Effect of die-upset level on the mechanical properties and microstructure of Nd-Fe-B magnets prepared by spark plasma sintering

The mechanical properties and microstructure of Nd-Fe-B magnets produced at various die-upset levels have been investigated. The results showed that the Vickers hardness and the fracture toughness of Nd-Fe-B magnets first increased, and then rapidly decreased with the increase in die-upset level. The optimum Vickers hardness and the fracture toughness were obtained at the die-upset level of 40%. The peak intensity of the (1 0 5) peak is the maximum value, the relative intensities of the (2 1 2), (2 1 4) and (3 1 4) peaks decline and the relative intensity of the (0 0 6) peak increases with the increase in die-upset level. The microstructures show that the variation in the size of small spherical grains is not obvious, and the volume fraction of small spherical grains declines gradually with the increase in die-upset level.