Stock material or miscellaneous articles – Coated or structually defined flake – particle – cell – strand,... – Particulate matter
Patent
1996-10-11
1998-08-25
Sheehan, John
Stock material or miscellaneous articles
Coated or structually defined flake, particle, cell, strand,...
Particulate matter
148104, 148105, 427127, B22B 516
Patent
active
057981779
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
This invention relates to a method of heat-treating iron powders. More particularly, the invention relates to a method in which iron composites are moulded and pressed. The pressed components are then heat treated. The method is particularly useful to make magnetic core components having improved soft magnetic properties.
Iron-based particles have long been used as a base material in the manufacture of structural components by powder metallurgical methods. The iron-based particles are first moulded in a die under high pressures in order to produce the desired shape. After the moulding step, the structural component usually undergoes a sintering step to impart the necessary strength to the component.
Magnetic core components have also been manufactured by such power metallurgical methods, but the iron-based particles used in these methods are generally coated with a circumferential layer of insulating material.
Two key characteristics of an iron core component are its magnetic permeability and core loss characteristics. The magnetic permeability of a material is an indication of its ability to become magnetized or its ability to carry a magnetic flux. Permeability is defined as the ratio of the induced magnetic flux to the magnetising force or field intensity. When a magnetic material is exposed to a rapidly varying field, the total energy of the core is reduced by the occurrence of hysteresis losses and/or eddy current losses. The hysteresis loss is brought about by the necessary expenditure of energy to overcome the retained magnetic forces within the iron core component. The eddy current loss is brought about by the production of electric currents in the iron core component due to the changing flux caused by alternating current (AC) conditions.
Magnetic core components are made from laminated sheet steel, but these components are difficult to manufacture to net shape for small intricate parts and experience large core losses at higher frequencies. Application of these lamination-based cores is also limited by the necessity to carry magnetic flux only in the plane of the sheet in order to avoid excessive eddy current losses. Sintered metal powders have been used to replace the laminated steel as the material for the magnetic core component, but these sintered parts also have high core losses and are restricted primarily to direct current (DC) operations.
Research in the powder metallurgical manufacture of magnetic core components using coated iron-based powders has been directed to the development of iron powder compositions that enhance certain physical and magnetic properties without detrimentally affecting other properties. Desired properties include a high permeability through an extended frequency range, high pressed strength, low core losses and suitability for compression moulding techniques.
When moulding a core component for AC power applications, it is generally required that the iron particles have an electrically insulating coating to decrease core losses. The use of plastic coating (see U.S. Pat. No. 3,935,340 to Yamaguchi) and the use of doubly-coated iron particles (see U.S. Pat. No. 4,601,765 to Soileau et al) have been employed to insulate the iron particles and therefore reduce eddy current losses. However, these powder compositions require a high level of binder, resulting in decreased density of the pressed core part and, consequently, a decrease in permeability. Moreover, although the strength of pressed parts made from such powder compositions would generally be increased by sintering, the desired end-utility of the parts precludes such a processing step: the elevated temperatures at which sintering of the core metal particles normally occurs would degrade the insulating material and generally destroy the insulation between individual particles by forming metallurgical bonds.
In brief the present invention provides a method of making a component having improved magnetic properties by compacting or die-pressing a powder composition of insulated particles of an atomized or sponge iron
REFERENCES:
patent: 4155748 (1979-05-01), Steck et al.
patent: 4165232 (1979-08-01), Jaeckh et al.
patent: 4295879 (1981-10-01), Steck et al.
patent: 4344791 (1982-08-01), Steck et al.
patent: 4601765 (1986-07-01), Soileau et al.
Hoganas AB
Sheehan John
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