Effect of normalization on texture evolution of 0.2-mm-thick thin-gauge non-oriented electrical steels with strong η-fiber textures

Thin-gauge non-oriented electrical steel sheets of 0.2 mm in thickness with high magnetic induction and low core loss were produced by a two-stage cold-rolling method with and without normalization annealing. The through-process texture evolutions of the two processes were compared and studied by means of X-ray diffractometer and electron backscattered diffraction. Results showed that excellent magnetic properties were attributed to strong η-fiber recrystallization texture in the final sheet. Coarse γ-fiber-oriented grains after intermediate annealing and medium cold-rolling reduction were considered key factors to obtain a strong η-fiber texture given that a large number of shear bands within the γ-fiber deformed matrix provided dominant nucleation sites for η-fiber-oriented grains. The normalization annealing after hot rolling was favorable for the retention of cube texture, thereby decreasing the magnetic anisotropy of thin-gauge non-oriented electrical steels.