This article proposes the use of strain energy density (SED) for the prediction of fracturing in silicon steel slabs undergoing reheating in a furnace. Reheating is commonly used to soften steel before hot rolling into ultra-thin silicon steel sheets referred to as electromagnetic steel. High heating rates are required to reduce the time spent in the reheating furnace to increase the e ciency of producing ultra-thin electromagnetic steel sheets and decrease fuel consumption. However, an excessive increase in heating rates may induce fracturing due to the comparatively brittle nature of the silicon used in electromagnetic steel slabs to enhance the electromagnetic properties. In this study, the authors used nite element numerical calculation to elucidate the fracture mechanism of electromagnetic steel slabs undergoing heating. The authors then used SED as a criterion by which to optimize the heating rates without inducing fracturing in electromagnetic steel. The proposed model could be used as a guide to shorten the time required for heating various types of steel in reheating furnaces. ARTICLE HISTORY

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