Magnetic Properties of New High Coercivity Cu-Mn-Sb Alloys

Abstract

Magnetic properties of Cu-Mn-Sb alloys containing 4.98∼59.80% of Mn and 10.03∼79.71% of Sb have been measured. It has been found that the alloys consisting of about 17∼40%Mn, 10∼54%Sb and 9∼65%Cu show high coercive forces when tempered at 150°∼650°C after chill casting and the alloy consisting of 22.04%Mn, 33.00%Sb and the rest Cu exhibits the highest coercive force, _IH_C, of 2000 Oe and a residual intensity of magnetization, I_r, of 12 G. Further it has been determined by means of electron microscopic observation and X-ray analysis that these alloys of high coercive force contain many acicular fine particles of ferrimagnetic compound Mn₂Sb dispersed in the matrices of nonmagnetic compound CuMnSb and nonmagnetic α_Cu phase. The high coercivity of these alloys is probably caused by the anisotropy energy of these small particles composed of a single magnetic domain.