Effect of ball milling time on microstructure and magnetic properties of NdFeB/Al magnets fabricated by cold spraying
摘要
Isotropic NdFeB magnetic powder, prepared by the rapid quenching method, was mixed with Al powder at a mass ratio of 95 wt% to 5 wt%. The mixture was then ball-milled and deposited as NdFeB/Al magnets using low-pressure cold spray (LPCS) technology. The effects of ball milling time (0, 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 h) on the powder morphology, magnet microstructure, deposition rate, distribution of the two constituent powders, pore formation, and magnetic properties were investigated. The results indicate that the ball milling duration significantly influences the magnet’s microstructure and magnetic properties. Deviating from the optimal milling time (either too short or too long) adversely affects the deposition efficiency of the NdFeB powder, resulting in increased magnet porosity and consequently degraded magnetic properties. The powders ball-milled for 4–6 h exhibited a uniformly mixed Al–NdFeB composite powder, which contributed to a uniform composition distribution and the lowest porosity (6.9%) in the resulting magnets. Furthermore, the optimal ball milling time was determined to be 4 h, which resulted in the highest magnetic powder deposition rate (55.8 wt%) in the prepared magnet. This optimal condition facilitated the formation of a denser coating and enhanced the magnet’s hardness. The demagnetization curves revealed that the magnetic properties peaked at an optimal ball milling time of 4 h, achieving a remanence (Br) of 0.49 T, a coercivity (Hcj) of 602.07 kA/m, and a maximum magnetic energy product ((BH)max) of 37.42 kJ/m3.