MAGNETIC DOMAIN REFINEMENT METHOD FOR GRAIN-ORIENTED ELECTRICAL STEEL SHEET, MAGNETIC DOMAIN REFINEMENT APPARATUS, AND GRAIN-ORIENTED ELECTRICAL STEEL SHEET MANUFACTURED BY MEANS OF SAME

Abstract

Disclosed is a magnetic domain refining method for radiating a laser beam to a surface of a directional electrical steel plate at intervals, which is capable of further reducing noise along with an iron loss reduction effect and further improving iron loss and noise reduction effects in an area where the directional electrical steel plate are bonded together, such as the joint part of the iron core of a transformer. Irradiated radiations formed by a laser beam in at least any one area of the directional electrical steel plate are unfolded in a fan rib form using one point of the directional electrical steel plate as a central point.

Claims

1-18 (canceled)

19. A method for refining a magnetic domain of a directional electrical steel plate in which a laser beam is radiated to a surface of the directional electrical steel plate at intervals, wherein irradiated radiations formed by a laser beam in at least any one area of the directional electrical steel plate are unfolded at intervals in a circumferential direction using one point of the directional electrical steel plate as a central point.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the area comprises a portion where the directional electrical steel plate and the directional electrical steel plate are bonded together when an iron core of a transformer is fabricated.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the area comprises a cutting part that is slantly cut with respect to a rolling direction.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the central point comprises a corner formed in the directional electrical steel plate by the cutting part and forming an obtuse angle.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the irradiated radiations are formed between an extension line orthogonal to the rolling direction of the directional electrical steel plate based on the corner formed in the directional electrical steel plate by the cutting part and forming the obtuse angle and a cutting surface of the cutting part.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein an angle between adjacent irradiated radiations based on the central point is 1 to 10°.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the irradiated radiations are extended from an end of a side of the directional electrical steel plate in a width direction to the central point.

26. An apparatus for refining a magnetic domain of a directional electrical steel plate, the apparatus comprising: a laser mirror configured to change a direction of a laser beam radiated by a laser generator and to form irradiated radiations on a surface of the directional electrical steel plate; a driving unit connected with the laser mirror and configured to rotate a direction in which the laser beam is radiated around one point of the directional electrical steel plate by rotating the laser mirror at intervals of a predetermined angle; and a controller connected with the driving part and configured to control a rotating angle of the laser mirror, wherein irradiated radiations are unfolded at intervals in a circumferential direction using one point of the directional electrical steel plate as a central point in an area on one side of the directional electrical steel plate.

27. The apparatus of claim 26, further comprising a support roll configured to apply tension to the directional electrical steel plate to which the laser beam is radiated.

28. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the directional electrical steel plate is configured to be slantly cut with respect to a rolling direction to form a cutting part, a corner formed in the directional electrical steel plate by the cutting part and forming an obtuse angle forms the central point, and the driving part rotates the laser mirror around the central point so that the irradiated radiations are formed.

29. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein the driving part rotates the laser mirror at an angle of 1 to 10° around the central point so that the irradiated radiations are formed.

30. A directional electrical steel plate, wherein irradiated radiations for magnetic domain refining are formed in a surface of the directional electrical steel plate, and the irradiated radiations are unfolded at intervals in a circumferential direction using one point of the directional electrical steel plate as a central point in at least any one area of the directional electrical steel plate.

31. The directional electrical steel plate of claim 30, wherein the directional electrical steel plate is for fabricating an iron core of a transformer.

32. The directional electrical steel plate of claim 30, wherein a cutting part is slantly cut with respect to a rolling direction and formed in the directional electrical steel plate, and the irradiated radiations are formed at intervals of an angle around a corner formed in the directional electrical steel plate by the cutting part and forming an obtuse angle.

33. The directional electrical steel plate of claim 32, wherein the irradiated radiations are formed between an extension line orthogonal to the rolling direction of the directional electrical steel plate based on the corner formed in the directional electrical steel plate by the cutting part and forming the obtuse angle and a cutting surface of the cutting part.

34. The directional electrical steel plate of claim 33, wherein an angle between adjacent irradiated radiations using the central point as a center is 1 to 10°.

35. The directional electrical steel plate of claim 33, wherein some or all of the irradiated radiations are extended from an end of a side of the directional electrical steel plate in a width direction to the central point or extended from the end of the side of the directional electrical steel plate in the width direction only to a position not reaching the central point toward the central point.

36. The directional electrical steel plate of claim 35, wherein irradiated radiations belonging to the irradiated radiations and extending only to the position not reaching the central point are extended from the end of the side of the directional electrical steel plate in the width direction only to a position of ½ to 9/10 of a width of the directional electrical steel plate toward the central point.

Description

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing an apparatus for refining the magnetic domain of a directional electrical steel plate in accordance with the present exemplary embodiment.

[0027] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the iron core of a transformer made of a directional electrical steel plate in accordance with the present exemplary embodiment.

[0028] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a directional electrical steel plate on which magnetic domain refining processing has been performed in accordance with the present exemplary embodiment.

[0029] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a directional electrical steel plate on which magnetic domain refining processing has been performed in accordance with another exemplary embodiment.

[0030] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a directional electrical steel plate on which magnetic domain refining processing has been performed according to a conventional structure, which is a comparative example.

MODE FOR INVENTION

[0031] Technical terms used in this specification are only intended to describe specific exemplary embodiments and are not intended to restrict the present invention. The singular forms used in this specification include the plural forms unless specially described otherwise in sentences. Furthermore, a term such as “comprise” or “include” used in the specification is meant to materialize a specific characteristic, area, integer, step, operation, element, and/or component, but is not meant to exclude the existence or addition of other specific characteristics, areas, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups.

[0032] Hereinafter, some exemplary embodiments of the present invention are described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings in order for those skilled in the art to be able to readily practice them. As will be readily understood by a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains, the following exemplary embodiments may be modified or changed in various manners without departing from the concept and range of the present invention. Accordingly, the present invention may be implemented in various different forms and is not limited to the following exemplary embodiments.

[0033] In the following description, in the present exemplary embodiment, a structure for magnetic domain refining is described as an example in a directional electrical steel plate which is used as an iron core material of a transformer. The present invention is not limited to such a directional electrical steel plate for an iron core material of a transformer, and may be applied to various apparatuses that require reduced vibration and noise in addition to the transformer.

[0034] FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing an apparatus for refining the magnetic domain of a directional electrical steel plate in accordance with the present exemplary embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the iron core of a transformer made of a directional electrical steel plate in accordance with the present exemplary embodiment.

[0035] The iron core 100 of a transformer is fabricated by cutting directional electrical steel plates 10 having a constant rolling direction, arranging and bonding the directional electrical steel plates in a form shown in FIG. 2, and stacking hundreds or thousands of the directional electrical steel plates. A joint part 110 of the iron core 100 is a portion where electrical steel plates 10 are connected. For example, the electrical steel plate 10 is cut at an angle of 45° to the rolling direction to form a cutting part 12. The cutting part 12 is bonded between the electrical steel plates 10, and thus the electrical steel plates 10 are connected at a right angle.

[0036] In the area of most of the iron core 100, a magnetic field flows in the rolling direction of the electrical steel plate 10. In the cutting part 12 of the electrical steel plate 10 corresponding to the joint part 110 of the iron core 100, a magnetic field deviates from the rolling direction, so a reduction of iron loss, more specifically, noise attributable to vibration, is severely generated even through conventional magnetic domain refining.

[0037] This apparatus is configured to further reduce vibration and noise in addition to having a reduction of iron loss by forming irradiated radiations 14 of a fan rib form in the cutting part 12.

[0038] To this end, the apparatus for refining a magnetic domain according to the present exemplary embodiment includes a laser mirror 20 configured to change the direction of a laser beam radiated by a laser generator and to form the irradiated radiations 14 on a surface of the electrical steel plate 10, a driving motor 22 connected with the laser mirror 20 and configured to rotate the radiation direction of a laser beam around one point of the electrical steel plate 10 by rotating the laser mirror 20, and a controller 24 connected with the driving motor 22 and configured to control the rotating angle of the laser mirror 20.

[0039] The electrical steel plates 10 are supported by a plurality of support rolls 26 disposed on the lower side. The support roll 26 applies tension to the electrical steel plate 10 when a laser is radiated to a surface of the electrical steel plate 10 through the laser mirror 20.

[0040] Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 3, the irradiated radiations 14 formed in the cutting part 12 of the electrical steel plate 10 are unfolded in a fan rib form using one point of the electrical steel plate 10 as a central point. In this case, the fan rib form means that the irradiated radiations 14 extending in a straight-line form have been unfolded around the central point at a predetermined angle like the ribs of a fan.

[0041] In the cutting part of the electrical steel plate, that is, at the corner of the iron core, a magnetic field deviates from the rolling direction of the electrical steel plate and flows. Accordingly, if the irradiated radiations of a fan rib form are formed in the cutting part as described above, magnetic domains can be refined in a direction orthogonal to the magnetic field that deviates from the rolling direction and flows.

[0042] When the irradiated radiations 14 are formed in a fan rib form with respect to the cutting part 12 as described above, noise in the cutting part 12 of the electrical steel plate 10, that is, in the area of the joint part 110 of the iron core 100, can be further reduced.

[0043] The directional electrical steel plate is a steel material in which a magnetic field is better generated in the rolling direction, and thus forms a transformer so that a magnetic field is well induced in the rolling direction. When a magnetic field flows in the rolling direction, 180-degree magnetic domains (which may be considered to be micromagnets generated in the rolling direction) are chiefly generated in the electrical steel plate, and some 90-degree magnetic domains (i.e., micromagnets in the direction orthogonal to the rolling direction) are generated. Noise in the electrical steel plate involves only the 90-degree magnetic domain, and thus it is necessary to fabricate steel in such a way so as to reduce the 90-degree magnetic domain. The principle that the 180-degree magnetic domain and the 90-degree magnetic domain are formed lies in that a magnetic field always draws a closed circuit and returns. A basic principle of magnetic domain refining uses the principle that the 90-degree magnetic domain is suddenly reduced when the magnetic domain is refined in the direction orthogonal to the magnetic field.

[0044] Accordingly, in the present exemplary embodiment, as described above, the irradiated radiations of a fan rib form are formed near the corner of the iron core so that the magnetic domain is refined in the direction orthogonal to the magnetic field that flows off the rolling direction. Accordingly, noise can be reduced because the 90-degree magnetic domain is effectively reduced although a flow of the magnetic field is changed.

[0045] In the present exemplary embodiment, the cutting part 12 of the electrical steel plate 10 is an area cut at an angle of 45° to the rolling direction. The cutting part 12 is an area between an extension line orthogonal to the rolling direction of the electrical steel plate 10 and a cutting surface of the cutting part 12, wherein a corner 16 formed in the electrical steel plate 10 by the cutting part 12 and forming an obtuse angle is a central point. The obtuse angle means an angle greater than 90° and smaller than 180°.

[0046] The central point of the irradiated radiations 14 in the cutting part 12 is the corner 16 that belongs to two corners formed in the electrical steel plate 10 by a slantly formed cutting line and that forms an obtuse angle. Accordingly, the irradiated radiations 14 are unfolded around the corner 16 of an obtuse angle in a fan rib form within the area of the cutting part 12 of the electrical steel plate 10. Irradiated radiations 18 may be formed in the remaining areas other than the cutting part 12 at an angle of 90° to the rolling direction, for example.

[0047] The laser mirror 20 is an element configured to finally reflect a laser beam radiated by the laser generator to a surface of the electrical steel plate 10. The laser beam reflected by the laser mirror 20 is radiated to the surface of the electrical steel plate 10, thus forming the irradiated radiations 14 of a straight-line form on the surface of the electrical steel plate 10.

[0048] In the present exemplary embodiment, the laser mirror 20 is connected with the driving motor 22 and configured to perform a rotary motion around the central point at intervals of a predetermined angle in response to the operation of the driving motor 22. The rotation center of the laser mirror 20 corresponds to the corner 16 of an obtuse angle, that is, the central point. That is, the rotation center of the laser mirror 20 on the electrical steel plate 10 is disposed on the same line as the corner 16 of an obtuse angle, that is, the central point.

[0049] Accordingly, whenever the laser mirror 20 radiates a laser beam using the corner 16 of an obtuse angle as the central point, it performs a rotary motion in one direction at intervals of a predetermined angle. When the laser mirror 20 rotates, the irradiated radiations 14 of a fan rib form are formed in the electrical steel plate 10 using the corner 16 of an obtuse angle as the central point.

[0050] The controller 24 outputs a control signal to the driving motor 22 so that the laser mirror 20 rotates at a predetermined angle. The driving motor 22 rotates the laser mirror 20 at intervals of a predetermined angle whenever the laser mirror 20 radiates a laser beam in response to a control signal from the controller 24. In the present exemplary embodiment, the driving motor 22 has been illustrated as being included as an element for moving the laser mirror 20, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the laser mirror may be rotated using a hydraulic cylinder or a pneumatic cylinder.

[0051] The irradiated radiations 14 are extended in a straight-line form between the ends of both sides of the electrical steel plate 10 in a width direction thereof. The irradiated radiations 14 are formed using the corner 16 of an obtuse angle as a common central point. Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 3, the irradiated radiations 14 are extended from the corner 16 of an obtuse angle to the end of the side of the electrical steel plate 10 in the width direction on the opposite side.

[0052] In the present exemplary embodiment, the rotating angle of the laser mirror 20, that is, an angle between adjacent irradiated radiations 14 formed around the corner 16 of an obtuse angle, may be 1 to 10°.

[0053] If the angle between the irradiated radiations 14 exceeds 10°, iron loss and noise reduction effects are reduced because a magnetic domain refining effect is reduced. The magnetic domain refining functions to divide the existing magnetic domain of a base steel material. If the angle exceeds 10°, there is no improvement because a magnetic domain is irradiated at an interval greater than an existing magnetic domain size.

[0054] Furthermore, if the angle between the irradiated radiations 14 is less than 1°, there is a good possibility that the texture of a base steel material of the electrical steel plate 10 may be damaged because the interval between the irradiated radiations 14 is too fine, and more specifically, because irradiated radiations 14 are concentrated at the portion of the corner 16 of an obtuse angle, that is, the central part.

[0055] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a directional electrical steel plate on which magnetic domain refining processing has been performed in accordance with another exemplary embodiment.

[0056] The following exemplary embodiment has the same structure as the aforementioned embodiment other than the structure of irradiated radiations formed in the cutting part. Accordingly, the same elements as those of the previous exemplary embodiment are assigned the same reference numerals, and a detailed description thereof is omitted.

[0057] As shown in FIG. 4, irradiated radiations 14 and 15 formed in the cutting part 12 of an electrical steel plate 10 are unfolded in a fan rib form using the corner 16 of an obtuse angle of the cutting part 12 as a central point. The irradiated radiations 14 and 15 are extended in a straight-line form between the ends of both sides of the electrical steel plate 10 in a width direction thereof.

[0058] In this case, the irradiated radiations 14 and 15 have a structure in which the irradiated radiation 14 extended from the side of the electrical steel plate 10 in the width direction to the corner 16 of an obtuse angle and the irradiated radiation 15 extended from the end of the side of the electrical steel plate 10 in the width direction up to a position P that does not reach the corner 16 of an obtuse angle are alternately arranged.

[0059] In the present exemplary embodiment, the position P that does not reach the corner 16 of an obtuse angle may be a point of ½ to 9/10 of the entire width of the electrical steel plate 10. That is, some (e.g., the irradiated radiations 15) of the irradiated radiations 14 and 15 are extended from the end of the side of the electrical steel plate 10 in the width direction up to a region L, that is, ½ to 9/10 of the width of the electrical steel plate 10, but are not formed in the remaining region D, that is, ½ to 1/10 of the corner 16 of an obtuse angle.

[0060] If the position P not reaching the corner of an obtuse angle deviates from the range, it is difficult to obtain a magnetic domain refining effect on the corner side of an obtuse angle because an area in which radiated radiations are formed is reduced or there is a good possibility that the electrical steel plate may be damaged because irradiated radiations are too concentrated on the corner side of the obtuse angle.

[0061] In this case, the concentration of irradiated radiations in a portion close to the corner 16 of an obtuse angle can be reduced because some (e.g., the irradiated radiations 15) of a plurality of the irradiated radiations formed in the cutting part 12 of the electrical steel plate 10 are not extended up to the corner 16 of an obtuse angle, that is, the central point as described above.

[0062] The interval between irradiated radiations is gradually decreased toward the corner 16 of an obtuse angle, that is, the central point, because the irradiated radiations are formed around the corner 16 of an obtuse angle within the area of the cutting part 12 of the electrical steel plate.

[0063] Accordingly, the present exemplary embodiment has an advantage in that the interval between irradiated radiations is widened at the portion of the corner 16 of an obtuse angle because the irradiated radiations 15 extended up to the position of ½ to 9/10 of the width of the electrical steel plate 10 are alternately disposed between other irradiated radiations 14. Therefore, in accordance with the present exemplary embodiment, damage to the electrical steel plate 10 in the cutting part 12 in forming the irradiations radiations of a fan rib form can be prevented.

[0064] In addition to the aforementioned structure, only the irradiated radiations extended from the end of the side of the electrical steel plate in the width direction up to the position not reaching the corner of an obtuse angle may be formed within the cutting part. Such a structure can also prevent damage to the electrical steel plate in the cutting part by preventing irradiated radiations from being concentrated at the portion of the corner of an obtuse angle.

[0065] As described above, in accordance with the present exemplary embodiment, noise in the iron core of the transformer can be reduced because the iron core of the transformer is fabricated by bonding the electrical steel plates on which magnetic domain refining has been performed.

Exemplary Embodiment

[0066] The transformer was produced using the iron core fabricated using the electrical steel plate of FIG. 3 in which the irradiated radiations of a fan rib form were formed in the cutting part as in the present exemplary embodiment, and a transformer was fabricated using an iron core fabricated using a conventional electrical steel plate in which irradiated radiations 14 were formed in the cutting part at an angle of 90° to the rolling direction as shown in FIG. 5, which is a comparative example. Furthermore, noise generated from the transformers in which the electrical steel plates of the present exemplary embodiment and the comparative example were used was measured using a microphone. The noise was measured by the microphone at 30 cm away from the joint part area of the iron core of the transformer.

[0067] In the case of the comparative example, the results of the measurement showed that the noise was 81 dBA. In contrast, in the case of the present exemplary embodiment, the results of the measurement showed that the noise was 78 dBA, which is about 3 dBA less than that of the comparative example.

[0068] Although the exemplary embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated and described above, numerous variations and other exemplary embodiments may be made by those skilled in the art. Such variations and other exemplary embodiments are all taken into consideration and included in the attached claims and do not depart from the true object and range of the present invention.

[0069] While this invention has been described in connection with what is presently considered to be practical exemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments, but, on the contrary, is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.