Abstract
A review of soft magnetic amorphous and nanocrystalline alloys currently used in the market along their primary industrial applications will be discussed. The distribution transformer market continues to be the largest volume application of Fe-based amorphous foil with higher efficiency standards globally helping to drive the growth of amorphous-based transformers. High permeability grades of amorphous foil have largely supplanted the convention grades due to the higher induction levels (1.63T) and increased stacking factor (>90%). Magnetic domain refinement of amorphous foil, further reducing the core losses, is now commercially available.Amorphous foil has long been envisioned for high efficiency electric motors. The emerging trends with electric vehicles have revitalized the efforts to incorporate amorphous and nanocrystalline foils as the motor lamination materials. There are many approaches to fabricate these motor components and we will discuss the methods that have been industrially adopted. FeCo based amorphous alloys further enhance the induction levels (1.8T) and can be viable in these applications. Nanocrystalline alloys of the FeBSiNbCu composition have now become an industry standard for ultra-low loss, high frequency and high permeability applications. Advanced processing methods have produced higher induction nanocrystalline alloys with higher Fe and lower Nb content. There are also new FeCo and FeNi nanocrystalline alloys being developed specifically suited towards gapless inductor and motor applications that will be discussed.
Published Version
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