Methods of making a component with variable magnetization and related components
A method of forming a component having a variation in saturation magnetization is presented. The method includes selectively diffusing nitrogen into a metallic component of a masked metallic component by exposing the masked metallic component to a nitrogen-rich atmosphere. The masked metallic component includes a patterned oxide layer formed on a surface of the metallic component, and the patterned oxide layer includes an oxide of a metal present in the metallic component. A related component is also presented.
1. A method of forming a component having a variation in saturation magnetization, comprising:
selectively diffusing nitrogen into a metallic component of a masked metallic component by exposing the masked metallic component to a nitrogen-rich atmosphere, wherein the masked metallic component comprises a patterned oxide layer formed on a surface of the metallic component, the patterned oxide layer comprising an oxide of a metal present in the metallic component.
2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
forming an oxide layer on the surface of the metallic component, wherein the oxide layer comprises the oxide of the metal present in the metallic component; and
selectively patterning the oxide layer to form the masked metallic component comprising the patterned oxide layer.
3. The method of claim 2 , wherein forming the oxide layer comprises thermally treating the metallic component, chemically oxidizing the metallic component, or a combination thereof.
4. The method of claim 2 , wherein forming the oxide layer comprises thermally treating the metallic component at a temperature equal to or greater than 900° C. in a presence of an atmosphere comprising an oxidant.
5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the atmosphere further comprises helium, argon, nitrogen, a nitrogen and hydrogen mixture, a hydrogen and steam mixture, or combinations thereof.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein exposing the masked metallic component to the nitrogen-rich atmosphere comprises heat-treating the masked metallic component in the nitrogen-rich atmosphere at a temperature greater than 700° C.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein selectively diffusing nitrogen into the metallic component results in formation of a first region and a second region in the metallic component, the first region and the second region characterized by a nitrogen content that is different from each other and a saturation magnetization value that is different from each other.
8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the first region is magnetic and the second region is non-magnetic or partially-magnetic.
9. The method of claim 7 , wherein the second region is a graded region characterized by a nitrogen content that is graded across a dimension of the graded region and a saturation magnetization value that is graded across the dimension of the graded region.
10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising incorporating the component having the variation in saturation magnetization into a component of an electrical machine, without removing the patterned oxide layer.
11. A method of forming a component having a variation in saturation magnetization, comprising:
forming an oxide layer on a surface of a metallic component, wherein the oxide layer comprises an oxide of a metal present in the metallic component;
patterning the oxide layer to form a masked metallic component comprising a patterned oxide layer; and
heat-treating the masked metallic component in a nitrogen-rich atmosphere to form a first region and second region in the metallic component, wherein the first region and the second region are characterized by a nitrogen content that is different from each other, and a saturation magnetization value that is different from each other.
12. The method of claim 11 , wherein forming the oxide layer comprises thermally treating the metallic component, chemically oxidizing the metallic component, or a combination thereof.
13. The method of claim 11 , wherein forming the oxide layer comprises thermally treating the metallic component at a temperature equal to or greater than 900° C. in a presence of an atmosphere comprising an oxidant.
14. A method comprising:
selectively diffusing nitrogen into a metallic component having an oxide layer by exposing the metallic component to a nitrogen-containing atmosphere, the metallic component comprising an oxide layer formed on less than an entirety of a surface of the metallic component, the oxide layer comprising an oxide of a metal in the metallic component.
15. The method of claim 14 , further comprising:
forming the oxide layer on the entirety of the surface of the metallic component; and
patterning the oxide layer to expose part of the metallic component.
16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the oxide layer is formed by one or more of heating the metallic component or chemically oxidizing the metallic component.
17. The method of claim 15 , wherein the oxide layer is formed by thermally treating the metallic component at a temperature equal to or greater than 900° C. in an oxygen-comprising atmosphere.
18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the oxygen-comprising atmosphere further comprises one or more of helium, argon, nitrogen, a mixture of nitrogen and hydrogen, or a mixture of hydrogen and steam mixture.
19. The method of claim 14 , wherein the metallic component is exposed to the nitrogen-containing atmosphere by heat-treating the metallic component in the nitrogen-containing atmosphere at a temperature greater than 700° C.
20. The method of claim 14 , wherein selectively diffusing nitrogen into the metallic component forms a first region and a second region in the metallic component, the first region having a different nitrogen content than the second region and a different saturation magnetization value than the second region.