ABSTRACT
Structural and magnetic characterization of isotropic Mn-Al-C bulk samples obtained by spark plasma sintering (SPS) is reported. This technique, to the best of our knowledge, has not been used for preparation of Mn-Al-based permanent magnets previously. Transformation from the parent -phase to the ferromagnetic τ-phase occurred on heating in the process of sintering. The phase constitution of the melt-spun precursors and consolidated samples was determined by x-ray diffraction. Magnetic hysteresis loops were recorded using a vibrating sample magnetometer. The compositional dependence of the coercivity, magnetization and density of the sintered materials is analysed. To combine good magnetic properties with proper densification, further optimization of the production parameters is necessary.
Subject(s)
Alloys/chemistry , Aluminum/chemistry , Carbon/chemistry , Hardness , Magnets/chemistry , Manganese/chemistry , Plasma Gases/chemistry , Magnetic Phenomena , TemperatureABSTRACT
The local atomic structure of the glassy Al(92)U(8) alloy was modelled by the reverse Monte Carlo (RMC) method, fitting x-ray diffraction (XRD) and extended x-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) signals. The final structural model was analysed by means of partial pair correlation functions, coordination number distributions and Voronoi tessellation. In our study we found that the most probable atomic separations between Al-Al and U-Al pairs in the glassy Al(92)U(8) alloy are 2.7 Å and 3.1 Å with coordination numbers 11.7 and 17.1, respectively. The Voronoi analysis did not support evidence of the existence of well-defined building blocks directly embedded in the amorphous matrix. The dense-random-packing model seems to be adequate for describing the connection between solvent and solute atoms.
