Measurement and analysis of the non-symmetry of transverse magnetisation and resulting loss in grain-oriented steel using a modified RSST

A modified rotational single-sheet tester, in which a circular sample can be rotated to be magnetised along arbitrary directions, was used to study the transverse magnetisation and associated losses in grain-oriented electrical steel (GOES). Longitudinal and transverse components of flux density B and magnetic field H in a sample of commercial GOES were measured under alternating excitation at angles from −90° to +90° to the rolling direction (RD) at peak flux densities up to 1.5 T over a magnetising frequency range of 20–400 Hz. The loss due to the transverse components of B and H, referred to as the transverse loss, was evaluated. At 1.5 T, 20 Hz, the transverse loss was less than 0.1 mW/kg when magnetised along either the RD or the transverse direction but it rose to around 5 mW/kg when magnetised at 30° to the RD. It was found to be magnetising direction, frequency and flux density dependent. The transverse loss was a simple function of the angle of magnetisation with respect to the RD but it differed when magnetised along directions on either side of to the RD dependent on the grain structure in the measurement region. The basic phenomenon is explained with the aid of simple magnetic domain and magnetisation models. The difficulty of quantifying its absolute effect in GOES and non-oriented electrical steel is discussed. It appears that transverse magnetisation in GOES is not normally large enough to have any practical effect on measurements obtained using IEC Standard loss testers or on the prediction of electrical machine core losses. A preliminary series of tests showed that transverse loss also occurs in non-oriented electrical steel but it is difficult to quantify.