Aligned Solidification Structure of the MnBi Phase in Semisolidified Bi-Mn Alloy with a Static Magnetic Field

The solidification structure of Bi-3 wt pct Mn alloy grown up in the semisolid zone under the influence of a static magnetic field (up to 1.0 T) and the relation of the magnetic property with the solidification structure have been investigated experimentally. It was shown that the primary phase MnBi crystals in the alloy aligned and oriented along the direction of the applied magnetic field. The orientating tendency and the average length of the elongated MnBi crystals increased with the increase of the applied field and the solidification time. Moreover, the remanence of the alloy along the aligned direction of the MnBi phase in the case of solidification with a magnetic field was apparently anisotropic and nearly double of that without the magnetic field. This indicated that the MnBi crystals oriented and aligned along their easy magnetization axis. A model was proposed to explain the alignment and orientation growth of the MnBi crystals in a magnetic field in terms of the magnetic anisotropy of the crystals and the magnetic interaction between them.