Grain Size Reduction and Magnetic Property of Fe-Pd-Rh Alloys

Fe-30Pd-2Rh (at%) ferromagnetic shape memory (FSM) alloys were forged to a 40-45% reduction in thickness and thermally annealed at 950degC-1000degC for various times to generate recrystallization. The grain size reduction was observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Investigation with a vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) revealed that in the strain-forged sample, complete recrystallization contributed high saturated magnetization as well as high magnetic anisotropy. The high magnetic anisotropy improves the magnetostriction of the alloys, which may be useful in magneto-mechanical applications.