X-ray determination of alignment in FeNdB magnets

The preferred orientation or crystallographic alignment of several NdFeB magnets has been studied by x-ray diffraction. A simple diffraction geometry was used, corresponding to a single line section across a pole figure. The (006) reflection was found to be the most useful for this purpose. Some practical problems of sample preparation and reproducibility are discussed, and results are presented. As expected, the magnetic properties of the magnets improve with the degree of alignment, although the dependence is relatively weak. Extrapolation suggests that significant further increases in magnet properties could be achieved by better crystallographic alignment.