The Demand for Electrical Steel Receives Major Hit Due to Increase in Steel Prices and Sanctions on Trading Entities
Electrical steel is an iron alloy tailored to produce specific magnetic properties. It majorly finds application in microprocessor and optoelectronics industries. The specific property of this material is typically manufactured in the shape of small cold-rolled strips just less than around 2mm thick. These strips are known as laminated sheets when stacked together into a core. Cold-rolled strip construction provides excellent electrical steels. These strips can be used both in hot and cold-rolled sheets. They have better mechanical properties due to their smooth external surface and excellent tensile strength.
Electricalsteel is constructed by subjecting the sheets to extreme heat and pressure in a
rolling process called roll forming. The steel can also be manufactured using
other methods such as press rolling, gas tumbling or gas die making. The
thickness of the flat sheets is dependent upon several factors such as the
impurities in the raw material, the intended use and the properties required.
These properties may include electrical strength, conductivity, magnetic
permeability, mechanical flexibility, thermal conductivity, chemical
suitability and grain structure.
The
electrical steel has the ability to incorporate many desirable features that
require a thin flexible and light metal that is capable of high compressive
strength, electrical resistance to a large amount of voltage, chemical
resistance, mechanical rigidity, and thermal conductivity. In addition to this
core loss, these laminates may also experience eddy current loss. The eddy
current loss is caused due to the inability of the metal to transport the electrical
current to its final destination because of the lack of a sufficient thickness.
As a result of this, some current leakage may occur between the dielectric
layers.
In
order to decrease the possibility of core loss, the thickness of the steel
should be at least equal to or slightly higher than the thickness of the coil.
The tolerance of the metallic surface for stress corrosion resistance, tensile
strength, creep resistance, electrical and acoustic testing, etc., is another
parameter that should be taken into consideration. Some metals are suitable for
alloys, while some are not. Moreover, the temperature range and type of
operation to determine the suitability of the material. For example, stainless
steel is generally suitable for high temperature and high temperatures of
operation. Nonferrous metals, on the other hand, are suitable for low
temperature operations.
The
demand for electrical steel is expected to decline, due to increase in prices
of steel in various countries such as the U.S. and India. The import of steel
in the U.S. is also expected to decline, as the country imposed sanctions on entities
for Iranian steel transactions in the recent past.
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