A study of particle arrangement in magnetic tapes

Particle dispersion and particle orientation in magnetic tapes are experimentally interpreted by using a large-scale model which consists of commercial carbon steel wires and a vinyl chloride binder. Results suggest that the particle orientation in the plane through the thickness of the coating was broader than that in the plane of coating. Even though the micromagnetic equations are not properly scaled, comparison of the large-scale model and γ-Fe2O3assemblies shows general agreement with respect to packing fraction. The coercive force of an isolated single γ-Fe2O3particle is found to be 420-440 Oe, compared to 380 Oe found for packing fractions used in commercial magnetic tapes.