A non-oriented electrical steel sheet having: low high-frequency iron loss and high magnetic flux density; an inner layer and surface layers provided on both sides of the inner layer, the surface layers and the inner layer having specific chemical compositions; the thickness t of 0.01 mm to 0.35 mm; a multilayer ratio of ti to t of 0.10 to 0.70, t.sub.1 denoting a total thickness of the surface layers; a difference between [Si].sub.1 and [Si].sub.0 of 1.0 mass % to 4.5 mass % or less, [Si].sub.1 denoting a Si content in each of the surface layers and [Si].sub.0 denoting a Si content in the inner layer; and a difference between [Mn].sub.0 and [Mn].sub.1 of 0.01 mass % to 0.40 mass %, [Mn].sub.0 denoting a Mn content at a mid-thickness position t/2 and [Mn].sub.1 denoting an average Mn content in a region from a surface to a position at a depth of ( 1/10)t.

A non oriented electrical steel sheet consists of a silicon steel sheet and an insulation coating. The silicon steel sheet includes an internally oxidized layer containing SiO.sub.2 in a surface thereof, an average thickness of the internally oxidized layer is 0.10 to 5.0 μm, and a vickers hardness in the internally oxidized layer is 1.15 to 1.5 times as compared with a vickers hardness in a thickness central area.

A new and improved method for producing electrical steel sheet enabling production of electrical steel sheet excellent in magnetic characteristics and coating film adhesion, the method for producing electrical steel sheet containing a process of bringing an electrical steel sheet containing, by mass %, C: more than 0% and 0.10% or less, Si: 2.5% or more and 4.5% or less, Mn: 0.01% or more and 5.0% or less, a total of one or more of S, Se, and Te: more than 0% and 0.050% or less, acid soluble Al: more than 0% and 5.0% or less, N: more than 0% and 0.015% or less, and P: more than 0% and 1.0% or less and having a balance of Fe and impurities into contact with a solution, the solution containing one or more elements from among Cu, Hg, Ag, Pb, Cd, Co, Zn, and Ni, a total of concentrations of the elements being 0.00001% or more and 1.0000% or less.

Provided is a production method for a grain-oriented electrical steel sheet that is thin and has excellent magnetic characteristics. An embodiment of the present invention provides a production method that is for a grain-oriented electrical steel sheet and that comprises: a hot rolling step; an optional hot-rolled sheet-annealing step; an acid-washing step; a cold rolling step; a primary recrystallization-annealing step; a finishing-annealing step; and a planarization-annealing step. In the acid-washing step, an acid-washing solution containing 0.0001-5.00 g/L of Cu is used. The thickness of a cold-rolled steel sheet is 0.15-0.23 mm. The average temperature increase rate in the temperature range of 30-400° C. in a temperature increase process in the primary recrystallization step is more than 50° C./sec but not more than 1000° C./sec.

A new and improved method for producing grain-oriented electrical steel sheet enabling production of grain-oriented electrical steel sheet realizing high magnetic flux density and excellent in magnetic characteristics, that is, as one aspect, a method for producing grain-oriented electrical steel sheet comprising a hot rolling process, cold rolling process, primary recrystallization annealing process, finish annealing process, and flattening annealing process, wherein shot blasting treatment and/or leveling treatment and treatment for contact with a solution are performed, the solution contains Cu etc. in a predetermined amount, the pH is −1.5 or more and less than 7, a solution temperature is 15° C. or more and 100° C. or less, and the time during which the steel sheet is dipped in the solution is 5 seconds or more and 200 seconds or less.

A method for processing a siliceous, hot-rolled steel sheet for producing an electric steel strip, wherein the steel sheet contains more than 1.5% parts by weight of silicon. The method may include conducting a surface treatment in a device for removing oxide layers from a surface of the steel sheet to produce a cleaned steel sheet, and conducting a heat treatment of the cleaned steel sheet after the surface treatment in a hot-rolled strip annealing plant in an inert gas atmosphere. The surface treatment for removing the oxide layers may be carried out mechanically, without chemical descaling. The heat treatment of the cleaned steel sheet is carried out subsequent to the surface treatment.

To reduce variations in iron loss among materials subjected to magnetic domain refining by electron beam irradiation and to stably obtain good iron loss properties, disclosed is a method of producing a grain-oriented electrical steel sheet including performing magnetic domain refining treatment by irradiating with an electron beam, in a pressure reduced area, a surface of a grain-oriented electrical steel sheet after subjection to final annealing, the method further including: before the irradiating with the electron beam, delivering the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet wound in a coil shape and heating the delivered grain-oriented electrical steel sheet to 50° C. or higher; and then cooling the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet such that the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet has a temperature of lower than 50° C. at the time of entering the pressure reduced area.

A nitriding apparatus for manufacturing a grain-oriented electrical steel sheet is provided. The nitriding apparatus includes: a nitriding gas supply pipe for introducing gas including at least ammonia or nitrogen; and a nitriding treatment portion for successively performing high-temperature nitriding and low-temperature nitriding in nitriding treatment. The nitriding treatment portion includes a high-temperature treatment portion for performing the high-temperature nitriding and a low-temperature treatment portion for performing the low-temperature nitriding, and the nitriding gas supply pipe to the high-temperature treatment portion includes a cooling device.

A manufacturing method of an electrical steel sheet according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: hot-rolling a slab to manufacture a hot-rolled sheet; removing some of scales formed on the hot-rolled sheet and leaving a scale layer having a thickness of 10 nm or more; controlling roughness of the hot-rolled sheet in which the scale layer remains; cold-rolling it to manufacture a cold-rolled sheet; and annealing the cold-rolled sheet.

Provided is a hot-band annealing method comprising subjecting a Si-containing hot rolled steel sheet, having an oxidized scale formed on a surface of the steel sheet by hot rolling, to hot-band annealing with a hot-band annealing equipment provided with a heating zone, a soaking zone, a cooling zone, and a rapid heating device at an upstream side of the heating zone and/or in an inlet side of the heating zone, wherein the hot rolled steel sheet is heated by not lower than 50° C. at a heating rate of not less than 15° C./s by using the rapid heating device to improve a descaling property. Also, provided is a descaling method characterized by subjecting the Si-containing hot rolled steel sheet, after the hot-band annealing, to descaling only by pickling without requiring mechanical descaling or heating the steel sheet in the pickling process.