Growth kinetics in levitated and quenched Nd-Fe-B alloys

We investigated the growth kinetics and the effect of quenching conditions on rapid solidification of undercooled Nd-Fe-B melts with compositions near the Nd-/sub 2/-Fe/sub 14/-B (2-14-1) phase. We prepared melt drops of various undercooling levels (up to 300 K below the liquidus temperature) were prepared by the electromagnetic levitation method and subsequently quenched them onto chill substrates. We measured the solidification kinetics of the undercooled melts in situ using a high-resolution Si photodiode. In accordance with the nucleation theory, the properitectic /spl gamma/-Fe phase nucleates at first during the undercooling process. There were two different solidification routes, with the observed route depending on the undercooling level of the levitated melt prior to quenching. The peritectic reaction is favored in melts with high undercooling levels prior to quenching. Low previous undercooling levels lead to primary solidification of the 2-14-1 phase on quenching. The thickness of the homogeneous 2-14-1 phase zone, grown directly at the substrate side, depends strongly on the undercooling level prior to solidification. We estimated the growth velocity of the 2-14-1 phase from temperature-time-characteristics to be of the order of 1 mm/s. These investigations give rise to improved understanding about the high sensitivity of the microstructure of Nd-Fe-B alloys on different rapid solidification procedures.