Effects of segregated sulfur on recrystallization texture and magnetic induction in thin-gauged 3% silicon steel

During final annealing at 1200 degrees C under a high vacuum, changes in re crystallization texture with final annealing time were observed in thin-gau ged 3% Si-Fe alloys. In the alloy containing 30 ppm bulk sulfur, the recrys tallization texture varied from the {111} <uvw> to the {001} <uvw> and fina lly to the {110} <001> Goss texture, resulting in higher magnetic induction than 1.90 T. The trough in magnetic induction, which corresponds to the re latively high surface-segregated sulfur range, is due to the magnetically d etrimental effect of those textures, i.e. the {111} <uvw> and the {001} <uv w>. In the alloy containing 6 ppm bulk sulfur, the correlation between magn etic induction and surface-segregated sulfur was the same as that in the ot her alloy. These results clearly indicate that the surface energy induced r ecrystallization in the thin-gauged 3% Si-Fe alloys is strongly affected by the segregation and the evaporation of sulfur.