Magnetostrictive Fe-Ga Wires with Fiber Texture

Recently, low-cost processing approaches that produce textured thin bodies have engendered interest as cost-effective approaches for fabrication of magnetostrictive Fe-Ga alloys. In particular, wire-forming methods that strictly control the solidification direction could lead to some measure of crystallographic texture control. This is critical for development of large magnetostriction in polycrystals and for use of the alloys in actuators, sensors, energy harvesters and other systems. Magnetostrictive Fe-Ga wires have been prepared using an innovative cost-effective approach – based on the Taylor wire method – that combines rapid solidification and deformation processes. The procedure for making magnetostrictive wires is discussed and the wires are evaluated in terms of microstructure, crystallographic texture and magnetostriction. Results show that the Taylor-based approach is an effective and versatile means to draw 1-3 mm diameter textured Fe-Ga wire. Experimentation on the influence of drawing technique and quench conditions on texture development resulted with production of a strong <100> fiber texture in the Fe-Ga wire. Magnetostriction measurements, in the absence of prestress, indicated a maximum magnetostriction of ˜165 ppm in a saturation field of less than 200 mTesla. This is considered a significant strain for bulk polycrystalline Fe-Ga alloys without a pre-stress or a stress-annealing treatment. The unique properties of wires made with the Taylor-based approach coupled with the low intrinsic cost make this an attractive approach for production of textured magnetostrictive wire for a variety of applications.