Magnetic properties evolution and crystallization behaviour of vacuum- and air-long-term-annealed rapidly quenched Fe(80.3)Co(5)Cu(0.7)B(14) alloy

This work aims to investigate the isothermal crystallization behaviour, crystal structure and magnetic properties evolution of long-term (up to 300 h) low temperature (210 and 260 °C) vacuum- and air-annealed Fe(80.3)Co(5)Cu(0.7)B(14) alloy. Before the α-Fe(Co) phase crystallization, the primary relaxation process has been identified at a temperature range up to 340 °C. The relaxation process performed under 210 °C for 300 h did not initiate the crystallization process. However, the topological and compositional short-range rearrangements improved magnetic properties remarkably. Annealing 150 h at 260 °C helps to deliver enough energy to stabilize the glassy state and initiate the crystallization process fully. Structural and magnetic properties evolution of 150 h annealing at 260 °C corresponds to the evolution presented during isochronal 20 min annealing at 310 °C. Magnetic properties Bs = 1.75–1.79 T, Hc < 20 A/m and P(10/50) are similar to those for 20 min of annealing at 310 °C. Comparison of core power losses from up to 400 kHz frequency dependences of long-term low temperature annealed alloy with 20 min classical annealing at 310 °C shown that presented here long-term annealing is energetically insufficient to bring the glassy state system into the same low level of core power losses efficiency.