Why Do Power Transformers Use Silicon Steel Sheets As Iron Cores?

Why choose "silicon steel" as the core of the transformer?

The use of silicon steel as the core of the transformer is first because of the characteristics of silicon steel itself: it is a magnetic material with strong permeability. Therefore, in the current coil, it can produce a greater magnetic induction intensity, which can reduce the volume of the transformer.

In addition, the hysteresis loss of the transformer core is small, which can greatly reduce the degree of heating.

In fact, the power loss of the transformer is not only reflected in the resistance of the coil, but also in the iron core. We usually call the power loss in the core "iron loss", and the iron loss is caused by two reasons, one is "hysteresis loss" and the other is "eddy current loss".

Hysteresis loss refers to the loss of iron caused by the presence of hysteresis phenomenon during the magnetization process. The loss is proportional to the area enclosed by the hysteresis loop of the material. Because the hysteresis loop of silicon steel is narrow, the hysteresis loss of the core used as a transformer is small, which can greatly reduce the degree of heating.