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Q. I am looking for steel grade which could retain fairly good amount of ferromagnetism (residual magnetic field). I am looking to magnetize that steel with an electromagnet and want that steel to retain magnetism after the driving source is removed. Usually, screw drivers are made of such steel and we can pick-up small objects (pins e.g.) with them. But I don't know which grade of steel that is, or if there is some other grade with high magnetic properties? I will be thankful for any help.
Regards,
Arfan Ali
- Ringwood, Hampshire, United Kingdom
A. Surely it is more difficult to find a steel that will not retain its magnetism. Virtually all steels, with the exception of some high alloy and stainless steels will retain their magnetism. To prevent them going rusty you may need to electroplate them, or perhaps coat them with electroless nickel.
Trevor Crichton
R&D practical scientist
Chesham, Bucks, UK
"Magnetism and Magnetic Materials"
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A. Hi Arfan. Screwdrivers are probably hardened medium carbon tool steel, say 0.6 to 0.75% carbon, possibly grade S5 -- not as soft as structural steel or plate, but not as hard as a file. Generally, hard steels retain magnetism better than soft iron or soft steel. But I don't think the exact type of steel is critical for making a magnet.
Electrical current is one way to magnetize the item, but stroking it with a powerful magnet is another way which may be easier. Stroke it repeatedly from one end all the way to the other, but only in one direction because magnets have two poles and reversing the direction of the stroke will undo your efforts. Best of luck.
Most readers here, including myself, are more versed in metal finishing than in magnetism; so if any reader feels they know more about it and can straighten us all out, they're probably right :-)
Regards,
Ted Mooney
, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
Q. Hello all. I'm working on a piece where I want sheets of magnetic material which will stick to itself. As I understand carbon steels and some types of stainless steel are magnetic but they don't stick to each other? Is there any way to get steel sheets to have a magnetic attraction? Alternatively is there another material I could use? Is there any sort of magnet that can be drawn out into a sheet or thin plate around a 1 mm thick? Rubber magnets aren't strong enough for my purpose either.
Siena Shepard
Art student - Portland oregon usa
A. Hi Siena. All carbon steels and some stainless steels are ferromagnetic, which means they are attracted to a magnet. In addition they can be made magnetic, i.e., able to attract steel and other ferromagnetic materials. Although it's hard to say whether you can make the sheets sufficiently and permanently magnetic enough for your needs, and magnetic in the orientation you need (north pole where you want it, south pole where you want it, presumably at opposite ends of the 1mm sheet thickness), it certainly sounds theoretically do-able. Good luck.
Regards,
Ted Mooney
, P.E. RET
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
For more Genuine Neodymium Magnetinformation, please contact us. We will provide professional answers.
Q. What is it, how do you make one? I used to have a globe that would float when you turned it on. I would like to make one. I was told that it was electromagnetic and that's what made it float.
Susan Pratt
Hobbyist - San Diego california
A. Susan,
We have one of those, but we lost the power cord so it doesn't work.
You will be able to find the basics of an electromagnet on wikipedia or a web search. For a "floating" object specifically, I imagine it requires one or more electromagnets designed and arranged in a very specific manner. If I wanted to make a unit like that myself, I think I would have to purchase some and take them apart to see how others have done it.
Ray Kremer
Stellar Solutions, Inc.
McHenry, Illinois
Magnets were first discovered by ancient civilizations going back 2,500 years, and by the 12th and 13th centuries AD, magnetic compasses were commonly used for navigation in China and Europe. Today, magnets are an essential part of modern technology. They are found in almost any appliance you can name, from mobile phone speakers to electric motors, washing machines and air conditioners.
The magnet industry continues to grow due to the increased demand for magnetic circuit components widely used in industrial equipment, while technological advances enable magnets to be 60 times as strong as they were 90 years ago.
Magnetic metals include:
These magnetic metals fall under the categories:
When people think of magnets, they’re often thinking of permanent magnets. These are objects which can be magnetized to create a magnetic field. The most common example is the refrigerator magnet, used to hold notes on our refrigerator door.
The most common metals used for permanent magnets are iron, nickel, cobalt and some alloys of rare earth metals.
There are two types of permanent magnets: those from “hard” magnetic materials and those from “soft” magnetic materials. “Hard” magnetic metals tend to stay magnetized over a long period. Common examples are:
“Soft” magnetic metals can be magnetized but lose their magnetism quickly. Common examples are iron-silicon alloys and nickel-iron alloys. These materials are typically used in electronics, for example transformers and magnetic shielding.
Electromagnets are made from a coil of copper wire wound around a core made from iron, nickel or cobalt. The coiled wire will generate a magnetic field when an electric current passes through it, however, the magnetic field disappears the moment the current stops. Electromagnets need electricity to work. Their usefulness lies in the ability to vary the strength of the magnetic field through controlling the electrical current in the wire.
Electromagnets are commonly used in electric motors and generators. They both work on the scientific principle of electromagnetic induction, discovered by scientist Michael Faraday in 1831, which says that a moving electric current will create a magnetic field, and vice versa. In electric motors, the electric current generates a magnetic field which moves the motor. In generators, an external force such as wind, flowing water or steam rotates a shaft which moves a set of magnets around a coiled wire, thus producing an electric current.
Electromagnets are also used to flick the switches in relays, used in telephone exchanges, railway signaling and traffic lights.
Junkyard cranes are also fitted with electromagnets which are used to pick up and drop large vehicles with ease. These electromagnets take the form of a round plate fitted to the end of the crane.
A modern train system known as Maglev (short for magnetic levitation) uses electromagnets to levitate the train above the rail. This reduces friction and allows the train to move at tremendous speed.
Advanced applications of electromagnets include magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machines, and particle accelerators (like the Large Hadron Collider).
Neodymium magnets are a type of rare-earth magnet comprised of an alloy of neodymium, iron and boron. They were devised in 1982 by General Motors and Sumitomo Special Metals. Neodymium magnets are the strongest type of permanent magnet commercially available. They are used when strong permanent magnets are required, particularly in cordless tool motors, hard disk drives and magnetic fasteners.
Copper and manganese are not normally magnetic. However, a ground-breaking new technique, developed by Oscar Cespedes of the University of Leeds, UK, has transformed copper and manganese into magnets.
Cespedes and his team fabricated films of copper and manganese on carbon structures called Buckyballs. When an external magnetic field was applied and removed, the films retained 10% of the magnetic field. This new technique is set to provide a more biocompatible and environmentally-friendly way to manufacture MRI machines.
Other possible applications include use in wind turbines. Wind turbines currently use iron cobalt and nickel with rare-Earth elements. But these elements are expensive and tough to mine. The breakthrough opens the possibilities to cheaper alternatives.
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