TEXTURE DEVELOPMENT IN ELECTRICAL STEELS INFLUENCED BY TIN ADDITION

The aim present work was to find the correlation between fin segregati on and recrystallization and to define segregation parameters which ma ximize the incidence of (100) planes and minimize the incidence of (11 1) planes parallel to the plane of the sheet. During the recrystalliza tion of the non-oriented steel sheets (2% Si,1% Al, with different fin mass content: 0.025, 0.05 and 0.1%), fin segregates on free surfaces and to grain boundaries and as a surface active element selectively de creases the surface energy of grains, with (100) planes parallel to th e sheer surface. This phenomenon can he used to obtain non-oriented el ectrical steel with improved electromagnetic properties. Auger Electro n Spectroscopy was used to measure the grain boundary and surface segr egation of fin in non-oriented electrical steels. The grain boundary s egregation of the specimens, which were previously aged at 550 degrees C for different times and fractured under ultra high vacuum condition s, was measured. The surface segregation temperature dependence and se gregation kinetics were followed in polycrystalline specimens in the t emperature range from 400 degrees C to 900 degrees C on the groins of defined orientations: (100) (111) and (110) planes parallel to the she et surface. The textures of electrical steels were measured by compute r-controlled texture diffractometer. The results are presented as orie ntation distribution functions.