Explosive compaction of Magnequench Nd-Fe-B magnetic powders

Magnequench NdFeB powders having high and low rare earth contents were explosively compacted to obtain cylindrical magnets. The magnetic properties were found to be isotropic and were superior to conventionally consolidated isotropic magnets. The (BH)(max) was 14.7 MGOe and the remanence was 8.7 kG for the explosively compacted magnet with lower rare earth content. X-ray diffraction patterns confirm the explosively compacted magnet to be crystalline and the predominant phase to be the 2-14-1 phase. Transmission electron microscopy examination showed a microstructure to consist of 20-25 nm size equiaxed grains consistent with the magnetic measurements. (C) 1996 American Institute of Physics.