Microstructural and Magnetic Studies of Hddr Magnets from High Boron NdFeB(Zr) Alloys

Abstract

ABSTRACTSome boron-rich (with respect to the Nd 2Fe,4B composition) NdFeB alloys (with and without small additions of zirconium) have been investigated in an attempt to understand the influence of zirconium in the subsequent magnetic properties of HDDR hot pressed magnets. It was found that zirconium additions had a marked influence on the as-cast microstructures with a general refinement of the grain size and evidence of a zirconium-rich phase (probably ZrB2) at the grain boundaries. The magnetic property measurements of fully dense, isotropic HDDR hot pressed magnets indicated that those containing zirconium maintained their coercivity to significantly higher hot pressing temperatures and this was attributed to the pinning of grain boundaries by the zirconium rich phase.