Effect of wheel speed and boron content on microstructure and crystallographic texture of boron substituted Sm-Co melt spun ribbons

The Sm(Co0.7Fe0.1Cu0.12Zr0.04B0.03)(7.5) (2:17 type magnet) melt spun ribbons have been produced from bulk as cast samples at low (5 m/sec) to medium (40 m/sec) wheel speed by the melt spinning technique. The crystallographic texture on wheel side, the microstructural characteristics and magnetic properties have been investigated. The soft magnetic fcc-Co forms a very high degree of texture especially at low velocities but for the first time a degree of texturing has been remarked on fcc-Co grains. Diffraction patterns have been traced by x-ray scattering using Cu-K-alpha radiation on the wheel and free side of the ribbons. In the pattern of ribbons which have been produced at 5 m/sec the (002) plane of fcc-Co is almost the dominant peak while at 40 m/sec this peak diminishes in parallel to the appearance of the structure type TbCu7 and (111) plane of fcc-Co structure. Scanning electron microscopy on the wheel side of the ribbons has been used to observe microstructural characteristics and showed that the formation of texture is attributed to the appearance of dendrites, with their long axis parallel to the longitudinal direction of the ribbons. Dendrites' density depends on the wheel speed of the roller and boron content. It decreases as the velocity increases while for constant velocity of about 40 m/sec, higher boron content stabilizes higher degree of texturing. Magnetic properties are also examined from low to medium wheel speed by also using the magnetooptical Kerr microscopy. Therefore coercive field as high as 3.4 kOe and reduced remanence (m(r)) of similar to 0.76 has been detected from the hysteresis curve for as spun Sm(Co(0.7)1Fe(0.1)Cu(0.12)Zr(0.04)B(0.03))(7.5) ribbons at 5 m/sec.