Microstructure and Magnetic Properties of Undercooled Fe-50at%Ni Alloys

Abstract

Bulk Fe-50at%Ni alloy melts were undercooled using cyclic superheating and glass slag purification. As a result, a maximum undercooling up to 217 K could be achieved. As-solidified microstructures were observed by means of optical microscope. Phase identification of Fe-50at%Ni alloys was performed using the Shimadzu X-ray diffractometer (XRD) system. The chemical constitution revealed using a JEOL Model JSM-6700F scanning electron microscope equipped with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). The magnetic properties of the alloys were measured by vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) with a DC M-H analyzer. The results indicated that there were twice grain refinements occurred within an undercooling range of 55-217K, where the first could be ascribed to dendrite-remelting, and the second to recrystallization. The phase composition of undercooled Fe-50at%Ni alloys comprised two phases, i.e., solid solution phases withbccandfccstructure. At various undercoolings, the saturation magnetizationMsandHcrelated closely to the measured grain sizeD, and they were in proportion toD-1by the regression analysis.