Mechanical properties of (Nd,Dy)-Fe-B magnets sintered via cyclic sintering

Nd13Dy2Fe79B6 (at%) magnets were fabricated via cyclic sintering. The cyclic sintering of Nd-Fe-B powder yielded samples with densities greater than 98%. The bending strength and fracture toughness of the cyclic sintered specimens were 520 MPa and 6.16 MPa m(1/2), respectively, and the coercivity of the samples increased from 1666.8 kA/m to 1828.5 kA/m. Nd-rich phases may have effectively penetrated into the boundaries between neighboring Nd2Fe14B grains during the cyclic sintering process. The microstructures and shapes of the Nd-rich phases were effectively controlled, resulting in improved mechanical and magnetic properties. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.