Magnetic Properties of Fe-49Co-2V Alloy and Pure Fe at Room and Elevated Temperatures

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has a need for soft magnetic materials for fission power and ion propulsion systems. In this work the magnetic properties of the soft magnetic materials Hiperco 50 (Fe-49wt%Cr-2V) and CMI-C (commercially pure magnetic iron) were examined at various temperatures up to 600 C. Toroidal Hiperco 50 samples were made from stacks of 0.35 mm thick sheet, toroidal CMI-C specimens were machined out of solid bar stock, and both were heat treated prior to testing. The magnetic properties of a Hiperco 50 sample were measured at various temperatures up to 600 C and then again after returning to room temperature; the magnetic properties of CMI-C were tested at temperatures up to 400 C. For Hiperco 50 coercivity decreased as temperature increased, and remained low upon returning to room temperature; maximum permeability improved (increased) with increasing temperature and was dramatically improved upon returning to room temperature; remanence was not significantly affected by temperature; flux density at H = 0.1 kA/m increased slightly with increasing temperature, and was about 20% higher upon returning to room temperature; flux density at H = 0.5 kA/m was insensitive to temperature. It appears that the properties of Hiperco 50 improved with increasing temperature due to grain growth. There was no significant magnetic property difference between annealed and aged CMI-C iron material; permeability tended to decrease with increasing temperature; the approximate decline in the permeability at 400 C compared to room temperature was 30%; saturation flux density, B(sub S), was approximately equal for all temperatures below 400 C; B(sub S) was lower at 400 C.