Why Do Power Transformers Use Silicon Steel Sheets For The Core

What is "silicon steel"? What are its properties?

Silicon steel is actually a silicon steel with a silicon content of 0.8 - 4.8%. It is characterized by high permeability, low coercivity, and high resistivity, resulting in low hysteresis and eddy current losses. It is mainly used as magnetic material in motors, transformers, electrical appliances and electric instruments.

Why choose "silicon steel" as a transformer core?

The use of silicon steel as a transformer core is based first and foremost on the properties of silicon steel itself: it is a magnetic material with a very high permeability. As a result, it produces a higher magnetic induction in the current coil, which makes it possible to reduce the size 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 transformer power loss, not only in the coil resistance, but also in the iron core. We usually call the power loss in the iron core "iron loss", iron loss is caused by two reasons, one is "hysteresis loss", the other is "eddy current loss".

Hysteresis loss refers to the loss of iron in the magnetization process due to the existence of hysteresis phenomenon. The loss is proportional to the area enclosed by the hysteresis loop of the material. As the hysteresis line of silicon steel is narrower, the hysteresis loss of the core used as a transformer is smaller, which can greatly reduce the degree of heat generation.

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