Magnetic and mechanical properties of amorphous Fe-Y alloys

The magnetic and mechanical properties of amorphous Fe_100−xY_x alloys (20 ≤ x ≤ 60) fabricated by rapid quenching have been measured. The dependence of the density, Young's modulus and magnetic moment per Fe atom on x shows a break point between x = 30 and 40, accompanied by a drastic change in the X-ray diffraction pattern. The spontaneous volume magnetostriction as well as the forced volume magnetostriction are a maximum at x = 20 and decrease rapidly with increasing x. The variation of the magnetic and mechanical properties with x is explained by a change of the local atomic arrangement in the amorphous state, reflecting the structure of corresponding crystalline compounds.