Magnetic properties and microstructure of bulk Nd–Fe–B magnets solidified in magnetic field

Abstract

The Nd–Fe–B bulk magnets with a slab shape of 0.9 × 4 × 15 mm3 were prepared by injection casting into a copper mold. The effects of applying a magnetic field during the casting process on the magnetic properties and microstructure of Nd9.5Fe71.5Ti2.5Zr0.5Cr1B14.5C0.5 alloy have been studied. The results show that the sample cast with magnetic field has a stronger (00L) texture of Nd2Fe14B phase with the c-axis perpendicular to the slab plane than the sample cast without magnetic field. The intensity of the texture weakens from surface to inner region of the bulk magnets. Applying a magnetic field during the casting process is helpful to refine the grain size effectively. As a result, the magnetic properties are improved from Br = 5.8 kG, iHc = 6.5 kOe, and (BH)max = 5.9 MGOe for thesample cast without magnetic field to Br = 6.1 kG, iHc = 10.3 kOe, and (BH)max = 7.3 MGOe for the sample cast with a 3.7 kOe magnetic field.