Analyzing the impact of interlocking on non-oriented electrical steel (NOES) laminations: A microstructural and mechanical property perspective

Non-oriented electrical steel laminations are widely used in electric motor cores and are manufactured using various techniques such as cutting, punching, interlocking, and welding. These manufacturing processes can have a detrimental effect on the performance of the electric motor. Thus, in order to enhance the performance of the electric motor, it is essential to comprehend the microstructural, mechanical, and magnetic property changes resulting from manufacturing. The current study focuses on the microstructural modifications caused by interlocking, which is known to impact the core magnetic properties of motors, and its relation to mechanical properties like hardness. Six interlocked non-oriented electrical steel samples were prepared by incomplete punching at different loads from 500 N to 4000 N. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Electron backscattered diffraction (EBSD) analysis was performed on the interlocked samples to study the microstructure and crystallographic texture near the edge whereas nanoindentation was used to determine the hardness profile. Popin analysis was done to study the extent of work hardening due to punching and its effect on hardness. The hardness change due to residual stress was determined, which was used to estimate the induced residual stress near the edge. It ranged from 0.04 GPa at 550 N load to 11 GPa at 4000 N load near the punched edge.