Effect of annealing temperature on magnetic and mechanical properties of twin-roll strip casting Cu-bearing non-oriented electrical steel

The as-cast sheet of Cu-bearing non-oriented electrical steel with a width of 300 mm and a thickness of 2.4 mm was prepared by the twin-roll strip casting process. The effects of nucleation and growth of recrystallized grains at different annealing temperatures on the evolution of the microstructure and texture of annealed sheet were studied. In addition, the magnetic and mechanical properties of the final sheets were analyzed. The results show that the shear band in the cold-rolled sheet can promote the formation of {100} texture at the initial stage of recrystallization, regardless of high or low-temperature annealing. The combination of low-temperature nucleation and subsequent high-temperature growth is more conducive to the formation of strong {100} texture and has higher preparation efficiency than only through low-temperature annealing. It also indirectly indicates that moderate nucleation and preferential growth are important for the formation of strong beneficial texture. Combined with the subsequent aging treatment, the low-temperature nucleation sheet can obtain an excellent match between mechanical properties and magnetic properties.