Microstructures and Soft Magnetic Properties of Fe73.5−xCu1Nb3Si13.5B9Gdx (x = 0–1.5) Alloys

Abstract

In this experiment, the rare earth Gd element was added to Finemet alloy to observe the microstructure and soft magnetic properties. The experimental results showed that the samples with the addition of 0.5% Gd and 1.0% Gd can be quenched and cast normally, and the MS of Fe73Cu1Nb3Si13.5B9Gd0.5 alloy was 10.41% higher than that of Finemet. After annealing, crystal grains of about 10 nm were formed. The μi and μm values of Fe73Cu1Nb3Si13.5B9Gd0.5 alloy were 25.51% and 22.23% higher, respectively, and the coercivity HC was reduced by 12.19% compared to Finemet. At 1 kHz, the μe value of Fe73Cu1Nb3Si13.5B9Gd0.5 alloy at room temperature was 14.57% higher than that of Finemet, while the μe reached 162.34 k and 142.42 k at 90 °C and 150 °C (24% and 29.51% higher, respectively). The Fe72.5Cu1Nb3Si13.5B9Gd1.0 alloy had the best performance at 100 kHz, with higher μe values than Finemet across the ambient temperature range of 30 °C to 150 °C. After tension annealing, the μe values of Fe72.5Cu1Nb3Si13.5B9Gd1.0 alloy were 20–30% higher than those of Finemet.