The Magnetocrystalline Anisotropy Constants of Iron and Iron-silicon Alloys

The magnetocrystalline anisotropy constants k 1 , k 2 and k 3 of iron and of alloys of 1.75, 2.46, 3.56 and 4.59 weight per cent silicon in iron have been measured in the temperature range 4.2-295 K. The measurements have been performed on spherical samples. The field dependence of the anisotropy constants K n ( n = 1,2,...) determined from torque curves is described by K n = k n - μ 0 M n H i,M , n = 1, 2 .... where M n are the direction dependent parts of the magnetization, and H i,M is the component of the field inside the sample along the direction of magnetization. The magnetocrystalline anisotropy constants k n are obtained by extrapolation to zero internal field. The anisotropy of magnetization is reported with values of M 1 and M 2 .