Influence of the mechanical fatigue progress on the magnetic properties of electrical steel sheets

The purpose of this paper is to study the variation of the magnetic properties of non-oriented electrical steel sheets with the fatigue state during cyclic mechanical loading. The obtained results are central to the design of variable drives such as traction drives in electric vehicles in which varying mechanical loads, e.g. in the rotor core (centrifugal forces), alter the magnetic properties. Specimens of non-oriented electrical steel are subject to a cyclically varying mechanical tensile stress with different stress amplitudes and number of cycles. The specimens are characterised magnetically at different fatigue states for different magnetic flux densities and magnetising frequencies. The measurements show a variation in magnetic properties depending on the number of cycles and stress magnitude which can be explained by changes in the material structure due to a beginning mechanical fatigue process. The studied effect is critical for the estimation of the impact of mechanical material fatigue on the operational behaviour of electrical machines. Particularly in electrical machines with a higher speed where the rotor is stressed by high centrifugal forces, material fatigue occurs and can lead to deterioration of the rotor’s stack lamination.