DRAGen in Application—An Approach for Microstructural Fatigue Predictions of Non-Oriented Electrical Steel Sheets

This study investigates multiple cyclic loading scenarios of non-oriented electrical steel sheets through both experimental and numerical approaches. The numerical simulations were conducted using Representative Volume Elements generated with DRAGen. DRAGen allowed for the generation of Representative Volume Elements with a non-cubic shape to cover the complete sheet thickness and enough grains to represent the material’s texture. The experimental results, on the other hand, are utilized to calibrate and validate a prediction model, highlighting the significance of accumulated plastic slip as a suitable parameter correlated with fatigue life. Using the accumulated plastic slip from the simulations, a fatigue fracture locus is introduced, which describes a 3D surface dependent on the maximum stress, fatigue life, and the fatigue stress ratio. The study shows reliable results for the fatigue life prediction using the calibrated fatigue fracture locus. While substantial progress has been made in predicting the fatigue life at multiple fatigue stress ratios, notable disparities between experimental and simulation results suggest the need for further investigations regarding the influence of the surface quality. This observation motivates ongoing research efforts aimed at refining simulation methodologies to better incorporate surface roughness effects. In summary, this study presents a validated model for predicting fatigue life in non-oriented electrical steel sheets, offering valuable insights into material behavior at different loading scenarios and informing future research directions for enhanced structural performance and durability.