Abstract
The room temperature magnetostriction of polycrystalline Fe100-xCrx alloys annealed at 800 degrees C was investigated as a function of Cr content varying from 10 to 30 at.% Cr. All alloys exhibited a single bcc alpha-Fe-Cr phase with a disordered A2 structure. With increasing Cr concentration, the grain shape became very elongated. The greatest total magnetostriction value of 70 x 10(-6) was obtained in the direction of the elongated grains for 30% of Cr. We also investigated the effect of B addition on the magnetostriction and structural properties of the alloy Fe80Cr20. Although the addition of B was expected to form the Fe2B phase, the B-added Fe-Cr alloy forms a ternary phase (FezCr1-z)(2)B (0 < z < 0.55), a weak magnetic phase.