Microstructural characterization of high energy product Nd-Fe-B rapidly solidified ribbons

Technical Report · Sun Nov 01 04:00:00 EST 1998

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/676878· OSTI ID:676878

Horton, J A; Miller, M K; Heatherly, L; Jones, J W; Russell, K F ^[1]; Panchanathan, V ^[2]

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1. Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (United States)
2. Magnequench International, Inc., Anderson, IN (United States)

The bonded Nd-Fe-B market has experienced the fastest growth of any permanent magnet market. Rapidly solidified Nd-Fe-B forms the basis for this bonded magnet industry. Rapid solidification is carried out by melt spinning, producing a highly stable and magnetically hard microstructure. This study focuses on a microstructural analysis of this melt spun ribbon using transmission and scanning electron microscopy (TEM and SEM), atom probe field ion microscopy (APFIM) and Auger electron spectroscopy (AES). The ribbons showed a uniform grain size and shape distribution through the thickness of the melt spun ribbon. Grain sizes ranged from 20 to 40 nm. AES showed neodymium enrichment on a fracture surface and corresponding iron and boron depletion suggesting that the eutectic 70Nd-30Fe phase is present with a thickness of approximately 1 nm. Atom probe composition analysis of grain interiors gave results very close to the nominal composition and some preliminary evidence of a grain boundary phase.

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Office of Energy Research, Washington, DC (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: AC05-96OR22464
• OSTI ID: 676878
• Report Number(s): ORNL/CP--98593; CONF-9805121--; ON: DE99000360; BR: KJ0200000; KC0201050
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
CHEMICAL COMPOSITION
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
IRON BORIDES
MICROSCOPY
MICROSTRUCTURE
NEODYMIUM BORIDES
PERMANENT MAGNETS