Strip Casting of Sm[sub.2]TM[sub.17]-Type Alloys for Production of the Metastable SmTM[sub.7] Phase

Conventional book casting of Sm[sub.2]TM[sub.17]-type alloys (where TM = Co, Fe, Cu, Zr) leads to a coarse, highly segregated microstructure, predominantly due to the slow, variable cooling rate from the mould surface towards the centre of the ingot. These cast alloys require a long homogenisation treatment to remove this segregation and develop a super-saturated, metastable SmTM[sub.7]-type hexagonal phase. This SmTM[sub.7] phase is a vital precursor phase required during magnet production to develop the complex cellular structure responsible for high magnetic properties. In this work, strip casting was employed to facilitate rapid solidification to develop thin flakes (