The bending strength and fracture toughness of sintered Sm-Co permanent magnetic materials are measured. A scanning electron microscope equipped with an energy dispersive X-ray analysis system is employed to investigate the bending fractography. The fracture behavior and micromechanism are discussed. The fracture behavior of sintered Sm-Co permanent magnetic materials exhibits cleavage fracture. Some Sm-rich impurities are found in fracture plane, suggesting that the Sm-rich impurities help reduce the cleavage brittleness of sintered Sm-Co permanent magnetic materials. The possible methods for improving the strength and toughness are also proposed.
