Ultra-low cost and energy-efficient production of FePCSi amorphous alloys with pretreated molten iron from a blast furnace

Abstract Due to the high sensitivity of amorphous forming ability on purity, Fe-based amorphous alloys are always made with high-purity raw materials which are energy wasting for purification and expensive, thereby limiting their wider application. Here, we proposed an ultra-low cost and energy-efficient production process for Fe-based amorphous alloys, with pretreated molten iron from the blast furnace. Fex(P10C9Si1)5–0.05x (x = 76–82) amorphous alloys with excellent manufacturability and magnetic properties were successfully prepared with the new process. The impurities containing C, P, and Si in the molten iron from a blast furnace were used as useful components, while other minor impurities like Ti and Mn do not apparently affect the GFA and magnetic properties. Attractive magnetic properties, including low Hc of 3.1–5.1 A/m, high μe of 6.1–8.4 × 103 at 1 kHz, high Bs of 1.25–1.48 T were achieved in ribbon samples after optimal annealing. Rod samples with a diameter up to 1.5 mm were readily prepared and exhibit high strength of 3.37 GPa. The ultra-low cost, energy saving effects and excellent soft magnetic properties will render the production process a new generation for Fe-based amorphous alloys and widen the applications.