Structure and magnetostriction of the Fe85Ga15 wire

A new kind of magnetostrictive wire in Fe-Ga alloy was successfully prepared through process of hot forging and cold drawing. Microstructure and magnetostrictive properties were investigated in the as-drawn, water-quenched, and furnace-cooled states of the Fe-Ga wires. The magnetostriction value of 66 ppm was achieved in a low applied field of less than 80 Oe for the water-quenched Fe85Ga15 wire, three times that of the currently typical Fe-Ni magnetostrictive wires. X-ray diffraction patterns show small shoulders at the low angle sides of the main X-ray diffraction peaks. This might suggest the existence of Ga-Ga pairs in the matrix of A2 phase in the Fe-Ga alloys, resulting in a high magnetostriction for the water-quenched Fe-Ga wire.