Provided is a grain-oriented electrical steel sheet which has been subjected to heat-resistant magnetic domain refining treatment and can effectively suppress carburizing and nitriding during stress relief annealing. The grain-oriented electrical steel sheet has a plurality of grooves on one side that extend linearly across the rolling direction and are lined up at intervals in the rolling direction, and has at least a forsterite film on a surface of the steel sheet, where an average thickness of the forsterite film formed on the floor of the grooves is 0.45 μm or more, and a standard deviation a of the thickness is 0.34 μm or less.

Provided are coated metal, the metal having improved properties due to a novel coating, a coating-forming treatment solution for forming the novel coating, and a method for producing the coated metal that has the novel coating. The coated metal includes metal and a coating formed on the metal. The coating includes Si, P, and O, and at least one selected from the group consisting of Mg, Ca, Ba, Sr, Zn, Al, and Mn. The coating includes a compound having a NASICON-type crystal structure represented by the general formula M.sup.IM.sup.IV.sub.2(M.sup.VO.sub.4).sub.3.

Provided are coated metal, the metal having improved properties due to a novel coating, a coating-forming treatment solution for forming the novel coating, and a method for producing the coated metal that has the novel coating. The coated metal includes metal and a coating formed on the metal. The coating includes Si, P, and O, and at least one selected from the group consisting of Mg, Ca, Ba, Sr, Zn, Al, and Mn. The coating includes a compound having a NASICON-type crystal structure represented by the general formula M.sup.IM.sup.IV.sub.2(M.sup.VO.sub.4).sub.3.

A grain-oriented electrical steel sheet has a steel sheet and an insulating coating which is formed on a surface of the steel sheet. In the insulating coating, a metal phosphate and a colloidal silica are contained, the colloidal silica is contained in an amount of 20 to 150 parts by mass with respect to 100 parts by mass of the metal phosphate, one or more kinds of fine particles selected from the group consisting of silicon carbide, silicon nitride, aluminum nitride, boron nitride, sialon, and cordierite are further contained in an amount of 0.5 to 7 parts by mass with respect to 100 parts by mass of the metal phosphate, an average particle size of the fine particles is 0.3 to 7.0 μm, crystallized ratio of the metal phosphate is 2% to 40%, and chromium is not contained.

A coating solution for forming an insulating film for a grain-oriented electrical steel sheet which contains one or more types of hydrous silicate powders having an average particle size of 2 μm or less, and one or more types of phosphoric acids and phosphates satisfying a relation of Σn.sub.iM.sub.i/ΣP.sub.i≤0.5, and satisfies (Formula 1).
1.5≤(Σn.sub.iM.sub.i+Σn′.sub.jM′.sub.j)/ΣP.sub.i≤15  (Formula 1)
(P represents the number of moles of phosphorus, M represents the number of moles of metal ions derived from the phosphate, n represents the valence of the metal ions derived from the phosphate, i represents the number of types of phosphates, M′ represents the number of moles of metal elements in the hydrous silicate, n′ represents the valence of the metal elements in the hydrous silicate, and j represents the number of types of hydrous silicates).

A non-oriented electrical steel sheet according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a base metal steel sheet, and a composite coating film composed of a Zn-containing phosphate and an organic resin, the composite coating film being formed on a surface of the base metal steel sheet, wherein: a content of Zn in the composite coating film is 10 mg/m.sup.2 or more per side; and the product of an amount of oxygen in the base metal steel sheet and a sheet thickness of the base metal steel sheet is 50 ppm.Math.mm or less.

There is provided a non-oriented electrical steel sheet that includes a base metal steel sheet and an insulating coating film that is formed on a surface of the base metal steel sheet, wherein the insulating coating film mainly contains metal phosphate, organic resin, and water-soluble organic compound, the water-soluble organic compound has an SP value that is within a range of 10.0 to 20.0 (cal/cm.sup.3).sup.1/2, the metal phosphate contains aluminum and zinc as metallic elements, and when measurement by an X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy is performed from a surface of the insulating coating film in a thickness direction of the non-oriented electrical steel sheet, a depth at which a strength of a 2p peak of zinc reaches a maximum is present closer to the surface side than a depth at which a strength of a 2p peak of aluminum reaches a maximum, and a maximum value of the strength of the 2p peak of zinc is 1 to 20 times a strength of the 2p peak of aluminum at the depth at which the strength of the 2p peak of zinc reaches a maximum.

There is provided a non-oriented electrical steel sheet that includes a base metal steel sheet and an insulating coating film that is formed on a surface of the base metal steel sheet, wherein the insulating coating film mainly contains metal phosphate, organic resin, and water-soluble organic compound, the water-soluble organic compound has an SP value that is within a range of 10.0 to 20.0 (cal/cm.sup.3).sup.1/2, the metal phosphate contains aluminum and zinc as metallic elements, and when measurement by an X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy is performed from a surface of the insulating coating film in a thickness direction of the non-oriented electrical steel sheet, a depth at which a strength of a 2p peak of zinc reaches a maximum is present closer to the surface side than a depth at which a strength of a 2p peak of aluminum reaches a maximum, and a maximum value of the strength of the 2p peak of zinc is 1 to 20 times a strength of the 2p peak of aluminum at the depth at which the strength of the 2p peak of zinc reaches a maximum.

A method for manufacturing a grain-oriented electrical steel sheet according to an aspect of the present invention includes a step of obtaining a hot-rolled steel sheet by carrying out hot rolling on a slab containing a predetermined component composition with a remainder including Fe and impurities, a step of obtaining a hot-rolled annealed sheet by carrying out hot-rolled sheet annealing as necessary, a step of carrying out pickling to obtain a pickled sheet, a step of carrying out cold rolling to obtain a cold-rolled steel sheet, a step of carrying out primary recrystallization annealing, a step of applying an annealing separating agent including MgO to a surface and then carrying out final annealing to obtain a final-annealed sheet, and a step of applying an insulating coating and then carrying out flattening annealing.

A grain oriented electrical steel sheet includes: a base steel sheet; a lower layer which is arranged in contact with the base steel sheet; and an insulation coating which is arranged in contact with the lower layer and which includes a phosphate and a colloidal silica as main components. The base steel sheet includes the predetermined chemical composition and includes a B compound whose major axis length is 1 to 20 μm and whose number density is 1×10 to 1×10.sup.6 pieces/mm.sup.3. The lower layer is a glass film which includes a forsterite as main component or an intermediate layer includes a silicon oxide as main component.