Optimization of the magnetic losses of electrical steels through addition of Al and Si using a hot dipping process

A major concern of society nowadays is the issue of sustainable development, which includes energy conservation. In order to induce a reduction of electrical energy consumption, governments across the world have pressured the appliance makers to increase in energy efficiency of electric engines. One of the ways to improve the performance of electric engines is to use steels with lower magnetic losses. The typical electrical steels are steels with about 3.5 wt.% Si. It is well known that an increase in Si content decreases magnetic losses. The purpose of this work was to evaluate the decrease of magnetic losses after increasing the Si and Al content in electrical steels by hot dipping, using an Al–Si alloy bath followed by a thermal treatment. A reduction of eddy current losses, for 60 Hz and 400 Hz, was observed in the steel after addition of Al and Si to about 4.5 wt.% Al and 4.8 wt.% Si.