Superior core-shell Fe-Al magnetic abrasive prepared by controlled pack cementation

B Cheng and Y Wang and Y Zhao and XJ Zhang and RR Chen and JJ Li and GD Liang and YH Zheng and Q Song and U Seniuts and M Belotsrkovsky and HM Zhai and WS Li, JOURNAL OF ALLOYS AND COMPOUNDS, 1020, 179250 (2025).

DOI: 10.1016/j.jallcom.2025.179250

The processing accuracy of magnetic abrasive finishing (MAF) highly depends on the performance of abrasives. Achieving abrasives with uniform morphology, stable phase composition, high hardness, and good magnetic property remains a challenge for high precision MAF. In this paper, a novel core-shell structured abrasive with secondary bulges, high hardness, excellent magnetic property was designed and prepared by pack cementation method. The shell layer is composed of FeAl/Fe2Al5, FeAl/Fe3Al/Fe2Al5, and nearly pure Fe3Al with pack cementation temperature varying at 670 degrees C, 770 degrees C and 870 degrees C, respectively. The nano hardness and saturation magnetization reached 12.56 GPa and 203.13 emu/g at 770 degrees C. The surface roughness of the processed zirconium alloy tube decreased from the initial value of 0.361 mu m to 0.085 mu m using the new core shell abrasive, compared to 0.131 mu m with the traditional sintering abrasive), with a precision improvement of 75 %. The hollow and bugle defects introduced during the pre-sequence cold processing process was perfectly eliminated attribute to the excellent overall performance (morphology, hardness, and magnetic property). Additionally, the forming mechanism of the Fe-Al shell was analyzed in depth through molecular dynamics simulations. This coreshell structured abrasive can be employed in MAF field for the precision or ultra-precision machining.

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