Abstract
We used high-energy ball milling (HEBM) to produce nanocrystalline powders from a FeSiBPCu soft magnetic alloy. We examined the influence of milling time on the structural evolution, particle morphology, and magnetic properties. Our results show that, under the applied milling conditions, the powders reached a steady state characterized by a narrow particle size distribution. The quantitative X-ray diffraction analysis using the Rietveld method revealed a progressive refinement of the α-Fe(Si) crystallite size from 27.6 to 12.8 nm with increasing milling time. Simultaneously, the high mechanical energy input promoted partial crystallization of the residual amorphous phase, leading to the formation of Fe₅B₂P and Fe₃(B,P) secondary phases. The magnetic measurements performed by vibrating sample magnetometry indicated that these microstructural changes significantly affected the magnetic response, resulting in a reduction of saturation magnetization and an increase in coercivity due to milling-induced defects and severe plastic deformation. Despite the degradation of magnetic softness compared to annealed ribbons, the powders obtained retained a typical soft magnetic behavior and properties comparable to Fe-based nanocrystalline powders used in soft magnetic composite cores. These results demonstrate the potential of mechanically processed FeSiBPCu powders for the fabrication of soft magnetic components with complex geometries.
References
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