Manufacture of silicon-iron having cubic texture

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF SILICON-IRON SHEET STOCK HAVING CUBIC TEXTURE, WHICH COMPRISES HOT ROLLING SILICON-IRON CONTAINING SUBSTANTIALLY 2.5% TO 4% SILICON AND A TOTAL OXIDE CONTENT OF NOT MORE THAN 0.040% TO AN INTERMEDIATE GAUGE, HEAT TREATING THE HOT ROLLED STOCK AT A TEMPERATURE OF AT LEAST ABOUT 1400*F. BUT NOT SUBSTANTIALLY EXCEEDING 1800*F., COLD ROLLING SAID STOCK WITH A REDUCTION OF AT LEAST ABOUT 55%, ANNEALING THE SAID STOCK AT A TEMPERATURE OF ABOUT 2200* TO 2350*F. IN AN ATMOSPHERE OF HYDROGEN AND FOR A SUFFICIENT LENGTH OF TIME TO RECRYSTALLIZE A SUBSTANTIALLY NUMBER OF THE GRAINS OF SAID STOCK WITH THEIR CUBE FACES TILTED AT AN ANGLE OF LESS THAN ABOUT 32* FROM PARALLELISM WITH THE STOCK SURFACES, THE STOCK AFTER THE SAID ANNEAL HAVING OXIDE INCLUSIONS LESS THAN ABOUT 0.005%, A CARBON CONTENT NOT SUBSTANTIALLY GREATER THAN 0.010%, AND A SULFUR CONTENT NOT SUBSTANTIALLY GREATER THAN 0.005%, AGAIN COLD ROLLING SAID STOCK WITH A REDUCTION OF AT LEAST ABOUT 75%, TO REDUCE SAID STOCK TO FINAL GAUGE AND FURTHER TO ORIENT THE GRAINS THEREIN, AND SUBJECTING THE COLD ROLLED SHEET STOCK FIRST TO A PRIMARY RECRYSTALLIZATION ANNEAL AT A TEMPERATURE OF ABOUT 1300* TO ABOUT 1700*F. IN A NON-OXIDIZING ATMOSPHERE TO PRODUCE CUBIC NUCLEI HAVING THEIR CUBE FACES TILTED AT LESS THAN 5* TO THE SURFACE OF THE SHEET STOCK, SAID NUCLEI HAVING ALSO AT LEAST ABOUT 75% OF THEIR CUBE EDGES ALIGNED WITHIN 20* OF THE ROLLING DIRECTION, AND SECOND TO AN ANNEAL AT A TEMPERATURE OF ABOUT 2000* TO ABOUT 2300*F. IN A NON-OXIDIZING ATMOSPHERE UNDER CONDITIONS TO PRODUCE SECONDARY RECRYSTALLIZATION BY SURFACE ENERGY WHEREBY TO CAUSE SAID NUCLEI TO GROW BY SAID SECONDARY RECRYSTALLIZATION AT THE EXPENSE OF GRAINS HAVING SUBSTANTIALLY DIFFERENT ORIENTATIONS IN SAID SHEET STOCK.