Microstructure and mechanical properties of rapidly quenched Fe-6.5 wt.% Si alloy

Suction cast technique is employed for producing Fe-6.5 wt.% Si alloy, which is very brittle at room temperature due to the appearance of ordered phases. The master alloy was melted and then rapidly quenched into a set of copper molds to form rod or sheet. Microstructure, micro-hardness and X-ray diffraction analyses were carried out to investigate its unique properties in comparison with conventionally cast method. The rapidly quenched sheets were cold rolled to investigate the quenching effect on its rolling workability. Rapid quenching combined with cold rolling with a large reduction ratio is effective to produce cold rolled Fe-6.5 wt.% Si alloy sheet.