented electrical steel sheet 1 according to this embodiment has a plurality of magnetic domain control treatment lines 11 on its surface. A square evaluation area is set in the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet 1, with each side 50 mm long and parallel to the rolling direction RD of the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet 1. Furthermore, within the evaluation area, first virtual lines VL1, each 50 mm long and parallel to the rolling direction RD, are set at 5 mm intervals. In this case, for at least one first virtual line VL1, the standard deviation of the spacing between magnetic domain control points VP, which are intersections of the first virtual line VL1 and the magnetic domain control treatment lines 11, is 1.25 mm or more, and at least one of the following conditions is satisfied: (1) The average value of the magnetic domain width measured along the first virtual line VL1 is 600 μm or less; (2) The maximum value of the magnetic domain width measured along the first virtual line VL1 is 1200 μm or less.
[0015] (Magnetic Domain Control Processing Lines 11) The multiple magnetic domain control processing lines 11 provided on the surface of the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet 1 function to subdivide the 180° magnetic domains. Subdividing the magnetic domains can reduce the iron loss of the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet 1. A magnetic domain is a collection of magnetic dipoles present inside a ferromagnetic material, and is a small region in which the magnetic moments are aligned in one direction. A 180° magnetic domain is a magnetic domain whose magnetization direction is the <100> orientation of the crystal and is sandwiched between two 180° magnetic domain walls that are approximately parallel to the rolling direction RD. The distance between adjacent domain walls of a 180° magnetic domain (domain wall spacing) is referred to as the width of the 180° magnetic domain. Hereinafter, unless otherwise specified, the width of a 180° magnetic domain will be simply referred to as the "magnetic domain width."
[0016] Suitable examples of the magnetic domain control processed wire 11 are thermal distortion and grooves. By subdividing the magnetic domains, it is possible to suppress the iron loss of the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet 1. However, the magnetic domain control processed wire 11 changes the magnetostriction characteristics of the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet 1 due to closure domains. This deteriorates the noise characteristics of the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet 1.
[0017] The magnetic domain control treatment lines 11 are formed in a direction intersecting the rolling direction RD of the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet 1. In a typical grain-oriented electrical steel sheet 1 such as the one illustrated in Fig. 2, the magnetic domain control treatment lines 11 are formed across the entire width of the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet 1. However, in the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet 1 according to this embodiment such as the one illustrated in Fig. 1, it is not essential to provide the magnetic domain control treatment lines 11 across the entire width of the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet 1.
[0018] In the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet 1 exemplified in FIG. 1 , the magnetic domain control treatment lines 11 are straight. However, the magnetic domain control treatment lines 11 may also be curved. The magnetic domain control treatment lines 11 may have a shape including straight portions and bent portions. Furthermore, the magnetic domain control treatment lines 11 may be on one or both sides of the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet 1. When the magnetic domain control treatment lines 11 are on both sides of the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet 1, it is sufficient that the various aspects of the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet 1 according to this embodiment are applied to at least one side of the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet 1.
[0019] (Evaluation area) In the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet 1 according to this embodiment, in order to set the first virtual line VL1 described later, a square evaluation area is set, with one side having a length of 50 mm and one side parallel to the rolling direction RD of the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet 1.
[0020] (Imaginary line (first virtual line) VL1 parallel to the rolling direction RD and 50 mm long) In the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet 1 according to this embodiment, imaginary lines are used for convenience in defining the density of the magnetic domain control treatment lines 11. The imaginary lines are set at 5 mm intervals within the evaluation area. FIG. 1 shows, as an example, a state in which only one first virtual line VL1 is drawn. When multiple first virtual lines VL1 are set, a required number of other first virtual lines can be set parallel to the first virtual line VL1 in FIG. 1. The length of the virtual line is 50 mm. The imaginary line extends parallel to the rolling direction RD. The intersections of the imaginary line and the magnetic domain control treatment lines 11 are defined as magnetic domain control points VP. The intervals between the magnetic domain control points VP serve as an index of the density of the magnetic domain control treatment lines 11. The imaginary lines are also used as measurement points for the magnetic domain width of the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet 1. Hereinafter, the imaginary line parallel to the rolling direction RD and having a length of 50 mm will be referred to as a first imaginary line VL1.
[0021] (Standard Deviation of Spacing Between Magnetic Domain Control Points VP) In the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet 1 according to this embodiment, the standard deviation of the spacing between the magnetic domain control points VP on at least one first virtual line VL1 is 1.25 mm or more. The spacing d between the magnetic domain control points VP is the distance between two adjacent magnetic domain control points VP along the first virtual line VL1. For example, the first virtual line VL1 of the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet 1 illustrated in FIG. 1 has eight magnetic domain control points VP. If the standard deviation of the spacings d1 to d7 between these magnetic domain control points VP is 1.25 mm or more, the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet 1 of FIG. 1 satisfies the requirement of the present disclosure regarding the spacing between the magnetic domain control points VP.
[0022] A grain-oriented electrical steel sheet 1 capable of arranging one or more first virtual lines VL1 such that the standard deviation of the spacing between magnetic domain control points VP is 1.25 mm or more will include an area X where no magnetic domain control processing line 11 is provided, as illustrated in Figure 1.
[0023] The standard deviation of the spacing between the magnetic domain control points VP can vary depending on the positions of the evaluation area and the first virtual lines VL1. In the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet 1 illustrated in FIG. 1 , it is also possible to position the evaluation area and the first virtual lines VL1 so that the standard deviation of the spacing between the magnetic domain control points VP is less than 1.25 mm. However, a grain-oriented electrical steel sheet 1 in which one or more first virtual lines VL1 can be arranged at any location so that the standard deviation of the spacing between the magnetic domain control points VP is 1.25 mm or more is considered to satisfy the requirements of the present disclosure regarding the spacing between the magnetic domain control points VP. Therefore, the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet 1 of FIG. 1 satisfies the requirements of the present disclosure regarding the spacing between the magnetic domain control points VP.
[0024] On the other hand, the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet 1 shown in Figure 2 in which multiple magnetic domain control treatment lines 11 extending across the entire width of the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet 1 are arranged at equal intervals does not include an area X where no magnetic domain control treatment lines 11 are provided. The grain-oriented electrical steel sheet 1 in Figure 2 cannot have first imaginary lines VL1 arranged such that the standard deviation of the spacing between magnetic domain control points VP is 1.25 mm or more. Therefore, the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet 1 in Figure 2 does not satisfy the requirements of the present disclosure regarding the spacing between magnetic domain control points VP.
[0025] The standard deviation of the intervals between the magnetic domain control points VP is not particularly limited as long as it is 1.25 mm or more, but the upper limit of the standard deviation of the intervals between the magnetic domain control points VP may be set to 23 mm if necessary.
[0026] (Average or Maximum Value of Magnetic Domain Width Measured Along First Virtual Line VL1) A first virtual line VL1 in which the standard deviation of the spacing between magnetic domain control points VP is 1.25 mm or more further satisfies at least one of the following requirements: (1) The average value of the magnetic domain width measured along the first virtual line VL1 is 600 μm or less. (2) The maximum value of the magnetic domain width measured along the first virtual line VL1 is 1200 μm or less.
[0027] The grain-oriented electrical steel sheet 1 may satisfy both the above-mentioned requirements (1) and (2). That is, in a first imaginary line VL1 along which the standard deviation of the spacing between magnetic domain control points VP is 1.25 mm or more, the average value of the magnetic domain width measured along this line may be 600 μm or less and the maximum value may be 1200 μm or less. In a first imaginary line VL1 that satisfies at least one of the above-mentioned requirements (1) and (2), the magnetic domain width is set to a small value throughout the first imaginary line VL1.
[0028] It should be noted here that in the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet 1 according to this embodiment, the spacing between the magnetic domain control points VP varies on the first imaginary line VL1, which is the position where the magnetic domain width is measured. The first imaginary line VL1, which is the position where the magnetic domain width is measured, passes through the region X where no magnetic domain control processing line 11 is provided.
[0029] In a typical grain-oriented electrical steel sheet 1, the magnetic domain width in the region X where no magnetic domain control treatment has been performed is wide. Therefore, when the magnetic domain width is measured along the first imaginary line VL1 passing through the region X where no magnetic domain control treatment has been performed in a typical grain-oriented electrical steel sheet 1, the average and maximum values of the magnetic domain width are extremely large. A person skilled in the art would try to make the region X where no magnetic domain control treatment has been performed as small as possible. However, in the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet 1 according to this embodiment, the average and / or maximum values of the magnetic domain width measured along the first imaginary line VL1 where the standard deviation of the spacing between the magnetic domain control points VP is 1.25 mm or more are kept within the above-mentioned range.
[0030] More preferably, the average magnetic domain width measured along the first imaginary line VL1, along which the standard deviation of the spacing between the magnetic domain control points VP is 1.25 mm or more, is 500 μm or less, 450 μm or less, 400 μm or less, 380 μm or less, 350 μm or less, or 300 μm or less. More preferably, the maximum magnetic domain width measured along the first imaginary line VL1 is 1000 μm or less, 800 μm or less, 600 μm or less, 500 μm or less, 450 μm or less, or 400 μm or less.
[0031] (Basic Principles and Effects) The inventors have discovered that a grain-oriented electrical steel sheet 1 can be provided that has a first imaginary line VL1 where the standard deviation of the spacing between magnetic domain control points VP is 1.25 mm or more, and where the average or maximum value of the magnetic domain width measured along the first imaginary line VL1 is small, thereby achieving both low iron loss and low noise. This is because, in such grain-oriented electrical steel sheet 1, magnetic domain control treatment is applied only to portions that contribute to reducing iron loss, and magnetic domain control treatment lines 11 are not provided in portions where magnetic domain control treatment is not required. The basic principles and effects of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to Figures 3A to 3C, etc.
[0032] First, the inventors compared the magnetic domain structure of the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet 1 before and after magnetic domain control treatment. Fig. 3A shows an example of the magnetic domain width distribution of the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet 1 before magnetic domain control treatment. Fig. 3B shows the magnetic domain width distribution after magnetic domain control treatment was performed on the surface of the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet 1 of Fig. 3A. The magnetic domain control treatment here was performed by irradiating the surface with a continuous wave laser in a direction approximately perpendicular to the rolling direction RD. The magnetic domain width distributions shown in Fig. 3A and Fig. 3B were derived from magnetic domain images of the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet 1 using a two-dimensional Fourier transform, which will be described later.
[0033] Furthermore, Fig. 3C shows the difference between Fig. 3A and Fig. 3B. Fig. 3C shows the regions where the magnetic domain width has been subdivided by 50 μm or more before and after the magnetic domain control treatment shown in Fig. 3A and Fig. 3B. Fig. 3C visualizes the regions where the magnetic domain width has been subdivided by the magnetic domain control treatment.
[0034] 3C shows that the regions where magnetic domain refining of 50 μm or more has occurred as a result of the magnetic domain control treatment are the dark areas in FIG. 3A, i.e., regions where the magnetic domain width was wide before the magnetic domain control treatment. It can be seen that the magnetic domain refining effect is particularly pronounced in regions where the original magnetic domain width was approximately 500 μm or more. On the other hand, the effect of the magnetic domain control treatment is hardly apparent in the light areas in FIG. 3A, i.e., regions where the magnetic domain width was narrow before the magnetic domain control treatment. The effect of the magnetic domain control treatment differs depending on the magnetic domain width before the magnetic domain control treatment.
[0035] The present inventors further investigated in detail the relationship between the amount of reduction in magnetic domain width caused by the magnetic domain control treatment and the magnetic domain width before the magnetic domain control treatment. Figure 4 shows the relationship between the magnetic domain width before the magnetic domain control treatment and the magnetic domain width before the magnetic domain control treatment at the same position. The magnetic domain control treatment was performed by laser irradiation. During the laser irradiation, the average irradiation energy density Ua (mJ / mm 2 ), and irradiation pitch PL (mm), respectively, Ua = 1.5 mJ / mm 2 , PL=4 mm.
[0036] 4, it can be seen that the magnetic domain refinement effect of the magnetic domain control treatment is difficult to achieve in regions with narrow magnetic domain widths. In particular, in regions with magnetic domain widths of approximately 500 μm or less, the magnetic domain widths were substantially the same before and after the magnetic domain control treatment. Therefore, it is believed that the iron loss reduction effect of the magnetic domain control treatment is large in regions where the magnetic domain width before the magnetic domain control treatment was wide, but is insufficient in regions where the magnetic domain width before the magnetic domain control treatment was sufficiently narrow. It is believed that the magnetic domain control treatment line 11 formed in regions with narrow magnetic domain widths leads to deterioration of noise characteristics due to closure domains.
[0037] Based on the above findings, it has become clear that in the magnetic domain control treatment of conventional grain-oriented electrical steel sheets 1, magnetic domain control is performed even in areas where magnetic domain control is not required, which contributes to increased noise. It has also been found that performing magnetic domain control treatment preferentially in areas with wide magnetic domain widths is extremely effective in achieving both low iron loss and low noise. Magnetic domain control treatment in areas with wide magnetic domain widths can reduce iron loss. Furthermore, by minimizing magnetic domain control treatment in areas with narrow magnetic domain widths, it is possible to prevent deterioration of noise characteristics.
[0038] In the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet 1 according to this embodiment, magnetic domain control treatment lines 11 are not provided in regions where the magnetic domain width was narrow before the magnetic domain control treatment. Therefore, the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet 1 according to this embodiment includes a region X where no magnetic domain control treatment lines 11 are provided. When an evaluation region and a first virtual line VL1 are set in this region X, the standard deviation of the spacing between magnetic domain control points VP along the first virtual line VL1 is 1.25 mm or more. By not providing magnetic domain control treatment lines 11, the noise characteristics of the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet 1 according to this embodiment are improved.
[0039] Furthermore, the regions X where the magnetic domain control treatment lines 11 are not provided are regions where the magnetic domain width was narrow before the magnetic domain control treatment. Therefore, in the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet 1 according to this embodiment, the magnetic domain width is also narrow in the regions X where the magnetic domain control treatment lines 11 are not provided. In the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet 1 according to this embodiment, the regions X where the magnetic domain control treatment lines 11 are not provided do not impair iron loss.
[0040] Additionally, in the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet 1 according to this embodiment, the magnetic domain control treatment is performed in the regions with wide magnetic domain widths before the magnetic domain control treatment is performed, and therefore the iron loss of the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet 1 according to this embodiment is improved by the magnetic domain control treatment.
[0041] The above has described the most basic aspect of the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet 1 according to this embodiment. A more preferred aspect will now be described.
[0042] (Number of first virtual lines VL1 for which the standard deviation of the spacing between magnetic domain control points VP is 1.25 mm or more) According to the results of studies by the present inventors, in the original sheet 2 before the magnetic domain control treatment, regions with narrow magnetic domain widths (regions that do not require magnetic domain control treatment) were scattered across the entire surface of the original sheet 2. It is preferable to avoid all of the regions with narrow magnetic domain widths scattered across the entire surface of the original sheet 2 and perform appropriate magnetic domain control. Thus, it is desirable that in the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet 1 after the magnetic domain control treatment, regions X where no magnetic domain control treatment lines 11 are provided are scattered across the entire surface.
[0043] Therefore, in the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet 1 according to this embodiment, when first virtual lines VL1, each 50 mm long and parallel to the rolling direction RD, are set at 5 mm intervals within the evaluation region, it is preferable that the standard deviation of the spacing between the magnetic domain control points VP on each of the two or more first virtual lines VL1 is 1.25 mm or more. That is, it is preferable that the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet 1 includes a region X where no magnetic domain control treatment lines 11 are provided, to the extent that two or more first virtual lines VL1 can be set so that the standard deviation of the spacing between the magnetic domain control points VP is 1.25 mm or more. It is even more preferable that the number of first virtual lines VL1 where the standard deviation of the spacing between the magnetic domain control points VP is 1.25 mm or more is 3 or more, 4 or more, 5 or more, or 10 or more.
[0044] Furthermore, from the viewpoint of further improving iron loss, it is preferable that the magnetic domain widths of two or more first virtual lines VL1 that satisfy the standard deviation of the spacing between magnetic domain control points VP of 1.25 mm or more are narrow. Therefore, it is preferable that each of the two or more first virtual lines VL1 satisfy one or both of the following requirements: (1) The average value of the magnetic domain widths measured along the first virtual line VL1 is 600 μm or less. (2) The maximum value of the magnetic domain widths measured along the first virtual line VL1 is 1200 μm or less.
[0045] Furthermore, it is more preferable that the average magnetic domain width measured along each of the two or more first virtual lines VL1, in which the standard deviation of the spacing between the magnetic domain control points is 1.25 mm or more, is 500 μm or less, 450 μm or less, 400 μm or less, 380 μm or less, 350 μm or less, or 300 μm or less.It is even more preferable that the maximum magnetic domain width measured along each of the two or more first virtual lines VL1, in which the standard deviation of the spacing between the magnetic domain control points is 1.25 mm or more, is 800 μm or less, 600 μm or less, 500 μm or less, 450 μm or less, or 400 μm or less.
[0046] (Mode of magnetic domain control processing line 11) The type of magnetic domain control processing line 11 is not particularly limited, but suitable examples are thermal distortion and / or grooves. Thermal distortion can be formed by means of, for example, laser irradiation, electron beam irradiation, ion implantation, etc. Grooves can be formed by means of, for example, laser irradiation, electron beam irradiation, machining, etc.
[0047] Thermal distortion disappears by stress relief annealing or a heat treatment equivalent thereto. Therefore, when the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet 1 is heat treated, it is preferable to form the magnetic domain control treatment lines 11 as grooves. On the other hand, since thermal distortion can be easily formed, when simplification of the manufacturing process is required, it is preferable to form the magnetic domain control treatment lines 11 as thermal distortion. The grain-oriented electrical steel sheet 1 may have both thermal distortion and grooves.
[0048] (The standard deviation of the spacing between magnetic domain control points VP is 2.50 mm or more) The grain-oriented electrical steel sheet 1 according to this embodiment is characterized in that magnetic domain control treatment is selectively performed on areas with a wide magnetic domain width before magnetic domain control. In this case, more significant effects can be obtained by performing the above treatment on a steel sheet with a coarse crystal grain size than on a steel sheet with a typical crystal grain size.
[0049] For example, generally, when an attempt is made to increase the degree of orientation concentration in the Goss orientation in order to increase magnetic flux density, the grain size tends to become larger due to the manufacturing method. Steel sheets with such coarse grain sizes have excellent magnetic flux density, but because the grains are too large, they tend to have high iron loss unless magnetic domain control treatment is performed. Therefore, magnetic domain control is essentially required. However, as mentioned above, while conventional magnetic domain control treatments are effective in reducing the iron loss of grain-oriented electrical steel sheets, they tend to deteriorate the noise characteristics of the grain-oriented electrical steel sheets.
[0050] On the other hand, if a steel sheet having a coarse crystal grain size is subjected to a magnetic domain control treatment selectively in the region where the magnetic domain width is wide before magnetic domain control, as in the present embodiment, a grain-oriented electrical steel sheet can be obtained that not only has excellent magnetic flux density but also can achieve both low iron loss and low noise.
[0051] When the magnetic domain control process specific to the present embodiment described above is applied to a steel sheet having a coarse crystal grain size, the value of the standard deviation of the spacing between the magnetic domain control points VP, among the above-mentioned characteristics, changes due to the steel sheet having a coarse crystal grain size.
[0052] Specifically, the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet 1 according to this embodiment preferably satisfies the following characteristics: In at least one imaginary line VL1, the standard deviation of the distance between the magnetic domain control points VP, which are the intersections of the imaginary line VL1 and the magnetic domain control processing line 11, is preferably 2.50 mm or more, and the average value of the magnetic domain width measured along the imaginary line VL1 is preferably 600 μm or less.
[0053] In addition to the above, the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet 1 according to this embodiment preferably further satisfies the following characteristics: In each of the two or more imaginary lines VL1, the standard deviation of the distance between the magnetic domain control points VP, which are the intersections of the imaginary line VL1 and the magnetic domain control processing lines 11, is preferably 2.50 mm or more, and the average value of the magnetic domain width measured along the imaginary line VL1 is preferably 600 μm or less.
[0054] Furthermore, the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet 1 according to this embodiment preferably satisfies the following characteristics: In at least one imaginary line VL1, the standard deviation of the distance between the magnetic domain control points VP, which are the intersections of the imaginary line VL1 and the magnetic domain control processing line 11, is preferably 2.50 mm or more, and the average value of the magnetic domain width measured along the imaginary line VL1 is preferably 500 μm or less.
[0055] In addition to the above, the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet 1 according to this embodiment preferably further satisfies the following characteristics: For each of the two or more imaginary lines VL1, it is preferable that the standard deviation of the distance between the magnetic domain control points VP, which are the intersections of the imaginary line VL1 and the magnetic domain control processing lines 11, is 2.50 mm or more, and that the average value of the magnetic domain width measured along the imaginary line VL1 is 500 μm or less.
[0056] Furthermore, the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet 1 according to this embodiment preferably satisfies the following characteristics: In at least one imaginary line VL1, the standard deviation of the distance between the magnetic domain control points VP, which are the intersections of the imaginary line VL1 and the magnetic domain control processing line 11, is preferably 2.50 mm or more, and the maximum value of the magnetic domain width measured along the imaginary line VL1 is preferably 1200 μm or less.
[0057] In addition to the above, the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet 1 according to this embodiment preferably further satisfies the following characteristics: For each of the two or more imaginary lines VL1, it is preferable that the standard deviation of the distance between the magnetic domain control points VP, which are the intersections of the imaginary line VL1 and the magnetic domain control processing line 11, is 2.50 mm or more, and that the maximum value of the magnetic domain width measured along the imaginary line VL1 is 1200 μm or less.
[0058] Furthermore, the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet 1 according to this embodiment preferably satisfies the following characteristics: In at least one imaginary line VL1, the standard deviation of the distance between the magnetic domain control points VP, which are the intersections of the imaginary line VL1 and the magnetic domain control processing line 11, is preferably 2.50 mm or more, and the maximum value of the magnetic domain width measured along the imaginary line VL1 is preferably 800 μm or less.
[0059] In addition to the above, the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet 1 according to this embodiment preferably further satisfies the following characteristics: For each of the two or more imaginary lines VL1, it is preferable that the standard deviation of the distance between the magnetic domain control points VP, which are the intersections of the imaginary line VL1 and the magnetic domain control processing line 11, is 2.50 mm or more, and that the maximum value of the magnetic domain width measured along the imaginary line VL1 is 800 μm or less.
[0060] By subjecting a steel sheet having a coarse crystal grain size to the magnetic domain control treatment specific to this embodiment described above, the standard deviation of the spacing between magnetic domain control points VP becomes the characteristic value described above, and therefore, in this embodiment, there is no need to specify the crystal grain size of the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet 1. Assuming that the magnetic domain control treatment specific to this embodiment is performed and the standard deviation of the spacing between magnetic domain control points VP is 1.25 mm or more, when the standard deviation of the spacing between magnetic domain control points VP is 2.50 mm or more, the grain size of the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet 1 can be considered to be coarse compared to conventional grains.
[0061] In addition, in grain-oriented electrical steel sheets having a typical crystal grain size, the standard deviation of the spacing between magnetic domain control points VP is often less than 2.50 mm.
[0062] However, the number of intersections between imaginary lines and grain boundaries can be used as an index to determine whether a steel sheet has coarse crystal grains. For example, in the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet 1 according to this embodiment, it is sufficient that the number of grain boundary points, which are the intersections between the imaginary line VL1 and the grain boundaries, on at least one imaginary line VL1 among the imaginary lines VL1 on which the standard deviation of the spacing between the magnetic domain control points VP is 1.25 mm or more, is 2 or less.
[0063] In addition to the above, in the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet 1 according to this embodiment, the number of grain boundary points may be two or less on each of two or more imaginary lines VL1.
[0064] In addition, in a grain-oriented electrical steel sheet having a general crystal grain size, the number of grain boundary points is about 3 to 10.
[0065] (Number of virtual lines VL1 where the standard deviation of the spacing between magnetic domain control points VP is less than 1.25 mm) Furthermore, the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet 1 according to this embodiment is characterized in that magnetic domain control processing is selectively performed on regions where the magnetic domain width is wide before magnetic domain control. In this case, while the standard deviation of the spacing between magnetic domain control points VP is 1.25 mm or more on at least one virtual line VL1, the standard deviation of the spacing between magnetic domain control points VP may be less than 1.25 mm on at least one virtual line VL1.
[0066] Therefore, in the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet 1 according to this embodiment, the standard deviation of the spacing between the magnetic domain control points VP on at least one imaginary line VL1 may be less than 1.25 mm.
[0067] In the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet 1 according to this embodiment, the imaginary line VL1 where the standard deviation of the spacing between the magnetic domain control points VP is less than 1.25 mm is not necessarily included in a square evaluation area with one side 50 mm long and one side parallel to the rolling direction of the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet. For example, when 20 evaluation areas are set as described above, if at least one evaluation area includes both a imaginary line VL1 where the standard deviation of the spacing between the magnetic domain control points VP is 1.25 mm or more and a imaginary line VL1 where the standard deviation of the spacing between the magnetic domain control points VP is less than 1.25 mm, it can be considered that the magnetic domain control treatment has been selectively performed on the area with a wide magnetic domain width before the magnetic domain control.
[0068] (2. Manufacturing Apparatus for Manufacturing Grain-Oriented Electrical Steel Sheet 1) Next, an example of a manufacturing apparatus for the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet 1 according to this embodiment will be described. However, the manufacturing apparatus described below is merely illustrative. The grain-oriented electrical steel sheet 1 according to this embodiment can be manufactured using any apparatus.
[0069] 5 shows an example of the hardware configuration of an image acquisition device 30 that acquires magnetic domain images of the original sheet 2, i.e., the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet 1 before the magnetic domain control process. The image acquisition device 30 includes a light source unit 31, a magneto-optical sensor (MO sensor 33), an image sensor 35, and a signal processing unit 37.
[0070] The light source unit 31 has a light source made up of a light emitting diode (LED), and irradiates the MO sensor 33 with light having a uniform polarization plane.
[0071] The MO sensor 33 is a device for measuring the magnetic domain structure of a magnetic material. The MO sensor 33 has an observation surface on which a magnetic sample to be measured is placed. Light emitted from the light source unit 31 passes through the interior of the MO sensor 33 and is reflected by the reflective layer. The reflected light passes through the interior of the MO sensor 33 again and is output to the outside of the MO sensor 33. When the original plate 2, which is a magnetic sample, is placed on the observation surface of the MO sensor 33, a leakage magnetic field corresponding to the direction of spontaneous magnetization of the original plate 2 is generated inside the MO sensor 33. This leakage magnetic field rotates the polarization plane of the reflected light.
[0072] The image sensor 35 is a complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) image sensor. The image sensor 35 forms an image of the reflected light from the MO sensor 33 on its light-receiving surface, performs photoelectric conversion, and outputs the photoelectrically converted analog signal to a signal processing unit 37. By detecting the reflected light with a rotated polarization plane using the image sensor 35, the distribution of the leakage magnetic field can be obtained, and the magnetic domain structure of the original plate 2 can be clarified.
[0073] The signal processing unit 37 includes an amplifier, an AD converter, a digital signal processor (DSP), etc. The analog signal output from the image sensor 35 is amplified by the amplifier. The analog signal is then converted into a digital signal by the AD converter. This digital signal is subjected to predetermined digital processing using the DSP to generate an image signal. The image signal generated by the signal processing unit 37 is output to an analysis device 40 (see FIG. 6 ) via a cable or wireless communication.
[0074] 6 shows the hardware configuration of an analysis device 40 that analyzes the magnetic domain structure of the original sheet 2. The analysis device 40 is a computer device such as a personal computer (PC), and includes a calculation unit 41, a memory 43, a display unit 45, an input unit 47, and a communication I / F 49.
[0075] The calculation unit 41 has a central processing unit (CPU). The calculation unit 41 analyzes the magnetic domain structure from the magnetic domain image of the original sheet 2 in accordance with a program stored in the memory 43. The calculation unit 41 then determines the magnetic domain control processing region 21, which is the location where the magnetic domain control processing is to be applied. The processing executed by the calculation unit 41 will be described in detail later.
[0076] The memory 43 includes a read-only memory (ROM) and a random access memory (RAM). The ROM stores programs executed by the CPU of the calculation unit 41 and data necessary for executing these programs. The programs and data stored in the ROM are loaded into the RAM and executed.
[0077] The memory 43 may include a magnetic memory such as a hard disk drive (HDD) or an optical memory such as an optical disk. Alternatively, the memory 43 may store programs and data in a computer-readable recording medium that is detachable from the analysis device 40. Alternatively, the memory 43 may receive the programs executed by the calculation unit 41 from a network via the communication I / F 49.
[0078] The display unit 45 has a display such as a liquid crystal display (LCD), a plasma display, or an organic electroluminescence (EL) display. The display unit 45 displays an image based on the image signal output from the image acquisition device 30. The display unit 45 also displays the analysis results of the magnetic domain structure by the calculation unit 41.
[0079] The input unit 47 has input devices such as a mouse, a keyboard, etc. The communication I / F 49 is an interface for transmitting and receiving data to and from external devices via a network such as a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), or the Internet.
[0080] As the calculation unit 41, instead of general-purpose hardware such as a CPU, dedicated hardware such as an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or a field programmable gate array (FPGA) specialized for analyzing magnetic domain structures may be adopted.
[0081] 5 and 6 show the case where the image acquisition device 30 and the analysis device 40 are separate devices, a system in which the image acquisition device 30 and the analysis device 40 are integrated may also be employed.
[0082] Known means such as laser irradiation, electron beam irradiation, ion implantation, etc. can be used as a means for introducing thermal strain into the surface of the original plate 2. Known means such as laser irradiation, electron beam irradiation, mechanical processing, etc. can be used as a means for forming grooves in the surface of the original plate 2. The configuration of a laser irradiation device 500 that introduces thermal strain by laser irradiation will be described below.
[0083] 7 shows the configuration of the laser irradiation device 500. The laser irradiation device 500 includes a polygon mirror 501, a light source device 503, a collimator 505, a condenser lens 507, a motor 509, a sensor 511, a control unit 513, and a strip threading device 515.
[0084] The strip threading device 515 threads the original strip 2 in the rolling direction RD.
[0085] The polygon mirror 501 has, for example, a regular polygonal prism shape. A plurality of plane mirrors are provided on each of the plurality of side surfaces constituting the regular polygonal prism-shaped polygon mirror 501. A laser beam LB is emitted from a light source device 503, passes through a collimator 505, and is incident on the plane mirror of the polygon mirror 501 in one direction (horizontal direction) and is reflected by the plane mirror.
[0086] The polygon mirror 501 can be rotated around a rotation axis O1 by being driven by a motor 509. The angle of incidence of the laser beam LB with respect to the plane mirror changes sequentially according to the rotation angle of the polygon mirror 501. This sequentially changes the reflection direction of the laser beam LB, enabling scanning of the surface of the original plate 2. The symbol P in Fig. 7 represents the interval between adjacent magnetic domain control processing lines 11, i.e., the irradiation pitch of the laser beam LB.
[0087] The light source device 503 outputs a laser beam LB in a predetermined irradiation method (for example, a continuous irradiation method or a pulse irradiation method) under the control of the control unit 513 .
[0088] The condenser lens 507 is provided in the optical path of the laser beam LB reflected from the polygon mirror 501. The condenser lens 507 constitutes a condensing optical system with a predetermined focal length. The laser beam LB reflected from the polygon mirror 501 is condensed onto the surface of the original plate 2 via the condenser lens 507, thereby introducing thermal strain into the surface of the original plate 2.
[0089] The motor 509 is connected to the polygon mirror 501. The motor 509 drives the polygon mirror 501 to rotate under the control of the control unit 513.
[0090] The sensor 511 is connected to the drive shaft of the motor 509. The sensor 511 detects the rotation angle of the polygon mirror 501 rotated by the motor 509. Furthermore, the sensor 511 outputs a signal indicating the detected rotation angle (hereinafter referred to as a rotation angle signal) to the control unit 513.
[0091] The control unit 513 is made up of a processor. The control unit 513 is connected to the light source device 503, the motor 509, the sensor 511, and the strip threading device 515. The control unit 513 receives a speed signal from the strip threading device 515. The control unit 513 also outputs a signal to the motor 509 to instruct the motor 509 to rotate the polygon mirror 501.
[0092] Furthermore, the control unit 513 controls the power of the laser beam LB output by the light source device 503 to be turned on and off based on a stress introduction signal representing the magnetic domain control processing region 21 and a rotation angle signal output from the sensor 511. When the laser irradiation device 500 is electrically connected to the analysis device 40, the stress introduction signal is input from the analysis device 40 to the laser irradiation device 500. Note that the stress introduction signal may also be input to the laser irradiation device 500 by an operator.
[0093] (3. Manufacturing Method of Grain-Oriented Electrical Steel Sheet 1) Next, a manufacturing method of the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet 1 according to this embodiment will be described. According to the manufacturing method of the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet 1 according to this embodiment, the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet 1 according to this embodiment can be suitably manufactured. However, the manufacturing method described below is merely one example of a suitable manufacturing method of the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet 1, and does not limit the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet 1. For ease of explanation, manufacturing equipment will be referred to as appropriate in the description of the manufacturing method. However, the manufacturing equipment referred to below is merely a suitable example for carrying out the manufacturing method of the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet 1 according to this embodiment.
[0094] 8 , the method for manufacturing the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet 1 according to this embodiment includes step S62 of acquiring a magnetic domain image of the original sheet 2 of the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet 1, step S64 of determining a magnetic domain control treatment area 21 based on the distribution of magnetic domain widths in the magnetic domain image, and step S66 of applying magnetic domain control treatment to the magnetic domain control treatment area 21 determined based on the distribution of magnetic domain widths. In this case, when a square evaluation area with a side length of 50 mm and parallel to the rolling direction RD of the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet 1 is set in the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet 1, and first virtual lines VL1 with a length of 50 mm are set inside the evaluation area parallel to the rolling direction RD at 5 mm intervals, the standard deviation of the intervals between magnetic domain control points VP, which are intersections of the first virtual line VL1 and the magnetic domain control treatment line 11 formed by the magnetic domain control treatment, is 1.25 mm or more in at least one first virtual line VL1.
[0095] First, a magnetic domain image of the original sheet 2 is acquired (see S62 in FIG. 8 ). The original sheet 2 refers to the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet 1 before the magnetic domain control process is applied. The magnetic domain image can be acquired, for example, by the image acquisition device 30. Next, the distribution of the widths of the 180° magnetic domains (magnetic domain widths) is derived from the magnetic domain image. The distribution of the magnetic domain widths in the original sheet 2 can be derived, for example, by using the calculation unit 41 of the analysis device 40.
[0096] Then, regions where the magnetic domain width is equal to or greater than a predetermined value (for example, equal to or greater than about 500 μm) are determined to be magnetic domain control treatment regions 21 (see S64 in FIG. 8). Figure 11 shows the original sheet 2 of the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet 1 in Figure 1. The shaded regions in Figure 11 are magnetic domain control treatment regions 21. The white regions in Figure 11 are non-magnetic domain control treatment regions 22. The magnetic domain width of the magnetic domain control treatment regions 21 is equal to or greater than the predetermined value, and the magnetic domain width of the non-magnetic domain control treatment regions 22 is less than the predetermined value.
[0097] The magnetic domain control processing region 21 may be determined by the operator visually observing the magnetic domain image displayed on the display unit 45, and a stress introduction signal representing the magnetic domain control processing region 21 may be input to the laser irradiation device 500.
[0098] Next, the magnetic domain control treatment is preferentially performed on the magnetic domain control treatment region 21 (see S66 in FIG. 8). Preferably, the magnetic domain control treatment is performed only on the magnetic domain control treatment region 21. If the magnetic domain control treatment line 11 is a thermal distortion, the magnetic domain control treatment may be performed by irradiation with a laser beam LB by a laser irradiation device 500, or other means such as ion implantation or electron beam irradiation may be employed. If the magnetic domain control treatment line 11 is a groove, the magnetic domain control treatment may be performed using a machining tool.
[0099] A detailed description will be given of an example of a method for determining the magnetic domain control processing area 21. The processing for identifying the magnetic domain control processing area 21 is executed by the calculation unit 41 of the analysis device 40, for example.
[0100] The calculation unit 41 uses, for example, a line segment method or a Fourier transform to derive the distribution of the magnetic domain width of the original sheet 2. Then, the calculation unit 41 determines regions where the magnetic domain width is equal to or greater than a predetermined value (for example, equal to or greater than approximately 500 μm) as locations where the magnetic domain control process should be applied preferentially.
[0101] In the line segment method, evaluation is performed by drawing line segments perpendicular to the magnetic domains. The line segments are drawn at intervals of three per centimeter in the direction parallel to the magnetic domains. The magnetic domain width is calculated based on the intervals between the intersections of the 180° domain walls and the line segments.
[0102] The Fourier transform is particularly effective as a means for analyzing the magnetic domain structure of a magnetic material having a periodic magnetic domain structure, such as the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet 1 and the original sheet 2. Below, we will explain a method for deriving the distribution of the magnetic domain width of the original sheet 2 using the short-term two-dimensional Fourier transform (hereinafter referred to as "ST2DFT"), which is an extension of the short-term Fourier transform, a signal processing method that has long been used in the time-frequency analysis of audio signals, to a two-dimensional region.
[0103] The image (magnetic domain image) represented by the image signal acquired by the image acquisition device 30 is expressed as a data string of two-dimensional coordinates (k-l coordinates) as x(k, l). The magnetic domain image to be analyzed in this embodiment is an image binarized using two types of colors, such as grayscale, or an image expressed in three or more gradations (multi-gradation).
[0104] In order to derive the distribution of magnetic domain widths of the original sheet 2, the calculation unit 41 executes the following processes (A-1), (A-2), and (A-3): (A-1) Process of extracting multiple partial regions from the magnetic domain image; (A-2) Process of performing ST2DFT; (A-3) Process of deriving the distribution of magnetic domain widths. Processes A-1 to A-3 will be explained in detail below.
[0105] (A-1) Processing for extracting multiple partial regions from a magnetic domain image In order to extract multiple partial regions from a magnetic domain image and analyze the frequency structure of each partial region, the range in the k direction is set to 0≦k≦N. k -1, and the range in the l direction is 0≦l≦N l -1 is used as the rectangular window function Wa(k, l) (N k and N l (k, l is a natural number). As the window function Wa(k, l), a Hamming window, a Hanning window, a Blackman window, etc. can be applied.
[0106] The observation position in the data sequence x(k, l) of the magnetic domain image is expressed by an index (n, m), and the shift amounts of the window function Wa(k, l) in the k direction and the l direction are respectively expressed as S k and S l When written as (n, m, S k , S lis an integer), and nS is calculated from the magnetic domain image as in equation (1). k ≦k≦nS k +N k -1, mS l ≦l≦mS l +N l Data string x of the partial region cut out from the range of -1 nm (k-nS k , l-mS l ) is obtained.
[0107] Figure 9 shows an example in which partial regions corresponding to the observation positions (n, m) = (1, 1), (2, 2), (3, 3), ..., (P, Q) (P and Q are natural numbers) are cut out from the magnetic domain image G.
[0108] In this embodiment, N which determines the range of the window function Wa(k, l) k and N l are parameters corresponding to the number of pixels in the k direction and the number of pixels in the l direction in the partial region, respectively.
[0109] (A-2) Processing to perform ST2DFT The data sequence of the partial region is x nm (n', m') = x nm (k-nS k , l-mS l ) and x nm When a two-dimensional Fourier transform is performed on (n', m'), a partial Fourier image X(f k , f l , n, m) are obtained. where f k and f l is the spatial frequency.
[0110] spatial frequency f k The resolution of Δf k , spatial frequency f l The resolution of Δf l When written as Δf k and Δf l is defined as in equation (3). Here, Δk and Δl are the spatial resolutions in the k and l directions, respectively, of the magnetic domain image.
[0111] For example, the data string x of each partial region shown in FIG. nm (k-nS k , l-mS l ) is subjected to a two-dimensional Fourier transform, a partial Fourier image X(f k , f l , n, m) are obtained.
[0112] (A-3) Processing to derive the distribution of magnetic domain widths Partial Fourier image X(f k , f l , n, m) is obtained, the partial Fourier image X(f k , f l , n, m) k max (n, m) and l component f l max (n, m)) can be obtained. Note that, in deriving the peak position, the region near k=0, l=0 is excluded because it is a portion that is highly dependent on the contrast of the image.
[0113] Then, from the spatial frequency resolution defined by equation (3) and the peak positions of the spots in the partial Fourier image, the distribution L(n, m) of the magnetic domain width is derived as shown in equation (4).
[0114] In this way, by using ST2DFT, it is possible to quantitatively derive the magnetic domain width distribution L(n, m) while preserving the position information of the magnetic domain image. Figures 3A to 3C above show the analysis results of the magnetic domain width derived by ST2DFT.
[0115] Figure 11 shows a plan view of an example of an original sheet 2. The original sheet 2 in Figure 11 is made of the material of the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet 1 in Figure 1. Figure 11 shows a magnetic domain control processing region 21 and a non-magnetic domain control processing region 22 of the original sheet 2 identified based on a magnetic domain image. The magnetic domain control processing region 21 is a region where the magnetic domain width is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. The non-magnetic domain control processing region 22 is a region where the magnetic domain width is less than a predetermined value. Magnetic domain control processing is applied to the dashed lines provided inside the magnetic domain control processing region 21 shown in Figure 11. In this case, a square evaluation area with one side 50 mm long and parallel to the rolling direction RD of the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet 1 is set in the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet 1, and first virtual lines VL1 with a length of 50 mm and parallel to the rolling direction RD are set at 5 mm intervals inside the evaluation area, and the standard deviation of the intervals along the first virtual line VL1 of the intersections of the first virtual line VL1 and the magnetic domain control treatment line 11 for at least one first virtual line VL1 is set to 1.25 mm or more. This results in the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet 1 of FIG.
[0116] When the calculation unit 41 derives the magnetic domain width distribution L(n, m), the calculation unit 41 determines regions where the magnetic domain width is equal to or greater than a predetermined value as magnetic domain control processing regions 21 (i.e., regions to which magnetic domain control processing is applied). The control unit 513 of the laser irradiation device 500 controls the power of the laser beam LB to be on for the magnetic domain control processing regions 21, and preferably to be off for the non-magnetic domain control processing regions 22 (i.e., regions other than the magnetic domain control processing regions 21). This introduces magnetic domain control processing lines 11 into the magnetic domain control processing regions 21 of the original sheet 2. Furthermore, the introduction of magnetic domain control processing lines 11 is minimized in the non-magnetic domain control processing regions 22 of the original sheet 2.
[0117] The above-described procedure can also be used to obtain a magnetic domain image of the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet 1 after the magnetic domain control treatment. In the magnetic domain image of the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet 1, the magnetic domain control treatment lines 11 may be unclear. In this case, the observation conditions may be adjusted so that the magnetic domain control treatment lines 11 can be clearly seen. For example, the magnetic domain control treatment lines 11 can be made clear by applying a DC magnetic field in the direction perpendicular to the sheet surface (thickness direction) of the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet 1.
[0118] Although the embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above, the present disclosure is not limited thereto and can be modified as appropriate without departing from the technical spirit of the invention. Below, more preferred examples of the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet 1 according to the present embodiment and the manufacturing method thereof will be described. Unless otherwise specified, the preferred aspects described below are applicable to both the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet 1 and the manufacturing method thereof. The grain-oriented electrical steel sheet according to the present embodiment may have a forsterite coating and / or an insulating coating on the surface of the base steel sheet, as described below. Each of these will be described below. However, when the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet has a base steel sheet and a forsterite coating and / or an insulating coating, the following specifications regarding the chemical composition, magnetic domain control treatment line, magnetic domain control region, and non-magnetic domain control treatment line apply to the base steel sheet. However, the specifications regarding the sheet thickness apply to the entire grain-oriented electrical steel sheet, including the base steel sheet and the forsterite coating and / or the insulating coating.
[0119] (Chemical Composition and Sheet Thickness) The chemical composition of the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet 1 and the base sheet 2 is not limited, and may be the same as that of a known grain-oriented electrical steel sheet 1. For example, the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet 1 and the base sheet 2 may have the following chemical composition, in mass %, Si: 2.500 to 7.000%, Mn: 0.00 to 1.000%, C: 0 to 0.085%, acid-soluble Al: 0 to 0.065%, N: 0 to 0.012%, Cr: 0 to 0.300%, Cu: 0 to 0.400%, P: 0 to 0.500%, Sn: 0 to 0.300%, Sb: 0 to 0.300%, and the like. : 0-0.300%, Ni: 0-1.000%, S: 0-0.015%, Se: 0-0.015%, Bi: 0-0.020%, Nb: 0-0.030%, V: 0-0.030%, Mo: 0-0.030%, Ta: 0-0.030%, W: 0-0.030%, B: 0-0.080%, Ti: 0-0.015%. The balance of the chemical composition includes Fe and impurities.
[0120] The thickness of the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet 1 and the base sheet 2 is not limited, but is preferably 0.15 mm to 0.30 mm, for example. By setting the thickness to 0.30 mm or less, classical eddy current loss can be suppressed and iron loss can be further improved. On the other hand, by setting the thickness to 0.15 mm or more, rolling efficiency can be improved, thereby improving productivity.
[0121] (Surface Treatment) The grain-oriented electrical steel sheet 1 and the base sheet 2 may have a forsterite coating. The grain-oriented electrical steel sheet 1 and the base sheet 2 may also have an insulating coating. The forsterite coating and the insulating coating may be formed on one side or both sides of the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet 1.
[0122] The forsterite coating is an inorganic coating containing, for example, magnesium silicate as a main component. The forsterite coating is formed, for example, during finish annealing, by a reaction between an annealing separator containing magnesia (MgO) applied to the surface of the base steel sheet and the components of the surface of the base steel sheet. The forsterite coating has a composition derived from the components of the annealing separator and the base steel sheet (more specifically, Mg 2 SiO 4 On the other hand, in the final annealing, 2 O 3 When an annealing separator containing mainly SiO 2 is used, the forsterite film may not be formed.
[0123] The insulating coating has the function of imparting electrical insulation and tension to the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet 1. By applying tension to the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet 1 and facilitating domain wall movement in the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet 1, it is possible to reduce iron loss in the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet 1. The insulating coating also provides the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet 1 with various properties such as corrosion resistance, heat resistance, and slip resistance. The insulating coating may be a known coating formed, for example, by applying a coating solution containing phosphate and colloidal silica as main components to the surface of a forsterite coating and baking it.
[0124] The insulating coating is preferably formed after the final annealing and the magnetic domain control treatment. Alternatively, the insulating coating may be formed after the final annealing step and before the magnetic domain control treatment. If the insulating coating is formed before the magnetic domain control treatment, the insulating coating may peel off from the magnetic domain control treatment wire 11. Therefore, it is preferable to form an insulating coating again on the magnetic domain control treatment wire 11 after the magnetic domain control treatment.
[0125] (Angle Between Magnetic Domain Control Processing Line 11 and the Direction Orthogonal to Rolling TD) The angle between the magnetic domain control processing line 11 and the direction orthogonal to rolling TD is not particularly limited. The magnetic domain control processing line 11 and the direction orthogonal to rolling TD may be approximately parallel. That is, the angle between the magnetic domain control processing line 11 and the direction orthogonal to rolling TD may be substantially 0°. On the other hand, as exemplified in FIG. 1 , the angle between the magnetic domain control processing line 11 and the direction orthogonal to rolling TD may be greater than 0°. For example, the angle between the magnetic domain control processing line 11 and the direction orthogonal to rolling TD may be any value within the range of 0° to 45°. The angle between the magnetic domain control processing line 11 and the direction orthogonal to rolling TD may be 1° or more, 3° or more, or 5° or more. The angle formed by the magnetic domain control processing line 11 and the direction perpendicular to the rolling direction TD may be 40° or less, 35° or less, or 30° or less.
[0126] As exemplified in Fig. 1 , the angles formed by all the magnetic domain control processing lines 11 and the direction transverse to rolling TD may be the same. That is, all the magnetic domain control processing lines 11 may extend parallel to one another. On the other hand, the angles formed by the magnetic domain control processing lines 11 and the direction transverse to rolling TD may vary. That is, some or all of the multiple magnetic domain control processing lines 11 may extend non-parallel to one another. The average value of the angles formed by the magnetic domain control processing lines 11 and the direction transverse to rolling TD may be 1° or more, 3° or more, or 5° or more. The average value of the angles formed by the magnetic domain control processing lines 11 and the direction transverse to rolling TD may be 40° or less, 35° or less, or 30° or less. The average angle can be calculated by measuring the angle between one magnetic domain control processing line and the direction perpendicular to the rolling direction TD at multiple positions, or by measuring the angles between multiple magnetic domain control processing lines and the direction perpendicular to the rolling direction TD at one point or multiple positions and then calculating the average value.
[0127] (Interval P of Magnetic Domain Control Treatment) The interval P of the magnetic domain control treatment, such as the irradiation pitch P of the laser beam LB shown in FIG. 7, is not particularly limited. The smaller the interval P of the magnetic domain control treatment, the greater the effect of improving iron loss. On the other hand, the larger the interval P of the magnetic domain control treatment, the more the noise characteristics are improved. The interval can be selected appropriately depending on the characteristics required of the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet 1.
[0128] The interval P at which the magnetic domain control treatment is performed corresponds to the interval between the magnetic domain control treatment lines 11 and the imaginary lines along these in the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet 1 according to this embodiment. The imaginary lines along the magnetic domain control treatment lines 11 provided in the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet 1 are set across the entire width of the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet 1, and the interval between these lines is measured, thereby determining the interval P for the magnetic domain control treatment.
[0129] For example, the interval P of the magnetic domain control treatment may be 1.0 mm or more, 2.0 mm or more, 3.0 mm or more, or 5.0 mm or more. The interval P of the magnetic domain control treatment may be 10.0 mm or less, 9.0 mm or less, 8.0 mm or less, or 7.0 mm or less. Note that the interval P of the magnetic domain control treatment is a value measured along the rolling direction RD.
[0130] In the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet 1 illustrated in Fig. 1, the interval P of the magnetic domain control treatment is constant. However, the interval P of the magnetic domain control treatment may vary. For example, the average value of the interval P of the magnetic domain control treatment may be 1.0 mm or more, 2.0 mm or more, 3.0 mm or more, or 5.0 mm or more. The average value of the interval P of the magnetic domain control treatment may be 10.0 mm or less, 9.0 mm or less, 8.0 mm or less, or 7.0 mm or less.
[0131] (Magnitude of tensile stress introduced by thermal strain) The magnetic domain control treatment wire 11 may be thermally strained. In the thermal strain, tensile stress is introduced. The larger the tensile stress, the greater the effect of improving iron loss. On the other hand, the smaller the tensile stress, the more improved the noise characteristics. The tensile stress can be appropriately selected according to the characteristics required of the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet 1.
[0132] The magnitude of the tensile stress is not particularly limited, but for example, in at least a portion of the magnetic domain control processing line 11, the tensile stress in any direction is preferably 40 MPa or more, 60 MPa or more, or 80 MPa or more. If the tensile stress in at least one direction is 40 MPa or more, the requirement of "tensile stress in any direction is 40 MPa or more" is considered to be met. Furthermore, for example, in at least a portion of the magnetic domain control processing line 11, the tensile stress in any direction is preferably 300 MPa or less, 200 MPa or less, 180 MPa or less, or 150 MPa or less. The tensile stress in any direction in the magnetic domain control processing line 11 may be uniform or may vary.
[0133] (Groove Depth and Width) The magnetic domain control treatment line 11 may be a groove. The greater the groove depth and width, the greater the effect of improving iron loss. On the other hand, the smaller the groove depth and width, the more the noise characteristics are improved. The shape of the groove can be selected appropriately depending on the characteristics required of the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet 1.
[0134] The depth of the groove is not particularly limited, but is preferably 5 μm to 50 μm, for example. The depth of the groove may be 6 μm or more, 7 μm or more, or 10 μm or more. The depth of the groove may be 48 μm or less, 45 μm or less, or 40 μm or less.
[0135] The width of the groove (width at the opening) is not particularly limited, but is preferably 10 μm to 300 μm, for example. The groove width may be specified as 20 μm or more, 30 μm or more, or 50 μm or more. The groove width may be specified as 280 μm or less, 250 μm or less, or 200 μm or less. The depth and width of the groove may be uniform or may vary. If there is variation, it is preferable that the average depth and width of multiple grooves be within the above range.
[0136] (Measurement Method) The following describes a method for measuring various parameters of the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet 1 according to this embodiment. All parameters are measured using a sample taken from the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet 1. For example, a rectangular sample with both sides measuring 100 mm (or 100 mm or more) can be cut out from the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet 1 and used for measurement. When the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet 1 is a coil, the sample can be taken from any location on the coil. Furthermore, when the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet 1 is a component incorporated into an electrical product such as a transformer or a motor, the sample can be taken from any location on the component. When the component is small, the length of one side of the sample may be less than 100 mm, as long as the length of one side is 50 mm or more. In this case, it is desirable to take the sample using a method such as wire cutting to minimize the influence of mechanical distortion on the sample.
[0137] (Method for Identifying Magnetic Domain Control Treatment Lines 11) When the magnetic domain control treatment lines 11 are grooves, the magnetic domain control treatment lines 11 can be identified visually. When the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet 1 has an insulating coating, the insulating coating can be removed using a known stripping agent, thereby making the magnetic domain control treatment lines 11 visible.
[0138] If the magnetic domain control treatment lines 11 are thermally strained, they may not be identifiable by visual inspection. In this case, a magnetic domain image is taken using, for example, an image acquisition device 30 as shown in FIG. 6 . If necessary, the magnetic domain image is taken while applying a DC magnetic field along the normal direction ND of the rolled surface of the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet 1. By observing the magnetic domain image, the location of the thermal strain can be identified.
[0139] (Method for determining the rolling direction RD and the transverse direction TD) The rolling direction RD and the transverse direction TD of the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet 1 are determined by the following means. (1) When the sample is cut out from a coil-shaped grain-oriented electrical steel sheet 1, the width direction of the coil is considered to be the transverse direction TD. Also, the direction perpendicular to the transverse direction TD and the normal direction ND to the rolling surface is considered to be the rolling direction RD. (2) When the sample is cut out from a part of an electrical product, etc., the rolling direction RD and the transverse direction TD are determined from rolling defects on the surface of the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet 1. The extension direction of the rolling defects is considered to be the rolling direction RD. The direction perpendicular to the rolling direction RD and the normal direction ND to the rolling surface is considered to be the transverse direction TD. (3) When it is difficult to identify the rolling direction RD and the direction transverse to rolling direction TD from the rolling defects on the surface of the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet 1, the rolling direction RD and the direction transverse to rolling direction TD are identified from the crystal orientation of the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet 1. Specifically, the crystal orientation of the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet 1 to be evaluated is measured at multiple points. Then, the direction in which the angle between the crystal orientation at the measurement point and the direction normal to the rolling surface ND (sheet thickness direction) is closest to a right angle and which has the smallest deviation angle from the axis of easy magnetization <001> is regarded as the rolling direction RD, and the direction perpendicular to the rolling direction RD and the direction normal to the rolling surface ND is regarded as the direction transverse to rolling direction TD.
[0140] (Standard Deviation of Spacing Between Magnetic Domain Control Points VP) The standard deviation of spacing between magnetic domain control treatment points is calculated according to the following procedure. First, a square evaluation area with one side 50 mm long and parallel to the rolling direction RD of the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet 1 is set on the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet 1. Then, within the evaluation area, first virtual lines VL1 parallel to the rolling direction RD and 50 mm long are set on the surface of the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet 1 at 5 mm intervals. Next, magnetic domain control points VP are identified, which are the intersections of the first virtual lines VL1 and the magnetic domain control treatment lines 11. The rolling direction RD and the magnetic domain control treatment lines 11 are identified according to the procedure described above. Then, the spacing between adjacent magnetic domain control points VP is measured, and the standard deviation of these measurements is calculated.
[0141] The locations where the evaluation area and the first virtual line VL1 are set are not limited. The first virtual line VL1 may be set at any location where the first virtual line VL1 can be set so that the standard deviation of the spacing between the magnetic domain control points VP falls within the range of the present disclosure. For example, the first virtual line VL1 may be set so that it passes through an area X where no magnetic domain control processing line 11 is provided. On the other hand, if a location where the first virtual line VL1 can be set so that the standard deviation of the spacing between the magnetic domain control points VP falls within the range of the present disclosure cannot be found, it is presumed that the requirements of the present disclosure are not met.
[0142] (Average and Maximum Values of Magnetic Domain Widths Measured Along the First Virtual Line VL1) The average and maximum values of the magnetic domain widths measured along the first virtual line VL1 are calculated according to the following procedure. (1) A magnetic domain image of the sample is captured using an image acquisition device 30 such as that shown in FIG. 5 . (2) The first virtual line VL1 used to measure the standard deviation of the spacing between the magnetic domain control points VP is superimposed on the magnetic domain image. (3) Multiple virtual lines perpendicular to the first virtual line VL1 are set at 2 mm intervals. Hereinafter, the multiple virtual lines perpendicular to the first virtual line VL1 are referred to as second virtual lines VL2. The length of each second virtual line VL2 is 5 mm. The second virtual line VL2 is set so that it intersects the first virtual line VL1 at its center. (4) The number of magnetic domains included in each second virtual line VL2 is measured. The length of the second imaginary line VL2 divided by the number of magnetic domains included in the second imaginary line VL2 is regarded as the magnetic domain width of the second imaginary line VL2. (5) The average value and the maximum value of the magnetic domain width of the second imaginary line VL2 are calculated.
[0143] A method for measuring the magnetic domain width on the second virtual line VL2 will be described in detail below with reference to FIG. 12. FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram of a magnetic domain image. In the magnetic domain image, magnetic domains 601A and 601B have stripe shapes. For clarity, adjacent magnetic domains are shown with different patterns in FIG. 12. That is, magnetic domain 601A is hatched, while magnetic domain 601B adjacent to magnetic domain 601A is not hatched. The boundary between the two adjacent magnetic domains 601A and 601B is a domain wall 602.
[0144] In Figure 12, the first virtual line VL1 and the second virtual line VL2 are overlapped. The number of magnetic domains included in the second virtual line VL2 on the upper side of the page is 11. Therefore, the magnetic domain width of the second virtual line VL2 on the upper side of the page is considered to be 455 µm (= 5000 / 11). The number of magnetic domains included in the second virtual line VL2 on the lower side of the page is 23. Therefore, the magnetic domain width of the second virtual line VL2 on the upper side of the page is considered to be 217 µm (= 5000 / 23).
[0145] For each of the multiple first virtual lines VL1, the average and maximum magnetic domain widths are determined according to the above-described steps (1) to (5). If, for one or more first virtual lines VL1, the standard deviation of the spacing between magnetic domain control points is 1.25 mm or more and the average magnetic domain width is 600 μm or less, the sample is considered to be a grain-oriented electrical steel sheet according to the present disclosure. Also, if, for one or more first virtual lines VL1, the standard deviation of the spacing between magnetic domain control points is 1.25 mm or more and the maximum magnetic domain width is 1200 μm or less, the sample is also considered to be a grain-oriented electrical steel sheet according to the present disclosure. The more first virtual lines VL1 that satisfy the requirements of the present disclosure, the better.
[0146] (Method for measuring the chemical composition of the master sheet 2 and the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet 1) The chemical compositions of the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet 1 and the master sheet 2 may be measured by a general steel analysis method. For example, the chemical composition may be measured using ICP-AES (Inductively Coupled Plasma-Atomic Emission Spectrometry). Specifically, a test piece is obtained from the center of the sample in the thickness direction, and the chemical composition of the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet 1 and the master sheet 2 can be measured by measuring the test piece using a measuring device such as an ICPS-8100 manufactured by Shimadzu Corporation under conditions based on a pre-created calibration curve. The contents of C and S, which are difficult to measure using ICP-AES, may be measured using a combustion-infrared absorption method. The N content may be measured using an inert gas fusion-thermal conductivity method.
[0147] If a forsterite coating and / or an insulating coating is formed on the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet 1 and the base sheet 2, the forsterite coating and / or the insulating coating can be removed from the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet 1 and the base sheet 2 before analyzing the chemical composition of the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet 1 and the base sheet 2. The forsterite coating can be removed, for example, by immersing the sample in sulfuric acid and then in nitric acid. The conditions, such as the temperature and concentration of the sulfuric acid and nitric acid, and the immersion time, are adjusted appropriately so as not to excessively dissolve the base steel of the sample. An example of the conditions for removing the forsterite coating is as follows: First, the sample is immersed in 10% sulfuric acid at 80°C for 3 minutes. Then, the surface of the sample is washed with water using a rag or the like to remove any sludge adhering to the surface. Then, the sample is dried. Next, the sample is immersed in 10% nitric acid at room temperature for approximately 5 seconds while stirring. The insulating coating can be removed, for example, by immersing the sample in a sodium hydroxide solution, followed by immersion in dilute sulfuric acid and nitric acid. The temperature and concentration of the sodium hydroxide, dilute sulfuric acid, and nitric acid solutions, as well as the immersion time, are adjusted appropriately to prevent excessive dissolution of the steel substrate of the sample. An example of the conditions for removing the insulating coating is as follows: First, the sample is immersed in a 20% sodium hydroxide solution at 80°C for 15 minutes. The sample is then dried. Next, the sample is immersed in a 10% dilute sulfuric acid solution at 80°C for 4 minutes. After that, any sludge adhering to the sample surface is removed using a rag or similar. Next, the sample is immersed in a 10% nitric acid solution at room temperature for approximately 10 seconds while stirring.
[0148] (Method for measuring the angle between the magnetic domain control processing line 11 and the direction transverse to rolling TD) The angle between the magnetic domain control processing line 11 and the direction transverse to rolling TD can be measured using a known angle measuring means after the magnetic domain control processing line 11 and the direction transverse to rolling TD have been identified using the procedure described above.
[0149] (Method for measuring the spacing P of the magnetic domain control treatment) The spacing P of the magnetic domain control treatment is obtained by first identifying the magnetic domain control treatment line 11 and the rolling direction RD using the procedure described above, then setting a virtual line along the magnetic domain control treatment line 11, and measuring the spacing between the virtual lines using a known length measuring means.
[0150] (Method for measuring the magnitude of tensile stress induced by thermal strain) The magnitude of tensile stress induced by thermal strain is measured by the EBSD Wilkinson method and a Cross Court manufactured by BLG Vantage. The EBSD Wilkinson method is described in A. J. Wilkinson, et al., "High-resolution elastic strain measurement from electron backscatter diffraction patterns: New levels of sensitivity," Ultramicroscopy, Vol. 106, No. 4-5, March 2006, pp. 111-115, 2006. 307-313.
[0151] When measuring the magnitude of the tensile stress induced by thermal strain using the EBSD Wilkinson method and a Cross Court manufactured by BLG Vantage, first, the magnetic domain control treatment line 11 is identified using the procedure described above. Next, the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet 1 is cut through the magnetic domain control treatment line 11 and perpendicular to the magnetic domain control treatment line 11. This cut surface is used as the measurement surface. The cross section of the magnetic domain control treatment line 11 included in the measurement surface is analyzed using the EBSD Wilkinson method and a Cross Court manufactured by BLG Vantage, and tensile stress components in any direction are extracted and their magnitudes are measured. For example, tensile stress components in the normal direction ND of the rolling surface, the direction parallel to the magnetic domain control treatment line 11, and the direction perpendicular to the normal direction ND of the rolling surface and the magnetic domain control treatment line 11 can be extracted.
[0152] The number of measurement points is, for example, 10. If the tensile stress in any direction is 40 MPa or more at at least one point in the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet 1 (i.e., if the tensile stress in at least one direction is 40 MPa or more), the maximum value of the tensile stress in any direction in the magnetic domain control treatment line of the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet 1 is determined to be 40 MPa or more. When a measurement point where the tensile stress in any direction is 40 MPa or more is found, the measurement of the tensile stress may be stopped.
[0153] (Method for Measuring Groove Depth and Width) The depth and width of the groove can be measured by identifying the surface shape of the sample using a known three-dimensional measuring machine. If the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet 1 has an insulating coating, the insulating coating is removed using the procedure described above before three-dimensional measurement of the sample surface is performed.
[0154] The effects of one embodiment of the present disclosure will be explained in more detail using examples. However, the conditions in the examples are merely examples of conditions adopted to confirm the feasibility and effects of the present disclosure. The present disclosure is not limited to this example of conditions. Various conditions may be adopted in the present disclosure as long as they do not deviate from the gist of the present disclosure and the object of the present disclosure is achieved.
[0155] Example 1 Grain-oriented electrical steel sheets (grain-oriented electrical steel sheets with a typical grain size) from the same lot, 0.23 mm thick, classified as 23P085 in Table 2 of JIS C 2553:2019 "Grain-oriented electrical steel strip," were used as base sheets. For example, during the temperature rise process of the final annealing, the average heating rate from 1000°C to 1200°C was set to 15°C / hour. This base sheet was subjected to magnetic domain control treatment under various conditions shown in Table 1. The noise and iron loss of the grain-oriented electrical steel sheets thus obtained after magnetic domain control treatment were evaluated and are listed in Table 2. In Table 2, values determined to be unacceptable are underlined.
[0156] The magnetic domain control treatment lines were formed in one of the following shapes. The shapes applied to the samples are listed in the "Remarks" column of Table 1. A: As described above, magnetic domain control treatment lines were formed in areas where the magnetic domain width was equal to or greater than a predetermined value. B: Magnetic domain control treatment lines were formed in straight lines across the entire width of the original sheet. C: Magnetic domain control treatment lines were formed in the form of regular dashed lines. D: Magnetic domain control treatment lines were formed in the form of random dashed lines. E: Magnetic domain control treatment lines were formed at intervals of 4 mm only in areas within ±4 mm in the rolling direction RD from the center of the rolling direction of each crystal grain. The radius of curvature of the steel sheet at the position where the crystal grain was located during final annealing was 250 mm.
[0157] The noise and iron loss were evaluated as follows. First, a three-phase transformer core was created by stacking 180 grain-oriented electrical steel sheets with a thickness of 0.23 mm. The widths of the legs and yoke of the three-phase transformer core were both 150 mm. The height and width of the outer shape of the three-phase transformer core were both 750 mm. The noise and iron loss of these three-phase transformer cores were measured. The measurement conditions were a frequency of 60 Hz and an excitation magnetic flux density of 1.7 T.
[0158] To measure the noise, microphones were placed at equal intervals around eight locations around the transformer incorporating the three-phase transformer core. The distance between the transformer and the microphones was 30 cm. The noise measurement results from these microphones were A-weighted corrected and averaged to obtain values, which are listed in Table 2 as the noise evaluation results (unit: dBA) of the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet. Examples with a noise evaluation result of 37.00 dBA or less were determined to be examples in which low noise was achieved. Noise evaluation results that were determined to be unacceptable are underlined.
[0159] The iron loss was determined by measuring the voltage and current on the primary and secondary sides with a power analyzer when excitation was performed at a frequency of 60 Hz and an excitation magnetic flux density of 1.7 T, as described above. The determined iron loss is shown in Table 2 as the iron loss evaluation results (unit: W / kg) of the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet. Examples with an iron loss evaluation result of 1.10 W / kg or less were determined to be examples in which low iron loss had been achieved. Noise evaluation results that were determined to be unacceptable are underlined.
[0160] Furthermore, the standard deviation of the spacing between magnetic domain control points and the magnetic domain width of the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet that had undergone the magnetic domain control treatment were measured, and the results are listed in Table 1. The measurement method essentially followed the procedure described above. A rectangular sample with both sides measuring 100 mm was cut out from a three-phase transformer core for measuring noise and iron loss, and used for the measurements. A square evaluation area with one side measuring 50 mm and one side parallel to the rolling direction of the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet was set in this rectangular sample. Within the evaluation area, virtual lines VL1, each 50 mm long and parallel to the rolling direction, were set at 5 mm intervals. There were nine virtual lines. The standard deviation of the spacing between magnetic domain control points was measured for each of these nine virtual lines VL1. The number of virtual lines VL1 for which the standard deviation of the spacing between magnetic domain control points was 1.25 mm or more was listed in the "Number of VL1s with a standard deviation of 1.25 mm or more" column in Table 1.
[0161] The average magnetic domain width and maximum magnetic domain width were measured along each of the imaginary lines VL1 where the standard deviation of the spacing between the magnetic domain control points was 1.25 mm or more. The number of imaginary lines VL1 where the standard deviation of the spacing between the magnetic domain control points was 1.25 mm or more and where the average magnetic domain width was 600 μm or less was recorded in the "Number of VL1s with an average magnetic domain width of 600 μm or less" column in Table 1. A sample with a number of 1 recorded in the "Number of VL1s with an average magnetic domain width of 600 μm or less" column corresponds to a grain-oriented electrical steel sheet in which the standard deviation of the spacing between the magnetic domain control points, which are the intersections of the imaginary line VL1 parallel to the rolling direction and 50 mm long, and the magnetic domain control treatment line, is 1.25 mm or more, and the average magnetic domain width measured along the imaginary line VL1 is 600 μm or less. Furthermore, samples in which the number listed in the column "Number of VL1s with an average magnetic domain width of 600 μm or less" is 2 or more correspond to grain-oriented electrical steel sheets in which the standard deviation of the spacing between magnetic domain control points on two or more virtual lines VL1 is 1.25 mm or more and the average value of the magnetic domain width measured along the two or more virtual lines VL1 is 600 μm or less.
[0162] Similarly, among the virtual lines VL1 where the standard deviation of the spacing between magnetic domain control points was 1.25 mm or more, the number of virtual lines VL1 where the average magnetic domain width was 500 μm or less is listed in the "Number of VL1s with an average magnetic domain width of 500 μm or less" column of Table 1. Furthermore, among the virtual lines VL1 where the standard deviation of the spacing between magnetic domain control points was 1.25 mm or more, the number of virtual lines VL1 where the maximum magnetic domain width was 1200 μm or less is listed in the "Number of VL1s with a maximum magnetic domain width of 1200 μm or less" column of Table 1. Furthermore, among the virtual lines VL1 where the standard deviation of the spacing between magnetic domain control points was 1.25 mm or more, the number of VL1s where the maximum magnetic domain width was 800 μm or less is listed in the "Number of VL1s with a maximum magnetic domain width of 800 μm or less" column of Table 1.
[0163] Although not shown in the table, for all of the imaginary lines VL1 where the standard deviation of the spacing between the magnetic domain control points VP was 1.25 mm or more, the number of grain boundary points, which are the intersections between the imaginary line VL1 and the crystal grain boundaries, was 3 or more. Furthermore, although not shown in the table, for all of the imaginary lines VL1 where the standard deviation of the spacing between the magnetic domain control points VP was 1.25 mm or more, the standard deviation of the spacing was less than 2.50 mm.
[0164]
[0165] In Examples 1 to 3, the standard deviation of the spacing between the magnetic domain control points was 1.25 mm or more, and there was one virtual line VL1 with an average magnetic domain width of 600 μm or less. In Examples 1 to 3, both the iron loss and noise evaluation results were acceptable. In Examples 1 to 3, there were no virtual lines VL1 with a maximum magnetic domain width of 1200 μm or less, but there was one virtual line VL1 with an average magnetic domain width of 600 μm or less, so good characteristics were obtained. In Examples 4 and 8 to 11, there was also one or more virtual lines VL1 with an average magnetic domain width of 600 μm or less, so good results were obtained, similar to Examples 1 to 3.
[0166] In Example 4, the standard deviation of the spacing between the magnetic domain control points was 1.25 mm or more, and the number of virtual lines VL1 for which the average magnetic domain width was 500 μm or less was one. In Example 4, the evaluation results for both iron loss and noise were acceptable. Furthermore, the evaluation results for iron loss and noise in Example 4 were better than those in Examples 1 to 3.
[0167] In Example 5, the standard deviation of the spacing between the magnetic domain control points was 1.25 mm or more, and there was one virtual line VL1 with a maximum magnetic domain width of 1200 μm or less. In Example 5, the evaluation results for both iron loss and noise were acceptable. In Example 5, there were zero virtual lines VL1 with an average magnetic domain width of 600 μm or less, but there was one virtual line VL1 with a maximum magnetic domain width of 1200 μm or less, so good characteristics were obtained. In Examples 7 and 12 to 15, there was also one or more virtual lines VL1 with a maximum magnetic domain width of 1200 μm or less, so good results were obtained, similar to Example 5.
[0168] In Example 6, the standard deviation of the spacing between the magnetic domain control points was 1.25 mm or more, the number of virtual lines VL1 with an average magnetic domain width of 500 μm or less was 1, and the number of virtual lines VL1 with a maximum magnetic domain width of 1200 μm or less was 1. In Example 6, the evaluation results for both iron loss and noise were acceptable.
[0169] In Example 7, the standard deviation of the spacing between the magnetic domain control points was 1.25 mm or more, and the number of virtual lines VL1 for which the maximum magnetic domain width was 800 μm or less was one. In Example 7, both the iron loss and noise evaluation results were acceptable. Furthermore, the iron loss evaluation result of Example 7 was better than that of Example 5.
[0170] In Example 8, the standard deviation of the spacing between the magnetic domain control points was 1.25 mm or more, and the number of virtual lines VL1 for which the average magnetic domain width was 600 μm or less was two. In Example 8, the evaluation results for both iron loss and noise were acceptable. Furthermore, the evaluation results for iron loss and noise in Example 8 were better than those in Examples 1 to 3.
[0171] In Example 9, the standard deviation of the spacing between the magnetic domain control points was 1.25 mm or more, and the number of virtual lines VL1 for which the average magnetic domain width was 500 μm or less was one. In Example 9, the evaluation results for both iron loss and noise were acceptable. The evaluation results for iron loss and noise in Example 9 were better than those in Examples 1 to 3.
[0172] In Example 10, the standard deviation of the spacing between the magnetic domain control points was 1.25 mm or more, and the number of virtual lines VL1 for which the average magnetic domain width was 500 μm or less was two. In Example 10, the evaluation results for both iron loss and noise were acceptable. Furthermore, the evaluation result for iron loss in Example 10 was even better than that in Example 8.
[0173] In Example 11, the standard deviation of the spacing between the magnetic domain control points was 1.25 mm or more, and the number of virtual lines VL1 with an average magnetic domain width of 500 μm or less was four. In Example 11, both the iron loss and noise evaluation results were acceptable. Furthermore, the iron loss evaluation result of Example 11 was even better than that of Example 10.
[0174] In Example 12, the standard deviation of the spacing between the magnetic domain control points was 1.25 mm or more, and the number of virtual lines VL1 with a maximum magnetic domain width of 1,200 μm or less was two. In Example 12, both the iron loss and noise evaluation results were acceptable. Furthermore, the iron loss and noise evaluation results of Example 12 were even better than those of Example 5.
[0175] In Example 13, the standard deviation of the spacing between the magnetic domain control points was 1.25 mm or more, and the number of virtual lines VL1 with a maximum magnetic domain width of 1,200 μm or less was four. In Example 13, both the iron loss and noise evaluation results were acceptable. The iron loss evaluation result of Example 13 was also better than that of Example 12.
[0176] In Example 14, the standard deviation of the spacing between the magnetic domain control points was 1.25 mm or more, and the number of virtual lines VL1 with a maximum magnetic domain width of 800 μm or less was two. In Example 14, both the iron loss and noise evaluation results were acceptable. Furthermore, the iron loss evaluation result of Example 14 was even better than that of Example 12.
[0177] In Example 15, the standard deviation of the spacing between the magnetic domain control points was 1.25 mm or more, and the number of virtual lines VL1 with a maximum magnetic domain width of 800 μm or less was three. In Example 14, both the iron loss and noise evaluation results were acceptable. The iron loss evaluation result of Example 15 was also better than that of Example 14.
[0178] On the other hand, in Examples 16, 17, and 18, in which selective magnetic domain control was not performed, the number of virtual lines VL1 in which the standard deviation of the spacing between magnetic domain control points was 1.25 mm or more was 0. In these examples, the evaluation results for both iron loss and noise were unacceptable.
[0179] In Example 19, magnetic domain control treatment lines were formed at intervals of 4 mm only in the region within ±4 mm in the rolling direction RD from the center of each crystal grain in the rolling direction. The radius of curvature of the steel sheet at the position where the crystal grain was located during finish annealing was 250 mm. In Example 19, virtual lines VL1 could be set such that the standard deviation of the spacing between magnetic domain control points VP was 1.25 mm or more. However, in all of these virtual lines VL1, the average magnetic domain width exceeded 600 μm and the maximum magnetic domain width exceeded 1200 μm. In Example 19, the noise evaluation results were good, but the iron loss evaluation results were poor. This is presumably because magnetic domain control treatment lines were not formed in areas where magnetic domain control was required.
[0180] Example 2: A magnetic domain control treatment was performed on a grain-oriented electrical steel sheet under the same conditions as in Example 1, except for the type of grain-oriented electrical steel sheet used as the base sheet. Specifically, grain-oriented electrical steel sheets (grain-oriented electrical steel sheets with coarse crystal grain sizes) from the same lot with a sheet thickness of 0.23 mm were used as the base sheet. For example, the average heating rate of this electrical steel sheet from 1000°C to 1200°C during the temperature rise process of final annealing was set to less than 5°C / hour. This base sheet was subjected to a magnetic domain control treatment under various conditions shown in Table 3. The magnetic flux density, noise, and iron loss of the grain-oriented electrical steel sheets obtained after the magnetic domain control treatment were evaluated and the results are shown in Table 4. In Table 4, values determined to be unacceptable are underlined.
[0181] The shape of the magnetic domain control processing line is the same as that of Example 1 described above, the method of evaluating noise and iron loss is the same as that of Example 1 described above, and the method of notating the manufacturing results and evaluation results in the tables is also the same as that of Example 1 described above.
[0182] The magnetic flux density was evaluated as follows. The magnetic flux density was measured by the Epstein method specified in JIS C 2550-1:2011. The magnetic flux density B in the rolling direction of the steel sheet when excited at 800 A / m was 8 The magnetic flux density (T) was measured. The measured magnetic flux densities are shown in Table 4 as the magnetic flux density evaluation results (unit: T) of the grain-oriented electrical steel sheets. Examples with a magnetic flux density evaluation result of 1.935 T or more were determined to be examples with magnetic flux density preferably superior to that of grain-oriented electrical steel sheets having a general crystal grain size.
[0183] Although not shown in the table, for any of the imaginary lines VL1 where the standard deviation of the spacing between the magnetic domain control points VP was 1.25 mm or more, the number of grain boundary points, which are the intersections between the imaginary line VL1 and the crystal grain boundary, was 2 or less.
[0184]
[0185]
[0186] In examples where one or more imaginary lines VL1 could be set, in which the standard deviation of the spacing between the magnetic domain control points VP was 2.50 mm or more and the average magnetic domain width measured along the imaginary lines VL1 was 600 μm or less or the maximum magnetic domain width was 1200 μm or less, the magnetic flux density results, iron loss evaluation results, and noise evaluation results were all good. Generally, steel sheets with coarse grain sizes have excellent magnetic flux density, but noise characteristics tend to deteriorate when subjected to conventional magnetic domain control treatment. On the other hand, in Examples 20 to 34 shown in Tables 3 and 4, magnetic domain control treatment lines were selectively formed based on the magnetic domain width distribution, and therefore, as described above, the magnetic flux density results, iron loss evaluation results, and noise evaluation results were all good.
[0187] Similarly, for the virtual line VL1 in which the standard deviation of the spacing between the magnetic domain control points VP is 1.25 mm or more, in Examples 20 to 34 in which the number of grain boundary points, which are the intersections with the crystal grain boundaries, is 2 or less, the magnetic flux density results, iron loss evaluation results, and noise evaluation results were all good.
[0188] On the other hand, in Examples 35, 36, and 37, in which selective magnetic domain control was not performed, the number of virtual lines VL1 in which the standard deviation of the spacing between magnetic domain control points VP was 2.50 mm or more was zero. Furthermore, in all of the virtual lines VL1, the average magnetic domain width was greater than 600 μm, and the maximum magnetic domain width was greater than 1200 μm. In these examples, at least one of the evaluation results for iron loss or noise was unacceptable.
[0189] In Example 38, magnetic domain control treatment lines were formed at intervals of 4 mm only in the region within ±4 mm in the rolling direction RD from the center of each crystal grain in the rolling direction. The radius of curvature of the steel sheet at the position where the crystal grain was located during final annealing was 250 mm. In Example 38, virtual lines VL1 could be set such that the standard deviation of the spacing between magnetic domain control points VP was 2.50 mm or more. However, in all of these virtual lines VL1, the average magnetic domain width exceeded 600 μm and the maximum magnetic domain width exceeded 1200 μm. In Example 38, the noise evaluation results were good, but the iron loss evaluation results were poor. This is presumably because magnetic domain control treatment lines were not formed in areas where magnetic domain control was required.
[0190] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a grain-oriented electrical steel sheet that can achieve both low iron loss and low noise, and a method for manufacturing the same, which is therefore highly industrially applicable.
[0191] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Grain-oriented electrical steel sheet 11 Magnetic domain control treatment line RD Rolling direction TD Direction perpendicular to rolling ND Rolling surface normal direction VL1 First virtual line VP Magnetic domain control point VL2 Second virtual line X Area where no magnetic domain control treatment line is provided 2 Original sheet 21 Magnetic domain control treatment area 22 Non-magnetic domain control treatment area 30 Image acquisition device 31 Light source unit 33 MO sensor 35 Image sensor 37 Signal processing unit 40 Analysis device 41 Calculation unit 43 Memory 45 Display unit 47 Input unit 49 Communication I / F 500 Laser irradiation device 501 Polygon mirror 503 Light source device 505 Collimator 507 Condenser lens 509 Motor 511 Sensor 513 Control unit 515 Strip threading device
Claims
1. A grain-oriented electrical steel sheet having a plurality of magnetic domain control treatment lines on its surface, wherein a square evaluation area with one side 50 mm long and parallel to the rolling direction of the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet is set in the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet, and virtual lines 50 mm long and parallel to the rolling direction are set within the evaluation area at 5 mm intervals, wherein, in at least one of the virtual lines, the standard deviation of the spacing between magnetic domain control points, which are the intersections of the virtual line and the magnetic domain control treatment lines, is 1.25 mm or more, and the average value of the magnetic domain width measured along the virtual lines is 600 μm or less.
2. The grain-oriented electrical steel sheet according to claim 1, wherein, on the imaginary line where the standard deviation of the spacing between the magnetic domain control points is 1.25 mm or more, the average value of the magnetic domain width is 500 μm or less.
3. A grain-oriented electrical steel sheet having a plurality of magnetic domain control processing lines on its surface, wherein a square evaluation area with one side 50 mm long and parallel to the rolling direction of the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet is set in the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet, and virtual lines 50 mm long and parallel to the rolling direction are set at 5 mm intervals inside the evaluation area, wherein the standard deviation of the spacing between magnetic domain control points, which are the intersections of the virtual line and the magnetic domain control processing lines, for at least one of the virtual lines is 1.25 mm or more, and the maximum value of the magnetic domain width measured along the virtual line is 1,200 μm or less.
4. The grain-oriented electrical steel sheet according to claim 3, wherein, on the imaginary line where the standard deviation of the spacing between the magnetic domain control points is 1.25 mm or more, the maximum value of the magnetic domain width is 800 μm or less.
5. The grain-oriented electrical steel sheet according to claim 1, wherein, in each of two or more of the imaginary lines, the standard deviation of the spacing between the magnetic domain control points is 1.25 mm or more, and the average value of the magnetic domain width is 600 μm or less.
6. The grain-oriented electrical steel sheet according to claim 5, wherein the average value of the magnetic domain width is 500 μm or less in each of the two or more imaginary lines in which the standard deviation of the spacing between the magnetic domain control points is 1.25 mm or more.
7. The grain-oriented electrical steel sheet according to claim 1, wherein, for at least one of the imaginary lines, the standard deviation of the spacing between the magnetic domain control points, which are the intersections of the imaginary line and the magnetic domain control processing line, is 2.50 mm or more, and the average value of the magnetic domain widths measured along the imaginary line is 600 μm or less.
8. The grain-oriented electrical steel sheet according to claim 7, wherein, on the imaginary line where the standard deviation of the spacing between the magnetic domain control points is 2.50 mm or more, the average value of the magnetic domain width is 500 μm or less.
9. The grain-oriented electrical steel sheet according to claim 1, wherein, among the imaginary lines in which the standard deviation of the spacing between the magnetic domain control points is 1.25 mm or more, at least one of the imaginary lines has two or less grain boundary points which are intersections between the imaginary line and a crystal grain boundary.
10. The grain-oriented electrical steel sheet according to claim 9, wherein the number of grain boundary points is two or less on each of the two or more imaginary lines.
11. The grain-oriented electrical steel sheet according to claim 3, wherein, in each of two or more of the imaginary lines, the standard deviation of the spacing between the magnetic domain control points is 1.25 mm or more, and the maximum value of the magnetic domain width is 1,200 μm or less.
12. The grain-oriented electrical steel sheet according to claim 11, wherein the maximum value of the magnetic domain width is 800 μm or less in each of the two or more imaginary lines in which the standard deviation of the spacing between the magnetic domain control points is 1.25 mm or more.
13. The grain-oriented electrical steel sheet according to claim 3, wherein, for at least one of the imaginary lines, the standard deviation of the spacing between the magnetic domain control points, which are the intersections of the imaginary line and the magnetic domain control processing line, is 2.50 mm or more, and the maximum value of the magnetic domain width measured along the imaginary line is 1200 μm or less.
14. The grain-oriented electrical steel sheet according to claim 13, wherein, on the imaginary line where the standard deviation of the spacing between the magnetic domain control points is 2.50 mm or more, the maximum value of the magnetic domain width is 800 μm or less.
15. The grain-oriented electrical steel sheet according to claim 3, wherein, among the imaginary lines in which the standard deviation of the spacing between the magnetic domain control points is 1.25 mm or more, at least one of the imaginary lines has two or less grain boundary points which are intersections between the imaginary line and a crystal grain boundary.
16. The grain-oriented electrical steel sheet according to claim 15, wherein the number of grain boundary points is two or less in each of the two or more imaginary lines.
17. The grain-oriented electrical steel sheet according to any one of claims 1 to 16, wherein the magnetic domain control treatment lines are thermally strained.
18. The grain-oriented electrical steel sheet according to any one of claims 1 to 16, wherein the magnetic domain control treatment lines are grooves.
19. The grain-oriented electrical steel sheet according to any one of claims 1 to 16, wherein the standard deviation of the spacing is less than 1.25 mm for at least one of the imaginary lines.
20. A method for manufacturing grain-oriented electromagnetic steel sheet, comprising the steps of: acquiring a magnetic domain image of an original sheet of grain-oriented electromagnetic steel sheet; determining a magnetic domain control treatment area based on the distribution of magnetic domain widths in the magnetic domain image; and applying magnetic domain control treatment to the magnetic domain control treatment area determined based on the distribution of magnetic domain widths, wherein a square evaluation area with one side 50 mm long and parallel to the rolling direction of the grain-oriented electromagnetic steel sheet is set in the grain-oriented electromagnetic steel sheet, and virtual lines 50 mm long and parallel to the rolling direction are set at 5 mm intervals inside the evaluation area, and wherein, in at least one of the virtual lines, the standard deviation of the spacing between magnetic domain control points, which are the intersections of the virtual line and the magnetic domain control treatment line formed by the magnetic domain control treatment, is 1.25 mm or more.
21. The method for producing grain-oriented electrical steel sheet according to claim 20, wherein the magnetic domain control treatment area is an area in which the magnetic domain width is equal to or greater than a predetermined value.
22. A method for producing grain-oriented electrical steel sheet according to claim 20 or 21, wherein the distribution of the magnetic domain widths is derived from the magnetic domain image using a two-dimensional Fourier transform.
23. A method for producing a grain-oriented electrical steel sheet according to claim 20 or 21, in which the magnetic domain control treatment is applied by irradiation with a laser or an electron beam.
Citation Information
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