In a production of a non-oriented electrical steel sheet comprising subjecting a slab containing a particular composition to a hot rolling, a hot-band annealing, a cold rolling to form a cold-rolled sheet and a finish annealing, a rolling reduction of a final finish rolling pass in the hot rolling is not less than 10%, and a coiling temperature is not higher than 620° C., and a soaking temperature in the finish annealing is 600 to 800° C. to achieve such properties that a recrystallization ratio is less than 100% as an area ratio, a strength C is not less than 2.0 and a strength difference C-D is not more than 2.0, where C is a strength at ϕ=0° and φ.sub.1=0° and D is a strength at ϕ=20° and φ.sub.1=0° in a section of ϕ.sub.2=45° of ODF obtained in a central layer of a sheet thickness.

Provided is an annealing separator with which a grain-oriented electrical steel sheet having a forsterite film with excellent appearance uniformity and adhesion can be obtained. The annealing separator for grain-oriented electrical steel sheet comprises: magnesia that contains 0.05 mass % or more and 0.20 mass % or less of B and 0.01 mass % or more and 0.10 mass % or less of P, and titanium oxide in 1.0 part by mass or more and 10.0 parts by mass or less per 100 parts by mass of the magnesia where the titanium oxide contains one or more types of alkali metals in a total amount of 0.0050 mass % or more and 0.50 mass % or less, where an amount of P adsorbed on per 1 g of the titanium oxide is 1.5×10.sup.−4 g or more and 1.0×10.sup.−3 g or less.

Provided is an annealing separator with which a grain-oriented electrical steel sheet having a forsterite film with excellent appearance uniformity and adhesion can be obtained. The annealing separator for grain-oriented electrical steel sheet comprises: magnesia that contains 0.05 mass % or more and 0.20 mass % or less of B, a phosphate in 0.1 parts by mass or more and 1.0 part by mass or less in terms of P per 100 parts by mass of the magnesia, and titanium oxide in 1.0 part by mass or more and 10.0 parts by mass or less per 100 parts by mass of the magnesia where the titanium oxide contains one or more types of alkali metals in a total amount of 0.050 mass % or more and 1.0 mass % or less, where an amount of P adsorbed on per 1 g of the titanium oxide is 1.0×10.sup.−4 g or less.

This grain-oriented electrical steel sheet has a base steel sheet in which a final-annealed film is substantially not present on a surface, an intermediate layer that is disposed on a surface of the base steel sheet and mainly contains silicon oxide, and an insulation coating disposed on a surface of the intermediate layer. In the intermediate layer, a value obtained by dividing a standard deviation σ of a thickness of the intermediate layer by an average value T of the thickness of the intermediate layer is 0.500 or less.

When a grain-oriented electrical steel sheet is produced by heating a steel slab containing, by mass %, C: 0.020 to 0.10%, Si: 2.0 to 4.0%, Mn: 0.005 to 0.50%, Al: less than 0.010%, N, S and Se: less than 0.0050% each to a temperature of not higher than 1280° C., subjecting slab to hot rolling, hot-band annealing, single cold rolling or two or more cold rollings having intermediate annealing between each cold rolling and a primary recrystallization annealing combined with decarburization annealing, applying annealing separator onto steel sheet surface, and subjecting steel sheet to finish annealing and a flattening annealing, a rapid cooling is conducted at an average cooling rate of not less than 200° C./s from 800° C. to 300° C. in cooling process from maximum achieving temperature in at least one of hot band annealing and intermediate annealing, whereby grain-oriented electrical steel sheet having excellent magnetic properties is stably produced.

A grain-oriented electrical steel sheet includes: a steel sheet; an oxide layer including SiO.sub.2 that is formed on the steel sheet; and a tension-insulation coating that is formed on the oxide layer, in which the steel sheet includes, as a chemical composition, by mass %, C: 0.085% or less, Si: 0.80% to 7.00%, Mn: 1.00% or less, acid-soluble Al: 0.065% or less, S: 0.013% or less, Cu: 0% to 0.80%, N: 0% to 0.012%, P: 0% to 0.50%, Ni: 0% to 1.00%, Sn: 0% to 0.30%, Sb: 0% to 0.30%, and a remainder of Fe and impurities, the tension-insulation coating includes a chromium compound, and the Fe content in the oxide layer and the tension-insulation coating is 70 mg/m.sup.2 to 250 mg/m.sup.2.

Disclosed are an oriented electrical steel sheet and a manufacturing method thereof. An exemplary embodiment of the present invention provides a method of manufacturing an oriented electrical steel sheet, including: providing a slab including Si at 1.0 to 4.0 wt %, C at 0.1 to 0.4 wt %, and the remaining portion including Fe and other inevitably incorporated impurities; reheating the slab; producing a hot rolled steel sheet by hot rolling the slab; performing annealing of the hot rolled steel sheet; cold rolling the annealed hot rolled steel sheet; decarburizing and primary annealing the cold rolled steel sheet; cold rolling the decarburized and annealed steel sheet; and secondary annealing the cold rolled steel sheet.

A semi-hard magnetic alloy for activation strips in magnetic anti-theft systems is provided. The alloy consists essentially of 5 to 15 wt % Ni, 0.5 to 8 wt % Mn, 0.2 to 4 wt % Cu, 0 to 2 wt % Ai, 0 to 2 wt % Ti, the remainder iron and up to 1 wt % impurities, where 0.5 wt %<(Cu+Al+Ti)<5 wt %.

A grain oriented electrical steel sheet includes: by mass %, 0.010% or less of C; 2.50 to 4.00% of Si; 0.0010 to 0.0100% of acid soluble Al; 0.012% or less of N; 1.00% or less of Mn; 0.02% or less of S; and a balance consisting of Fe and impurities, and has a tension-insulation coating at steel sheet surface and a SiO.sub.2 intermediate oxide film layer with an average thickness of 1.0 nm to 1.0 μm at an interface between the tension-insulation coating and the steel sheet surface. In the grain oriented electrical steel, a time differential curve f.sub.M(t) of a glow discharge optical emission spectrum of a metallic element M (Al) in the SiO.sub.2 intermediate oxide film layer satisfies a predetermined condition.

Disclosed are an oriented electrical steel sheet and a manufacturing method thereof. An exemplary embodiment of the present invention provides a method of manufacturing an oriented electrical steel sheet, including: providing a slab including Si at 1.0 to 4.0 wt %, C at 0.1 to 0.4 wt %, and the remaining portion including Fe and other inevitably incorporated impurities; reheating the slab; producing a hot rolled steel sheet by hot rolling the slab; performing annealing of the hot rolled steel sheet; cold rolling the annealed hot rolled steel sheet; decarburizing and annealing the cold rolled steel sheet; cold rolling the decarburized and annealed steel sheet; and final annealing the cold rolled steel sheet.