Effect of heat treatment on structure and magnetic properties of Fe<inf>65.5</inf>Cr<inf>4</inf>Mo<inf>4</inf>Ga<inf>4</inf>P<inf>12</inf>C<inf>5</inf>B<inf>5.5</inf> bulk amorphous alloy

Abstract

© 2017, Foundry Journal Agency and Springer Singapore. This study deals with the Fe65.5Cr4Mo4Ga4P12C5B5.5 ferromagnetic bulk amorphous alloy. XRD analysis showed an amorphous structure of the as-cast sample. The same method revealed that, after annealing at 973 K for τ=10 min, the sample displayed a crystalline structure with crystalline phases formed. The crystallization process of the alloy was examined by DTA analysis. It was shown that crystallization took place in the temperature range between 810 K and 860 K with the exo-maximum peak temperature at 846 K with a heating rate of 20 K·min-1. The method also showed that, at temperatures ranging from 753 K to 810 K, the alloy exhibited the properties of supercooled liquids. A correlation between heat-induced structural changes and magnetic properties of the alloy was determined by thermomagnetic measurements. Maximum magnetization M=3.7 Am2·kg-1 of the alloy was reached after its annealing at 733 K for τ=10 min. Upon annealing, the alloy exhibited a relaxed amorphous structure. Annealing the alloy above the crystallization temperature led to a decrease in bulk magnetization. After annealing at 973 K for τ=10 min, the bulk magnetization of the alloy was M'=0.45 Am2·kg-1. Accordingly, after crystallization and formation of new compounds, the magnetization of the alloy was decreased by a factor of about 7.7. The strength of the magnetic field applied during the measurements was H=10 kA·m-1. The samples were tested for changes in the microstructure and hardness of both the amorphous phase and the resulting crystalline phase.