Structure and magnetic properties of mechanically alloyed iron silicocarbide Fe5SiC

The structure and magnetic properties of iron silicocarbide, which was produced by the mechanical alloying of a mixture (at. %) 70% Fe + 17% C + 13% Si and subsequent annealing of the resultant amorphous phase at 500 degrees C for 1 h have been studied. The Fe5SiC iron silicocarbide has an orthorhombic structure with lattice parameters a = 10.043, b = 7.944, and c = 7.469 angstrom. it is a ferromagnet with a Curie temperature T-C. = 515 degrees C. The coercive force and saturation magnetization of the compound are H-C = 32 kA/m and sigma(S) = 155 A m(2)/kg, respectively. Above 590 degrees C, the iron silicocarbide is decomposed with the formation of the Fe84Si16 alloy and graphite.