Electrical steels and method for producing same

A method for manufacturing iron based electrical products having diffused silicon or silicon and aluminum substantially in final form by a process comprising:

• (a) adding to a retort an iron feedstock;
• silicon oxide source or a combination of silicon oxide source and aluminum source;
• a reducing agent;
• an activator;
• and an essentially inert filler which contains aluminum nitride to form a mixture of ingredients;
• (b) providing a non-oxidizing atmosphere within the retort;
• (c) heating the mixture for a time sufficient to reduce said oxide and create a silicon diffusant or silicon and aluminum diffusant to diffuse silicon or silicon and aluminum into the iron feedstock;
• and (d) recovering an electrical product substantially in final processing form, wherein the product contains from about 0.25 wt. % to about 7.0 wt. % silicon, about 0 wt. % to about 4 wt. % aluminum, and wherein the orientation of the magnetic properties within a plane of the sheet of the iron alloy product is substantially non-oriented, textured or grain-oriented.

A method for manufacturing iron based electrical products having diffused silicon or silicon and aluminum substantially in final form by a process comprising:

• (a) adding to a retort an iron feedstock;
• silicon oxide source or a combination of silicon oxide source and aluminum source;
• a reducing agent;
• an activator;
• and an essentially inert filler to form a mixture of ingredients;
• wherein the silicon oxide source and filler is silicon dioxide, and wherein the reducing agent is aluminum powder and wherein the activator is aluminum fluoride;
• (b) providing a non-oxidizing atmosphere within the retort;
• (c) heating the mixture for a time sufficient to reduce silicon dioxide and create a silicon diffusant or silicon and aluminum diffusant to diffuse silicon or silicon and aluminum into the iron feedstock;
• and
• (d) recovering an electrical product substantially in final processing form, wherein the product contains from about 0.25 wt. % to about 7.0 wt. % silicon, about 0 wt. % to about 4 wt. % aluminum, and wherein the orientation of the magnetic properties within a plane of the sheet of the iron alloy product is substantially non-oriented, textured or grain-oriented.

A method for manufacturing iron based electrical products having diffused silicon or silicon and aluminum substantially in final form by a process comprising:

• (a) adding to a retort an iron feedstock;
• a silicon oxide source or a combination of silicon oxide source and aluminum source;
• a reducing agent;
• an activator;
• and an essentially inert filler to form a mixture of ingredients;
• wherein the silicon oxide source, and reducing agent and filler is silicon monoxide, and wherein the activator is aluminum fluoride;
• (b) providing a non-oxidizing atmosphere within the retort;
• (c) heating the mixture for a time sufficient to reduce silicon monoxide and create a silicon diffusant or silicon and aluminum diffusant to diffuse silicon or silicon and aluminum into the iron feedstock;
• and
• (d) recovering an electrical product substantially in final processing form, wherein the product contains from about 0.25 wt % to about 7.0 wt. % silicon, about 0 wt. % to about 4 wt. % aluminum, and wherein the orientation of the magnetic properties within a plane of the sheet of the iron alloy product is substantially non-oriented, textured or grain-oriented.