IP Library › Granted Patent US 12709780
Granted Patent B2
US 12709780 · App. 18/568,640 · Granted Aug 18, 2026

Spatially selective electromagnetic field assisted processing of bulk crystalline soft magnetic alloys

Inventors: Paul Ohodnicki (Allison Park, PA); Ahmed Talaat (Pittsburgh, PA); Tyler Paplham (Getzville, NY)
Assignee: UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH—OF THE COMMONWEALTH SYSTEM OF HIGHER EDUCATION
C21D1/42C21D6/00C21D9/0068H01F1/14766H01F41/02C21D2221/00H02K15/02
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12709780
App. No.
18/568,640
Granted
Aug 18, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

The disclosed concept pertains to a method of processing soft magnetic alloys, and, in particular, a method of processing soft magnetic alloys using a spatially selective heating technique comprising electromagnetic field assisted thermal processing in order to spatially vary the magnetic and mechanical properties within the alloy in a selective manner. The disclosed concept includes a thermal processing method that includes providing a soft magnetic alloy component, and applying an electromagnetic field to the component that generates heat internally within the component in a spatially varying manner to cause a number of magnetic properties and mechanical properties of the soft magnetic alloy to vary spatially within the component.

Claims (23)

1 . A thermal processing method, comprising:

providing a component comprising a soft magnetic alloy;

applying spatially selective thermal annealing to the component by applying an electromagnetic field to the component,

wherein electromagnetic field generates heat internally within the component in a spatially varying manner to cause magnetic properties and mechanical properties of the soft magnetic alloy to vary spatially within the component.

2 . The thermal processing method according to claim 1 , wherein the electromagnetic field is selected from an RF field, a microwave field, and an optical field.

3 . The thermal processing method according to claim 1 , wherein the soft magnetic alloy is a bulk crystalline soft magnetic alloy.

4 . The thermal processing method according to claim 3 , wherein the bulk crystalline soft magnetic alloy is selected from an iron-cobalt soft magnetic alloy and an electrical steel.

5 . The thermal processing method according to claim 1 , wherein the soft magnetic alloy is in the form of a lamination which is processed prior to stamping or other laminate manufacturing processes such that a radial temperature dependence is preserved during annealing for more complex lamination geometries.

6 . The thermal processing method according to claim 1 , wherein the component is a part of an electric motor.

7 . The thermal processing method according to claim 6 , wherein the component is selected from a rotor and a stator.

8 . The thermal processing method according to claim 7 , wherein the rotor or the stator is a rotor or stator of an electric traction motor of an electric vehicle.

9 . The thermal processing method according to claim 1 , wherein the electromagnetic field is applied through a coil member.

10 . The thermal processing method according to claim 9 , wherein the coil member is selected from a helical coil, a split helical coil, and a pancake coil.

11 . The thermal processing method according to claim 1 , further comprising providing a static magnetic field adjacent to and/or an applied mechanical field to the component during at least part of the applying of electromagnetic radiation to generate induced magnetic anisotropies within the component.

12 . The thermal processing method according to claim 1 , wherein the component is a rotor, wherein a coil member is a transverse coil suspended above an outer circumference of the rotor, wherein a temperature within the component during the processing is a maximum near an outer diameter of the rotor and decreases approaching an inner diameter of the rotor, and wherein the magnetic and mechanical properties are caused to vary radially.

13 . The thermal processing method according to claim 1 , wherein the component is a disk-shaped lamination and a transverse coil is a cylindrical transverse coil.

14 . The thermal processing method according to claim 1 , wherein the component is a stator, wherein a coil member is a transverse coil suspended above an inner circumference of the stator, wherein a temperature within the component during the processing is a maximum near an inner diameter of the stator and decreases approaching an outer diameter of the stator, and wherein the magnetic and mechanical properties are caused to vary radially.

15 . The thermal processing method according to claim 1 , wherein the component comprises a lamination comprising the soft magnetic alloy.

16 . The thermal processing method according to claim 1 , wherein the number of magnetic properties include includes core loss and/or permeability and wherein the number of mechanical properties include includes yield strength and/or hardness.

17 . The thermal processing method according to claim 9 , wherein the coil member is structured such that a coil current in the coil member is localized above one or more regions of the component in which the temperature is to be the largest.

18 . The thermal processing method according to claim 17 , wherein the one or more regions of the component is selected from include one or more outer edges of the component, one or more inner edges of the component, and teeth of a stator or a rotor.

19 . The thermal processing method according to claim 9 , wherein the coil member exhibits a spatially varying current coil density.

20 . The thermal processing method according to claim 6 , wherein the component is part of an axial motor.