Abstract: A molten steel refining method increases a circulating rate using an RH vacuum degassing apparatus. An immersion depth of an immersion tube into molten steel inside a vacuum tank or a circulating gas flow rate is determined such that a stirring power energy density ? for the molten steel meets the following formulae: ? = [371GT × ln{ 1 + (?LgH0/P)}]/Wv, Wv = (?·Dv2/4) × H0 × ?L/1000, H0 = hv + L - hG, hv = (P0 - P)/(?Lg) + 1 -L, 1.35 × 105 × DU/WV < ? < 2.1 × 104.

Abstract: A decarburization refining method for molten steel under reduced pressure. The method includes an oxygen-blowing decarburization and a rimmed decarburization. Using operation data taken at a time when oxygen-blowing decarburization is started and a time when oxygen-blowing decarburization is ended, an amount of carbon removed while the oxygen-blowing decarburization is performed is estimated. Based on the estimated amount of carbon removed, a carbon concentration in molten steel at a time when the rimmed decarburization is started is estimated. Using the estimated value as the carbon concentration in molten steel at the time when the rimmed decarburization is started, a change over time in the carbon concentration in molten steel while the rimmed decarburization is performed is calculated. Based on the calculated change over time in the carbon concentration in molten steel while the rimmed decarburization is performed, a determination is made about a time when the rimmed decarburization is ended.

Abstract: Disclosed is a grain-oriented electrical steel sheet capable of obtaining excellent magnetic properties stably over the entire coil length. A grain-oriented electrical steel sheet includes: a chemical composition containing, in mass %, C: 0.005% or less, Si: 2.0% to 4.5%, and Mn: 0.01% to 0.5%, and, in mass ppm, N: 20 ppm or less, each of Se, Te, and O: less than 50 ppm, S: less than 30 ppm, and acid-soluble Al: less than 40 ppm, and Ti: less than 30 ppm, of which 5 ppm or more and 25 ppm or less is acid-soluble Ti, with the balance being Fe and inevitable impurities; and precipitates containing Ti and N with a grain size of 200 nm or more at a frequency of 0.05 grains/mm2 or more.

Abstract: Provided is a non-oriented electrical steel sheet having such a low Al concentration so that it is excellent in terms of the recycling efficiency of scrap iron and having a high magnetic flux density and low iron loss. The non-oriented electrical steel sheet according to the present invention has a chemical composition containing C; 0.0050 mass % or less, Si; 1.5 mass % to 5.0 mass %, Mn; 0.2 mass % to 3.0 mass %, sol.Al; 0.0030 mass % or less, P; 0.2 mass % or less, S; 0.0050 mass % or less, N; 0.0040 mass % or less, T.Ca; 0.0010 mass % to 0.0080 mass %, T.O; 0.0100 mass % or less, REM; 0.0001 mass % to 0.0050 mass %, and a balance of Fe and inevitable impurities, in which a value of a mass-related fractional expression ((T.Ca+REM)/(T.O+S)), which is a relational expression for the masses of the four constituents described above, that is, T.Ca, REM, T.O, and S, is 0.4 or more.