Influence of shear cutting parameters on the electromagnetic properties of non-oriented electrical steel sheets

Mechanical stress occurring during the manufacturing process of electrical machines detrimentally alters the magnetic properties (iron losses and magnetizability). This affects the efficiency and performance of the machine. Improvement of the manufacturing process in terms of reduced magnetic property deterioration enables the full potential of the magnetic materials to be exploited, and as a result, the performance of the machine to be improved. A high quantity of electrical machine components is needed, with shear cutting (punching, blanking) being the most efficient manufacturing technology. The cutting process leads to residual stresses inside the non-oriented electrical sheet metal, resulting in increased iron losses. This paper studies the residual stresses induced by punching with different shear cutting parameters, taking a qualitative approach using finite element analysis. In order to calibrate the finite element analysis, shear cutting experiments are performed. A single sheet tester analysis of the cut blanks allows the correlation between residual stresses, micro hardness measurements, cutting surface parameters and magnetic properties to be studied.