Abstract: Disclosed is a permanent magnet motor consisting of a rotor which is a multi polar-magnetized cylindrical permanent magnet such as a neodymium/iron/boron magnet, and a stator having a plurality of stator teeth. Different from conventional but expensive multi-radial orientation of the magnetic anisotropy, the cylindrical permanent magnet has a direction of orientation along a single diameter of the cylinder that is perpendicular to the cylinder axis when a definite relationship is held between the number of the multipolar magnetic poles and the number of the stator teeth. Even when using such a simple and inexpensive cylindrical permanent magnet as the rotor, high performance of the permanent magnet motor can be ensured with regard to a large induced voltage and small torque ripples.

Abstract: A rare-earth alloy ingot is produced by melting an alloy composed of 20-30 wt % of a rare-earth constituent which is Sm alone or at least 50 wt % Sm in combination with at least one other rare-earth element, 10-45 wt % of Fe, 1-10 wt % of Cu and 0.5-5 wt % of Zr, with the balance being Co, and quenching the molten alloy in a strip casting process. The strip-cast alloy ingot has a content of 1-200 &mgr;m size equiaxed crystal grains of at least 20 vol % and a thickness of 0.05-3 mm. Rare-earth sintered magnets made from such alloys exhibit excellent magnetic properties and can be manufactured under a broad optimal temperature range during sintering and solution treatment.

Abstract: A sintered rare earth magnet consisting essentially of 20-30% by weight of R (wherein R is Sm or a mixture of Sm and another rare earth element), 10-45% by weight of Fe, 1-10% by weight of Cu, 0.5-5% by weight of Zr, and the balance of Co has on its surface a composite layer containing Sm2O3 and/or CoFe2O4 in Co or Co and Fe. The magnet is resistant to hydrogen embrittlement.

Abstract: An R—Fe—B permanent magnet wherein R is Nd or a combination of Nd with a rare earth element is prepared by casting an R—Fe—B alloy, crushing the alloy in an oxygen-free atmosphere of argon, nitrogen or vacuum, effecting comminution, compaction, sintering, aging, and cutting and/or polishing the magnet to give a finished surface. The magnet is then heat treated in an argon, nitrogen or low-pressure vacuum atmosphere having a limited oxygen partial pressure, obtaining a highly oil resistant sintered permanent magnet having corrosion resistance and hydrogen barrier property even in a high pressure hot environment of refrigerant and/or lubricant as encountered in compressors.

Abstract: Disclosed is a thin alloy ribbon prepared by the strip casting method as an intermediate for the preparation of a sintered rare earth-based permanent magnet or, in particular, a neodymium/iron/boron-type permanent magnet. The thin alloy ribbon is characterized by a specific volume fraction of the four-phase coexisting region consisting of the &agr;-iron phase, R-rich phase, RxT4B4 phase and R2T14B phase each having an average grain diameter in a specified range and a specific volume fraction of the chill crystalline phase. When these requirements are satisfied, the sintered rare earth-based permanent magnet prepared from the thin alloy ribbons can be imparted with improved magnetic properties and high sintering density even without increasing the sintering temperature.

Abstract: A R—Fe—B base permanent magnet material is composed of a R—Fe—B magnet alloy which contains 87.5-97.5 vol % of a Fe14R2B1 primary phase and 0.1-3 vol % of a rare earth oxide or a rare earth and transition metal oxide. The alloy contains as a major component in its metal structure a compound selected from among zirconium-boron compounds, niobium-boron compounds and hafnium-boron compounds. The compound has an average grain size of at most 5 &mgr;m and is uniformly distributed within the alloy such that the maximum interval between neighboring grains of the compound is at most 50 &mgr;m. Rare-earth permanent magnet materials of this composition and structure have excellent magnetic properties.

Abstract: Disclosed is a novel thin ribbon of a rare earth/iron/boron-based magnet alloy prepared by quenching of an alloy melt by the method of strip casting, from which a sintered permanent magnet is obtained by the powder metallurgical method.

Abstract: Disclosed is a thin alloy ribbon prepared by the strip casting method as an intermediate for the preparation of a sintered rare earth-based permanent magnet or in particular, a neodymium/iron/boron-type permanent magnet. The thin alloy ribbon is characterized by a specific volume fraction of the four-phase coexisting region consisting of the &agr;-iron phase, R-rich phase, RxT4B4 phase and R2T14B phase each having an average grain diameter in a specified range and a specific volume fraction of the chill crystalline phase. When these requirements are satisfied, the sintered rare earth-based permanent magnet prepared from the thin alloy ribbons can be imparted with improved magnetic properties and high sintering density even without increasing the sintering temperature.

Abstract: Disclosed is a novel thin ribbon of a rare earth/iron/boron-based magnet alloy prepared by quenching of an alloy melt by the method of strip casting, from which a sintered permanent magnet is obtained by the powder metallurgical method.

Abstract: Disclosed is a rare earth/iron/boron-based permanent magnet alloy composition capable of giving, by a powder metallurgical process, a permanent magnet having excellent coercive force and residual magnetization as well as good squareness ratio of the hysteresis loop. The magnet alloy composition consists of: (a) from 28 to 35% by weight of a rare earth element selected from the group consisting of neodymium, praseodymium, dysprosium, terbium and holmium; (b) from 0.1 to 3.6% by weight of cobalt; (c) from 0.9 to 1.3% by weight of boron; (d) from 0.05 to 1.0% by weight of aluminum; (e) from 0.02 to 0.25% by weight of copper; (f) from 0.02 to 0.3% by weight of zirconium or chromium; (g) from 0.03 to 0.1% by weight of carbon; (h) from 0.1 to 0.8% by weight of oxygen; (i) from 0.002 to 0.2% by weight of nitrogen; and (j) the balance to 100% by weight of iron and unavoidable impurity elements.

Abstract: Disclosed is a permanent magnet motor consisting of a rotor which is a multi polar-magnetized cylindrical permanent magnet such as a neodymium/iron/boron magnet, and a stator having a plurality of stator teeth. Different from conventional but expensive multi-radial orientation of the magnetic anisotropy, the cylindrical permanent magnet has a direction of orientation along a single diameter of the cylinder that is perpendicular to the cylinder axis when a definite relationship is held between the number of the multipolar magnetic poles and the number of the stator teeth. Even when using such a simple and inexpensive cylindrical permanent magnet as the rotor, high performance of the permanent magnet motor can be ensured with regard to a large induced voltage and small torque ripples.

Abstract: A neodymium/iron/boron permanent magnet is provided with high corrosion resistance by forming a coating layer of a vitrified sodium silicate on the surface. The vitreous coating layer of sodium silicate is formed by coating the surface of the permanent magnet with an aqueous coating solution of water glass followed by drying of the coating layer and vitrification of the dried coating layer by a heat treatment under specified conditions. Characteristically, the thus formed vitreous coating layer of sodium silicate is subjected to a leaching treatment with water at a specified temperature for a specified length of time in order to remove away residual sodium content leachable in water so that the troubles due to absorption of moisture by the alkali constituent in the sodium silicate coating layer can be largely dissolved.

Abstract: An improvement is proposed in the powder metallurgical method for the preparation of a rare earth-based permanent magnet comprising the steps of compression-molding a magnet alloy powder into a powder compact and sintering the powder compact into a sintered magnet body. The improvement, which has an effect of increasing the density of the sintered body and consequently increased magnetic properties of the magnet product, comprises conducting the sintering heat treatment in two steps consisting of a first partial sintering treatment in vacuum or under a subatmospheric pressure of an inert gas immediately followed by a second partial sintering treatment under a normal to superatmospheric pressure of, for example, up to 20 atmospheres.

Abstract: A rare earth-iron-boron permanent magnet such as neodymium—iron—boron permanent magnet can be imparted with high corrosion resistance by forming a corrosion-resistant coating layer on the surface comprising an alkali silicate, e.g., sodium silicate or lithium silicate, and a thermosetting resin such as melamine, epoxy and acrylic resins in uniform admixture.

Abstract: Disclosed is a rare earth-based, magnetically anisotropic permanent magnet material consisting of a rare earth element, e.g., neodymium or praseodymium, iron optional in combination with cobalt and boron and having excellent magnetic properties by virtue of the magnetic coupling between the magnetically hard and soft phases. The magnet material has a structure consisting of crystalline particles of, e.g., Nd.sub.2 Fe.sub.14 B, having a particle diameter of 1 .mu.m or larger and fine crystals of iron of submicron size in a rod-shaped or platelet form precipitated within each crystalline particle of Nd.sub.2 Fe.sub.14 B. This magnet material can be prepared by several different methods including, for example, a solid phase reaction of an intermetallic compound of Nd.sub.2 Fe.sub.17 with boron to effect a double decomposition reaction producing Nd.sub.2 Fe.sub.14 B and iron.

Abstract: Proposed is a cutting wheel bladed on the outer periphery of a base wheel with abrasive particles, e.g., particles of diamond and cubic boron nitride, suitable for cutting of a hard and brittle material such as a sintered block of a rare earth-based magnet alloy with good cutting accuracy and low material loss by cutting. The cutting wheel is an integral disk body consisting of a base wheel of a relatively small thickness made from a cemented metal carbide, e.g., tungsten carbide particles cemented with metallic cobalt, instead of conventional steel materials and a cutting blade formed on the outer periphery of the base wheel which contains from 10 to 80% by volume of the abrasive particles having a specified average particle diameter.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method for the preparation of a novel composite rare earth-based magnetically anisotropic sintered permanent magnet in which: (a) a base alloy consisting of a host phase of R.sub.2 T.sub.14 B (R: a rare earth element; T: iron or a combination of iron and cobalt) having a particle diameter of 2 to 10 .mu.m and containing in each particle a phase rich in the content of T and having a particle diameter not exceeding 1 .mu.m is prepared by the strip casting method; (b) the base alloy is crushed; (c) the base alloy powder is blended in a specified proportion with a powder of an auxiliary alloy of R-T or R-T-B in a specified proportion; (d) the powder blend is subjected to further comminution; (e) the comminuted powder blend is subjected to compression-molding in a magnetic field into a powder compact; and (f) the powder compact is sintered by a heat treatment.

Abstract: A rare earth-based permanent magnet such as a neodymium-iron-boron permanent magnet, which is disadvantageous in respect of the low corrosion resistance, can be imparted with high corrosion resistance by providing the surface with a protective coating film of vitrified alkali metal silicate, e.g., sodium silicate, of which the SiO.sub.2 :(alkali metal oxide) molar ratio is in the range from 1.5 to 20. The vitrified alkali metal silicate-based protective coating film can be formed by coating the surface of the magnet with an aqueous coating solution containing sodium silicate to form a coating layer which is dried and subjected to a heat treatment at 50.degree. to 450.degree. C. to effect vitrification of the alkali metal silicate. The thickness of the thus formed protective coating film should be in the range from 5 nm to 10 .mu.m.

Abstract: Disclosed is a novel method for the preparation of a rare earth-based permanent magnet by the so-called two-alloy process in which powders of two kinds of rare earth-containing magnetic alloys each having a different composition from the other are blended together in a specified proportion and the powder blend is shaped in a magnetic field into a green body which is sintered. In the invention, the first magnetic alloy has a composition of the formula R.sub.2 T.sub.14 B, in which R is a rare earth element selected from the group consisting of neodymium, praseodymium, dysprosium and terbium and T is iron or a combination of iron and cobalt, while the second alloy has a composition of the formula R.sub.a Fe.sub.b Co.sub.c B.sub.d M.sub.

Abstract: Corrosion-resistant rare earth magnets and a method for their manufacture, said magnets containing at least one rare earth element in an amount of 5 to 40 weight %, Fe in an amount of 50 to 90 weight %, Co in an amount of 0 to 15 wt %, B in an amount of 0.2 to 8 weight %, and at least one additive selected from Ni, Nb, Al, Ti, Zr, Cr, V, Mn, Mo, Si, Sn, Ga, Cu, and Zn in an amount of 0 to 8 weight %. The method comprises the steps of: (i) pretreating the surfaces of the magnet after sintering it; (ii) activating the surfaces thereof; and (iii) coating the surfaces thereof with at least one layer of Ni-containing film by electroplating. The activating may be carried out by treating the surfaces with a soap or a surface active agent. The activated surfaces may be subjected to ultrasonic vibrations in water to remove foreign substances before electroplating.