Influences of growth rate on microstructures and magnetostrictive properties of Fe83Ga17 directional solidification alloys

In this paper, the influence of growth rates on the microstructure and magnetostrictive properties of Fe83Ga17 directional solidification alloys were investigated. The microstructure and magnetic properties of Fe83Ga17 as-cast and directional solidification samples were examined by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), electron backscattered diffraction (EBSD), optical microscopy (OM) and strain gauge method. The highest value of magnetostriciton (∼240 ppm) was found in the 30 mm/min growth rated sample. The increased magnetostriction is attribute to the formation of monoclinic Fe6Ga5 phase, endogenous grown columnar crystals and the larger Schmid Factor value.