Effect of pressure loading rate on the crystallographic texture of NdFeB nanocrystalline magnets

Plastic deformation of NdFeB nanocrystalline magnets has been performed at relatively low temperatures but high pressures compared to conventional hot deformation. The effect of deformation conditions on the crystallography texture of the anisotropic NdFeB magnets has been studied. It was observed that both deformation temperature and pressure loading rate significantly affect final crystallographic texture and thus magnetic properties. Energy product increases from 31 to 44 MGOe by simply reducing pressure loading rate from 300 MPa/min to 50 MPa/min. Microstructure observations confirm that better crystallographic texture has been obtained in the deformed magnets with a lower pressure loading rate. (C) 2012 American Institute of Physics. [doi: 10.1063/1.3675173]