Enhancement of electromagnetic and microwave absorbing properties of gas atomized Fe-50 wt%Ni alloy by shape modification

In order to increase the electromagnetic parameters and improve the microwave absorbing properties in the range of 1–4 GHz, gas atomized Fe-50 wt%Ni alloys with spherical form were processed in a planetary mill. The morphology, phase composition and saturation magnetization of the FeNi alloy particles were investigated by means of scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and vibrating sample magnetometer. The complex permittivity, complex permeability and reflection loss of the microwave absorbing material made from Ethylene–Propylene–Diene Monomer rubber, and the Fe-50 wt%Ni alloys were also studied using vector network analyzer and transmission line theory. The results show that the shape of the atomized Fe-50 wt%Ni powders can be modified by mechanical milling. The flaky Fe-50 wt% Ni particles were prepared, and the aspect ratio increases with increasing the milling time from 10 to 30 h. Mechanical milling does not change the phase compositions of the FeNi alloys but decreases the peak intensity and broadens the peak width. The saturation magnetization decreases and the coercivity increases as the milling time increases. The electromagnetic parameters and microwave absorbing properties are enhanced with the increase of the aspect ratio. The rubber absorbers filled with flaky Fe-50 wt%Ni powders milled for 30 h exhibit the low reflection loss in the 1–4 GHz frequency range.     

Annealing temperature effect on microstructure,magnetic and microwave properties of Fe-based amorphous alloy powders

Fe₇₄Ni₃Si₁₃Cr₆W₄ amorphous alloy powders were annealed at different temperature (T) for 1.5 h to fabricate the corresponding amorphous and nanocrystalline powders. The influences of T on the crystalline structure, morphology, magnetic and microwave electromagnetic properties of the resultant samples were investigated via X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, vibrating sample magnetometer and vector network analyzer. The results show that the powder samples obtained at T of 650 °C or more are composed of lots of ultra-fine α-Fe(Si) grains embedded in an amorphous matrix. When T increases from 350 to 750 °C, the saturated magnetization and coercivity of the as-annealed powder samples both increase monotonously whereas the relative real permittivity shows a minimal value and the relative real permeability shows a maximal value at T of 650 °C. Thus the powder samples annealed at 650 °C show optimal reflection loss under −10 dB in the whole C-band. These results here suggest that the annealing heat treatment of Fe-based amorphous alloy is an effective approach to fabricate high performance microwave absorber with reasonable permittivity and large permeability simultaneously via adjusting T.     

Simultaneous variations of microstructure and magnetic properties of Ni58Fe12Zr20B10 nanostructure/amorphous alloy prepared by mechanical alloying

This study aims to evaluate magnetic and micro-structural properties of amorphous/nanocrystalline mechanically alloyed Ni₅₈Fe₁₂Zr₂₀B₁₀ powders with ball-milling time up to 190 h. Structural, micro-structural and thermal evaluations of the milled powders were carried out by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) methods. Magnetic properties were also measured by a vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) instrument. Results showed that the amorphous phase reached maximum value of 95% and the crystallite size was about 3 nm at the end of the milling. Magnetization saturation (M_s) decreased slightly and coercivity (H_c) reached to the highest value at 72 h of the milling time. At the 190 h of milling, the coercivity and saturation magnetization reached 18 Oe and 20 emu/g, respectively. While, after an appropriate amount of heat treatment, these two variables became approximately 2 Oe and 32 emu/g.     

Investigating the magnetic properties of soft magnetic composites based on mechanically alloyed nanocrystalline Fe-5 wt% Ni powders

In this work, the soft magnetic composites (SMCs) of the nanocrystalline Fe-5 wt% Ni powders coated with phenolic resin were studied. The nanocrystalline powders with an average diameter of 10 nm were obtained by mechanical alloying up to 96 h milling in a high-energy planetary ball mill. The microstructure and magnetic properties of the milled powders were characterized by X-ray diffraction, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and a vibrating sample magnetometer. The results of X-ray diffraction showed that the bcc Fe(Ni) solid solution is formed after 24 h milling. Magnetic measurements indicated that the 96 h milled powders with a steady-state grain size of 10 nm have the highest saturation magnetization and the lowest coercivity. The SMCs based on nanocrystalline powders showed higher electrical resistivity and magnetic permeability up to 1 MHz, as compared with the pure iron-based composites. Besides, the nanocrystalline-based SMCs exhibited higher relaxation frequency and a significantly lower loss factor up to 1 MHz.     

Effect of annealing temperature and annealing atmosphere on the structure and optical properties of ZnO thin films on sapphire (0 0 0 1) substrates by magnetron sputtering

ZnO thin films were epitaxially grown on sapphire (0 0 0 1) substrates by radio frequency magnetron sputtering. ZnO thin films were then annealed at different temperatures in air and in various atmospheres at 800 °C, respectively. The effect of the annealing temperature and annealing atmosphere on the structure and optical properties of ZnO thin films are investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), atomic force microscopy (AFM), photoluminescence (PL). A strong (0 0 2) diffraction peak of all ZnO thin films shows a polycrystalline hexagonal wurtzite structure and high preferential c-axis orientation. XRD and AFM results reveal that the better structural quality, relatively smaller tensile stress, smooth, uniform of ZnO thin films were obtained when annealed at 800 °C in N₂. Room temperature PL spectrum can be divided into the UV emission and the Visible broad band emission. The UV emission can be attributed to the near band edge emission (NBE) and the Visible broad band emission can be ascribed to the deep level emissions (DLE). By analyzing our experimental results, we recommend that the deep-level emission correspond to oxygen vacancy (V_O) and interstitial oxygen (O_i). The biggest ratio of the PL intensity of UV emission to that of visible emission (I_NBE/I_DLE) is observed from ZnO thin films annealed at 800 °C in N₂. Therefore, we suggest that annealing temperature of 800 °C and annealing atmosphere of N₂ are the most suitable annealing conditions for obtaining high quality ZnO thin films with good luminescence performance.     

Effects of annealing and additions on dynamic mechanical properties of SnSb quenched alloy

The elastic modulus, internal friction and stiffness values of quenched SnSb bearing alloy have been evaluated using the dynamic resonance technique. Annealing for 2 and 4 h at 120, 140 and 160 °C caused variations in the elastic modulus, internal friction and stiffness values. This is due to structural changes in the SnSb matrix during isothermal annealing such as coarsening in the phases (Sn, Sb or intermetallic compounds), recrystallization and stress relief. In addition, adding a small amount (1 wt.%) of Cu or Ag improved the bearing mechanical properties of the SnSb bearing alloy. The SnSbCu₁ alloy has the best bearing mechanical properties with thermo-mechanical stability for long time at high temperature.     

Microstructures and properties of high Cr content coatings on inner surfaces of carbon steel tubular components prepared by a novel mechanical alloying method

In the present work, a novel mechanical alloying method was developed to prepare high Cr content coatings on the inner surface of carbon steel tubular components using a planetary ball mill. The microstructure and elemental and phase composition of mechanically alloyed coatings at different processing conditions were studied using SEM, XRD, and EDX. It showed that a proper increase in the applied milling time and the disc rotation speed favored the improvement in the thickness, surface smoothness, densification level, and microstructural homogeneity of the deposited coatings. With processing conditions optimized (rotation speed of 500 rpm and milling time of 10 h), a fully dense, 120 μm thick, high Cr content coating, consisting of metal Cr and Fe-20Cr solid solution alloy, was metallurgically bonded to the inner substrate. Comparative studies on the microhardness, corrosion resistance, and anti-oxidation capability of carbon steel substrates with and without coatings were performed. It was found that the maximum microhardness of the coating reached HV_0.1667, showing a threefold improvement upon the substrate. The coated surfaces exhibited favorable resistance against corrosion and thermal oxidation as compared with the bare substrate. Based on two important action mechanisms (i.e., friction effect and impact effect) associated with a planetary ball mill, a reasonable mechanism was presented for the formation of mechanically alloyed coatings on inner surfaces of tubular components.     

Synthesis and characterization of Fe3AlC0.5 by mechanical alloying

Double iron and aluminum carbides were prepared by mechanical alloying from elemental powders, with a ball-to-powder weight ratio 20:1. The samples were milled for 1, 3, 5, 10, 15, 20 and 25 h. The alloy progress for each milling time was evaluated by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and ⁵⁷Fe Mössbauer spectroscopy. Once the alloy was consolidated two sorts of paramagnetic sites and a magnetic distribution were detected according to the Mössbauer fit. The majority doublet could correspond to Fe₃AlC_0.5 carbide as X-ray diffraction suggest, and the other could be Fe₃AlC_0.69; the magnetic distribution corresponding to Fe₃Al phase, Fe₇C₃ and Fe₅C₂ single carbides. The hyperfine parameters are reported.     

Investigation of annealing effects on the structural, magnetic and transport properties of Co/GaAs(0 0 1) thin films

Present paper deals with the structural, magnetic and transport studies of as-deposited as well as annealed Co/GaAs(0 0 1) thin film at different temperatures. The X-ray diffraction measurements show oriented growth of as-deposited Co film in the hcp (0 0 2) direction. However, the sample annealed at higher temperatures shows formation of ternary Co₂GaAs phase at the interface. Corresponding magnetic and transport measurements show decrement in magnetization and resistivity with annealing temperatures. The observed reductions in magnetization and resistivity values are mainly attributed to the formation of ternary Co₂GaAs phase at the interface.     

Synthesis and characterization of precipitation hardened amorphous matrix composite by mechanical alloying and pulse plasma sintering of Al65Cu20Ti15

This study reports synthesis of Al₆₅Cu₂₀Ti₁₅ amorphous alloy by mechanical alloying and consolidation of the powder mass by pulsed plasma sintering. During sintering, several intermetallic phases precipitate from the amorphous matrix and cause a significant increase in nano-hardness and elastic modulus. Microstructure in as-milled and sintered conditions was characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning/transmission electron microscopy and differential scanning calorimetric. Among various conditions of sintering, the composites pulse plasma, sintered at 500°C, show the high compression strength (1745 MPa) and high indentation fracture toughness (4.96 MPa m^1/2); although, the maximum density (3.73 Mg/in³), nano-hardness (14 GPa) and Young's modulus (208 GPa) in the present alloy have been obtained in the composites pulse plasma sintered at 600°C.     

Studies of magnetic properties of permalloy (Fe-30%Ni) prepared by SLM technology

In the present study, a high permeability induction Fe-30%Ni alloy cubic bulk was prepared by the selective laser melting process. In order to reveal the microstructure effect on soft magnetic properties, the microstructure and magnetic properties of the Fe-30%Ni alloy were carefully investigated by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and hysteresis measurements. The bcc-Fe (Ni) phase formation is identified by X-ray diffraction. Meanwhile, it was found that low bcc lattice parameter and high grain size could be obtained when high laser scanning velocity and low laser power were used. Moreover, the lowest value of coercivity is 88 A/m, and the highest value of saturation magnetization is 565 Am²/kg, which can be obtained at a low laser scanning velocity of 0.4 m/s and high laser power input at 110 W.     

Phase formation and change of magnetic properties in mechanical alloyed Ni0.5Co0.5Fe2O4 by annealing

The effects of milling time and annealing temperature on phase formation, microstructure and magnetic properties of nickel-cobalt ferrite synthesized from oxide precursors by mechanical alloying were studied. The study of milling time effects on phase formation of milled materials showed that if milling continues up to 55 h, single phase nano-sized nickel-cobalt ferrite is obtained. Also, magnetic properties of powders versus milling time and annealing at different temperatures extensively changed, so that annealing at 1200 °C increased the magnetization saturation of the as-milled powder from 15.1 to 53.6 emu/g. X-ray powder diffraction technique (XRD) with Cu-Ka radiation was employed for phase identification. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were also used to determine the morphology and size of the particles. The magnetic properties were measured by a vibration sample magnetometer (VSM).     

Electromagnetic properties and microwave absorption properties of BaTiO3-carbonyl iron composite in S and C bands

BaTiO₃ powders are prepared by sol-gel method. The carbonyl iron powder is prepared via thermal decomposition of iron pentacarbonyl. Then BaTiO₃-carbonyl iron composite with different mixture ratios was prepared using the as-prepared material. The structure, morphology, and properties of the composites are characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and a network analyzer. The complex permittivity and reflection loss of the composites have been measured at different microwave frequencies in S- and C-bands employing vector network analyzer model PNA 3629D vector. The effect of the mass ratio of BaTiO₃/carbonyl iron on the microwave loss properties of the composites is investigated. A possible microwave absorbing mechanism of BaTiO₃-carbonyl iron composite has been proposed. The BaTiO₃-carbonyl iron composite can find applications in suppression of electromagnetic interference, and reduction of radar signature.     

Evolution of structure, microstructure and hyperfine properties of nanocrystalline Fe50Co50 powders prepared by mechanical alloying

Nanostructured Fe₅₀Co₅₀ powders were prepared by mechanical alloying of Fe and Co elements in a vario-planetary high-energy ball mill. The structural properties, morphology changes and local iron environment variations were investigated as a function of milling time (in the 0-200 h range) by means of X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray analysis and ⁵⁷Fe Mössbauer spectroscopy. The complete formation of bcc Fe₅₀Co₅₀ solid solution is observed after 100 h milling. As the milling time increases from 0 to 200 h, the lattice parameter decreases from 0.28655 nm for pure Fe to 0.28523 nm, the grain size decreases from 150 to 14 nm, while the meal level of strain increases from 0.0069% to 1.36%. The powder particle morphology at different stages of formation was observed by SEM. The parameters derived from the Mössbauer spectra confirm the beginning of the formation of Fe₅₀Co₅₀ phase at 43 h of milling. After 200 h of milling the average hyperfine magnetic field of 35 T suggests that a disordered bcc Fe-Co solid solution is formed.     

Composition dependence of microstructure,magnetic and microwave properties in ball-milled FeSiB nanocrystalline flakes

The soft magnetic nanocrystalline/amorphous FeSiB flakes were fabricated by the ball-milling method and evaluations were made of the composition, microstructure, magnetic and microwave properties in the milling process. An investigation of the relationship between microstructure and magnetic/microwave properties showed that the electromagnetic characteristics were attributed to the changes of nanograin size, crystal and amorphous content corresponding to the composition variation. The replacing of Fe atoms by Si in α-Fe crystal caused the decrease of grain size, saturation magnetization and coercivity, while B content devoted to amorphous phase and decreased the permittivity. Consequently, it was observed that the optimum composition for microwave performance is Fe₈₂Si₅B₁₃.     

Effects of laser shock processing on 00Cr12 mechanical properties in the temperature range from 25 °C to 600 °C

Laser shock processing was performed on 00Cr12 standard tensile specimens to reveal its effect on fatigue properties. Mechanical properties of the specimens were tested at the temperatures of 25 °C, 400 °C, 500 °C and 600 °C respectively. The correlations between the fatigue times and the axial strain at different temperatures were explored. The results indicate that the anti-fatigue life of material is enhanced greatly at the room temperature after laser shock processing in which residual compressive stress is mechanically produced into the surface. The yield strength and the elasticity coefficient of 00Cr12 specimens are enhanced greatly after laser shock processing; the cycle times are obviously longer at the elevated temperature, and the laser-shocked samples exhibit lower plastic strain amplitudes compared with the non-treated ones.     

Magnetic and structural properties of magnetoresistive FexAu100−x alloys produced by mechanical alloying

Fe_xAu_100−x alloys have been produced for the first time by mechanical alloying. X-ray diffractograms show FCC peaks. From the X-ray diffracion peak-widths we estimate the final grain size, which vary with x from 112 nm (for x=15) to 32 nm (for x=30). Lattice parameter decreases with concentration (minimum 0.401 nm at x=30), but above Vegard's law values. Susceptibility measurements show cluster-glass behaviour. Critical temperatures are consistently lower than similar alloys produced by arc melting followed by fast quenching. A magnetic phase diagram is presented. Giant magnetoresistance is present in all samples, with a maximum at x=25. This effect is caused by the dispersion of small iron clusters produced by the mechanical work.     

Porosity, mechanical properties, residual stresses of supersonic plasma-sprayed Ni-based alloy coatings prepared at different powder feed rates

The aim of this paper was to investigate the effect of powder feed rate (PFR) on the microstructure and mechanical properties of the supersonic plasma-sprayed Ni-Cr-B-Si-C coatings. The microstructure, porosity and mechanical properties of the coatings and the residual stresses at the coating surfaces were experimentally determined. Results showed that the variations of porosity, elastic moduli and micro-hardness of the coatings followed Weibull distribution. From the statistical trend, the porosity of the coating increased with increasing PFR. However, the elastic modulus and the micro-hardness of the coating decreased and reached local minima and then increased with increasing PFR. Elastic modulus could be generally considered to be an increasing function of micro-hardness. The mean value of the elastic modulus of the coating calculated from Weibull plot was almost proportional to the square root of the mean value of the micro-hardness of the coating. Moreover, with increasing PFR, the residual stress at the coating surface, which was mainly governed by the elastic modulus of the coating, decreased to a local minimum and then increased.     

Hyperfine interactions, structure and magnetic properties of nanocrystalline Co–Fe–Ni alloys prepared by mechanical alloying

Mechanical alloying method was used to prepare nanocrystalline Co₅₀Fe₄₀Ni₁₀, Co₅₂Fe₂₆Ni₂₂ and Co₆₅Fe₂₃Ni₁₂ alloys. X-ray diffraction proved that during milling Co–Fe-based solid solution with b.c.c. lattice was formed in the case of Co₅₀Fe₄₀Ni₁₀, while for Co₅₂Fe₂₆Ni₂₂ and Co₆₅Fe₂₃Ni₁₂ compositions Co–Ni-based solid solutions with f.c.c. lattice were obtained. Mössbauer spectroscopy revealed similar values of the average hyperfine magnetic fields for all alloys, e.g. 32.17, 32.24 and 31.21 T for Co₅₀Fe₄₀Ni₁₀, Co₅₂Fe₂₆Ni₂₂ and Co₆₅Fe₂₃Ni₁₂ alloys, respectively. Magnetization measurements allowed to determine the effective magnetic moment, Curie temperature, saturation magnetization and coercive field for the obtained alloys.     

Structural and magnetic properties of Co2CrAl Heusler alloys prepared by mechanical alloying

Mechanical alloying has been used to produce nanocrystalline samples of Co₂CrAl Heusler alloys. The samples were characterized by using different methods. The results indicate that, it is possible to produce L2₁-Co₂CrAl powders after 15 h of ball-milling. The grain size of 15 h ball milled L2₁-Co₂CrAl Heusler phase, calculated by analyzing the XRD peak broadening using Williamson and Hall approach was 14 nm. The estimated magnetic moment per formula unit is ∼2 μ_B. The obtained magnetic moment is significantly smaller than the theoretical value of 2.96 μ_B for L2₁ structure. It seems that an atomic disorder from the crystalline L2₁-type ordered state and two-phase separation depresses the ferromagnetic ordering in alloy. Also, the effect of annealing on the structural and magnetic properties of ball milled powders was investigated. Two structures were identified for annealed sample, namely L2₁ and B2. The obtained value for magnetic moment of annealed sample is smaller than the as-milled sample due to the presence of disordered B2 phase and improvement of phase separation.