SOFT-MAGNETIC PROPERTIES OF FE-B PREPARED BY MECHANICAL ALLOYING

Fe100-xBx(with x = 20, 25 and 50) samples were prepared by high energy ball milling. The phase distribution, thermal stability, saturation magnetization and coercive force of these samples were examined by means of X-ray diffraction, differential scanning calorimetry and vibrating sample and extraction magnetometries, respectively. An excellent soft magnetic behavior, characterized by coercive forces of the order of 2.5 x 10(-5) T, was detected in the case of the Fe50B50 samples milled during times from 150 up to 200 hours. This soft magnetic behavior was correlated to the presence of an amorphous phase in the as-milled sample with composition close to the nominal one.