Production and characterization of 〈1 0 0〉 textured magnetostrictive Fe–Ga rods

Magnetostrictive rods of the approximate composition Fe82Ga18 have been produced with a preferred 〈1 0 0〉 axial crystallographic texture. Randomly oriented polycrystalline rods were cast by a suction extraction technique and a preferred 〈1 0 0〉 axial crystallographic texture was introduced through zone melting. Capacitance dilatometery showed that the as-cast rods and oriented zone-melted rods had saturation magnetostrictions of approximately 50 ppm and 100 ppm, respectively. Subsequent annealing of zone-melted rods resulted in a re-orientation of the axial crystallographic texture to a preferential 〈1 1 1〉 direction along with a corresponding reduction of the saturation magnetostriction.