Are you striving to enhance the performance and efficiency of your electric vehicle (EV) motors? The key may lie in choosing the type of thin gauge electrical steel for EV motor lamination stacks. This crucial component can significantly influence the overall performance of EV motors by affecting their magnetic properties and efficiency. In this blog post, we’ll dive into the criteria for selecting the right electrical steel and discuss how this choice impacts motor efficiency.
What is Thin Gauge Electrical Steel?
Thin gauge electrical steel, also known as silicon steel, is a specialized steel tailored for specific applications that require high magnetic permeability. This steel is crucial for reducing energy loss in the cores of electrical transformers and motors. It is characterized by its low carbon content and addition of silicon, which enhances its electrical resistance and reduces eddy current losses.
Types of Lamination Steel Materials
Non-Oriented Electrical Steel(NOES)
This type of steel does not have any directional properties in its magnetic characteristics, making it suitable for rotating machinery like motors. It offers uniform magnetic properties in all directions.
Grain-Oriented Electrical Steel(GOES)
Unlike NOES, GOES is designed to provide superior magnetic properties in the rolling direction. This type is more efficient for use in static devices such as transformers.
How To Choose This Gauge Electrical Steel For An EV Motor?
Electrical and Magnetic Properties
Core Loss: This is the energy lost in the form of heat within the magnetic core during operation. Lower core loss steel increases the efficiency of the motor, which is critical for maximizing the range and performance of EVs.
Permeability: High permeability electrical steel improves the motor’s response to the magnetic field, enhancing torque and reducing energy consumption.
Saturation Induction: The maximum flux density the steel can handle before saturating is essential for maintaining performance under high-demand scenarios in EV motors.
Mechanical Properties
Tensile Strength: This determines how well the steel can withstand mechanical stresses during operation. Higher tensile strength is advantageous for durability and longevity.
Lamination Factor: Efficient lamination reduces air gaps between sheets, thereby decreasing the magnetic reluctance and improving the motor’s magnetic circuit.
Stamping and Cutting Ease: The steel should be amenable to precise cutting and shaping, which is crucial for manufacturing complex motor designs with minimal material wastage.
Impact of Electrical Steel Thickness on Motor Efficiency
With the development of EV drive motors becoming smaller and faster, there will be an increasingly urgent need to reduce the high-frequency iron loss of electrical steel plates used in EV drive motor cores. The eddy current loss of high-frequency current is proportional to the square of the thickness of the electrical steel plate.
The iron loss of electrical steel sheets with a thickness of 0.2mm is 25%-30% lower than that of the highest-grade electrical steel sheets with a thickness of 0.35mm. Moreover, the higher the current frequency, the more significant the iron loss reduction effect of thinning the steel plate thickness is.
Customization of EV motor core From Motorneo
Motorneo lamination core for EV motors, HEV motors, high-speed passenger car motors, electric heavy truck motors, electric tricycle motors, electric bike motors, electric hoverboard motors, electric scooter motors, or hub motors. Our motor lamination products include axial flux motor stator laminations, amorphous motor laminations, bonding laminations, segmented stator laminations, and hairpin winding stators.
Conclusion
To improve the efficiency of new energy vehicle motors and reduce the weight of new energy vehicle motors, non-oriented electrical steel is required to have the characteristics of low iron loss and high yield strength. So choosing the right thin gauge electrical steel for EV motor cores is important.
FAQS
How do magnetic properties like permeability and core loss impact EV motor performance?
Permeability determines how easily a material can be magnetized and affects magnetic flux, while core loss represents energy dissipation as heat. High permeability and low core loss are desirable for efficient motor performance.
What should I look for when choosing electrical steel for EV motor lamination stacks?
Consider core loss, permeability, saturation induction, tensile strength, and the ease of stamping and cutting the material.
Why 0.2mm Silicon Steel Stamping Is More Expensive?
0.2mm silicon steel stamping is pricier due to its scarcity, precision demands, and unique properties. Thinner sheets minimize core loss, enhancing energy efficiency, but their production requires meticulous precision, often leading to higher manufacturing costs.
