High magnetic permeability is a key characteristic of silicon steel. It allows the transformer core to effectively guide and concentrate the magnetic field, enabling the transformer to generate a stronger magnetic field with a smaller excitation current. This is crucial for efficient power conversion. For example, compared to ordinary carbon steel, the magnetic permeability of silicon steel is several times higher, which means it can conduct more magnetic flux under the same magnetic field strength, reducing magnetic flux leakage and improving the transformer's efficiency in electromagnetic energy conversion.

Core loss in a transformer mainly includes hysteresis loss and eddy current loss. Silicon steel has the advantage of low core loss. The addition of silicon and special manufacturing processes make the hysteresis loop of silicon steel narrower, significantly reducing hysteresis loss. At the same time, silicon steel sheets are usually laminated and insulated on the surface, which effectively reduces the cross-sectional area of the eddy current path and increases the eddy current resistance, thereby reducing eddy current loss. Lower core loss means less energy is wasted as heat in the core during transformer operation, improving the overall energy efficiency of the transformer.

The silicon content in silicon steel affects its mechanical properties. Appropriate silicon content can increase the hardness of the steel, which is beneficial for maintaining the shape and stability of the transformer core during operation. However, if the silicon content is too high, the hardness and brittleness of the silicon steel will increase, making it more difficult to process and may even lead to cracking during manufacturing, which can affect the quality and reliability of the core. Therefore, it is necessary to carefully control the silicon content to balance the mechanical and magnetic properties.

The quality and stability of silicon steel directly affect the reliability and service life of the transformer. High-quality silicon steel with stable magnetic properties can ensure that the transformer maintains stable output voltage and current under different load and working conditions. If the magnetic properties of the silicon steel are unstable, it may lead to output voltage fluctuations of the transformer, affecting the normal power supply of the power system. In addition, the consistency of the quality and performance of silicon steel is also very important. If the performance of the silicon steel sheets used in the transformer manufacturing process is inconsistent, it may lead to uneven magnetic field distribution inside the core, increasing the risk of local overheating, which will in turn affect the service life and reliability of the transformer.