
PROPERTIES
OF
MATERIALS
4-1
9
E
LOGARITHMIC
FREQUENCY
Fig.
3.
Variation of dissipation factor
with
frequency.
per square meter (Wb/m2), and
H
is in amperes per
meter (A/m).
The permeability of a magnetic material is
p=
BIH
=
p0
i-
J/H
It is, however, customary to use the relative permeabil-
ity,
p,,
defined by
P,.
=
p/po
=
1
i-
J/p&
The permeability of a ferromagnet (or ferrimagnet) is a
function of applied field, temperature, and frequency.
For electronic transformer and inductor applications
where a small field is impressed, the initial relative
permeability,
pj
(often measured at
B
=
4
mT), is the
most useful quantity. For power transformer applica-
tions, values at higher fields are more useful. Some-
times the value of the maximum relative permeability,
p,,,,
is quoted. This is a useful quantity for materials
exhibiting a square hysteresis loop ideal for amplifier-
type applications. Magnetic materials
are
classified as
soft or hard (permanent) depending on the value of
coercivity
H,,
which is the field strength required
to
reduce the flux density to zero after the material has
been magnetized. Soft magnets have values of
H,
less
than about
1
kAIm, and hard magnets have
H,
greater
than about
10
kA/m. Some applications such as reed
contacts make use of semihard magnets with
1
kA/m
<
H,
c
10
kA/m.
Soft
Magnetic Metals
Table
10
lists some typical commercial soft magnetic
metals generally used
in
low-frequency transformers
and inductors. They are often available as laminations,
cut cores, and tape-wound cores. The nickel-iron alloys
known as permalloys exhibit
the
highest initial relative
permeability and lowest coercivity.
The
most com-
monly used materials in this category are the 48-per-
cent nickel alloy with
pi
about
11
000
and the
80-
percent nickel-5-percent molybdenum alloy with
pi
about
80
000,
the latter being more expensive. The
nickel-iron alloys can also be processed
to
exhibit a
square hysteresis loop, useful for amplifier-type appli-
cations, or a skewed loop, useful for unipolar pulse
transformer designs. For common
50
Hz or 60
Hz
transformers used in the electrical utility industry, sili-
con steel is the most common material. Low-carbon
steels are very inexpensive and widely used in small
motors and generators. The cobalt-iron alloys, usually
known as permendur, have the highest values of satura-
tion polarization and Curie temperature and tend to be
used in high-performance, lightweight applications
such as airborne motors. Appearing on the market
recently is a new class of soft magnetic alloys called
amorphous magnets
or
metallic glasses. These materi-
als are rapidly solidified from the melt into thin tapes
such that the usual crystalline structure is absent. Some
amorphous magnets have been prepared to have prop-
erties similar to the silicon steels but with substantially
lower core losses, while others have been prepared with
properties similar to
the
best grades
of
the permalloys.
Permanent-Magnet Materials
Table
11
lists some typical permanent-magnet mate-
rials. The alnicos are brittle and hence can be used only
in cast or sintered form. The hexagonal ferrites are
oxides having the general formula M0.6Fq03, where
M is barium or strontium. The magnets are prepared by
ceramic techniques and are often called ceramic mag-
nets. Large numbers of low-cost ferrite magnets are
bonded in plastics and widely used in door catches,
wall magnets, refrigerator door gaskets, and toys.
In
recent years, a new class of high-performance
permanent magnets made of cobalt rare earths, particu-
larly those containing samarium, have been developed
commercially. These magnets have the highest combi-
nation of coercivity and maximum energy product
available on the market, with applications ranging
from tiny wristwatch and earphone magnets to horse-
power-size industrial dc and synchronous motors and
generators. Some are available in plastic bonded form.
An
emerging class of permanent-magnet alloys is
the iron chromes, containing iron, chromium, and
cobalt. These have magnetic properties similar to the
alnicos, but they are sufficiently ductile that they can
be cold-rolled to thin strips, drawn into fine wires, or
machined or punched into intricate shapes. They also
contain less cobalt than the alnicos.
Fer ri tes
“Ferrite” is the common term applied to a wide
range of different ceramic ferromagnetic materials.
Specifically, the term applies to those materials with
the spinel crystal structures having the general formula
XFe,O,, where
X
is any divalent metallic ion having
the proper ionic radius
to
fit in the spinel structure.
Several ceramic ferromagnetic materials have been
prepared that deviate stoichiometrically from the basic
formula XFe204, but common usage has included
them
in
the family of ferrite materials.
The behavior of the conductivity and permittivity of
ferrites can be understood by considering them as
grains (crystals) of fairly low-resistance material sepa-
rated by thin layers of a relatively poor conductor.
Therefore, the permittivity and conductivity show a