INVESTIGATION OF OPTIMIZED PROCESS PARAMETERS ON DENSIFICATION OF SAMARIUM COBALT 2:17 SERIES (SM2CO17) MAGNETS

Samarium Cobalt 2:17 series (Sm2Co17) magnet is prepared by powder metallurgy technique. Different parameters for sintering and heat treatment process such as sintering time, temperature, furnace atmosphere and heating rate were tested in order to achieve the highest density for Samarium Cobalt 2:17 series that could be obtained. To analyze and evaluate the microstructure and particle size of fabricated magnets, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) tests were used. Results show that sintering temperatures and furnace atmosphere are among the most important parameters that affecting on the density of the samples and consequently the magnetic properties. It is showed that the highest density of 7.98 g/cm3 (%95 of theoretical density) has been obtained from initial particles with the size of 3 to 6 µm and sintering temperature of 11950C with a rate of 17˚C/min for 1 hr in vacuum condition.