RAPIDLY SOLIDIFIED SI-FE ALLOYS

Si-Fe ribbons produced by the chill-block melt-spinning method, with silicon contents of 5.59 and 6.06 wt%, were annealed at temperatures between 1000 and 1215° C, in vacuum, 5.33 to 13.13 Pa. During annealing for 1 h abnormal grain growth was observed to occur, with modification of the as-cast texture. Two main texture components were identified: a(100)[0kl] texture as the main texture component at all temperatures; and the (421)[-5 84] or a combination of (421) [-584] and (321) [-563] as the second component. The growth of the two main components is affected by the annealing temperature and the annealing time. d.c. coercivity and core loss are significantly reduced by annealing with minimum values being obtained for a 6.06 wt% Si ribbon annealed at 1085° C for 1 h. © 1990 Chapman and Hall Ltd.