Appropriate Storage Environments
Dry Environment
1. Reason: A humid environment may cause magnets to rust or corrode, especially for those magnets with metal casings or components. For example, if ferrite magnets are exposed to a humid environment for a long time, rust may form on their surfaces. The formation of rust can affect the magnetism of the magnets because rust is a porous substance that will damage the surface structure of the magnets and may then change the distribution of the magnetic field, resulting in weakened magnetism.
2. Practice: Place the magnets in a dry place, such as in a sealed container with desiccant, or install dehumidification equipment in the storage environment to keep the humidity at a low level. The ideal humidity range is generally between 40% and 60%.
Constant Temperature Environment
1. Reason: Temperature changes have a significant impact on the magnetism of magnets. For most magnetic materials, such as neodymium-iron-boron magnets, an increase in temperature will lead to a decrease in magnetism. This is because high temperatures will make the arrangement of magnetic domains (tiny magnetic regions inside magnetic materials) disordered. When the temperature exceeds a certain limit (for example, the Curie temperature of neodymium-iron-boron magnets is about 310 - 400 degrees Celsius), the magnetism will drop sharply or even disappear. Meanwhile, frequent temperature changes will also generate thermal stress inside the magnets, causing cracks and other damages to the magnets and thus affecting their magnetism.
2. Practice: Try to store the magnets in an environment with a stable temperature and avoid exposing them to direct sunlight or places close to heat sources (such as heaters, stoves, etc.). If it is necessary to use magnets in an environment with large temperature changes, it is advisable to choose magnetic materials that can withstand such temperature changes or take appropriate temperature control measures.
Avoidance of Strong Magnetic Field Interference
1. Reason: External strong magnetic fields may change the arrangement direction of magnetic domains inside the magnets. When a magnet is exposed to an external magnetic field that is much stronger than its own magnetic field, the magnetic domains will be reoriented, resulting in changes to the original magnetism of the magnet. For example, if a small permanent magnet is placed near a large electromagnet, the powerful magnetic field generated by the electromagnet may change the pole direction of the permanent magnet or weaken its magnetism.
2. Practice: When storing magnets, keep them away from other sources of strong magnetic fields, such as large motors, transformers and other equipment that generate strong magnetic fields. If it is impossible to avoid being close to strong magnetic field sources, use magnetic shielding materials (such as permalloy, iron-nickel alloys, etc.) to wrap the magnets to reduce the interference of external magnetic fields on them.
Reasonable Placement Methods
Isolation of Items Easily Magnetized
1. Reason: Magnets will magnetize surrounding magnetizable objects, and at the same time, this may also consume their own magnetism. For example, when a magnet is close to items containing magnetic recording materials such as floppy disks and credit cards, the magnetic records of these items will be damaged. Meanwhile, the magnetic field of the magnet itself will also change slightly due to the magnetization of these items, and over time, this may affect the magnetism of the magnet.
2. Practice: Place the magnets separately from items that are easily magnetized (such as floppy disks, credit cards, computer monitors, watches, mobile phones, medical devices, etc.) and keep a certain safe distance. Generally, a distance of more than 10 centimeters is recommended.
Prevention of Collisions and Frictions
1. Reason: Violent collisions or frictions may change the structure of magnetic domains inside the magnets, resulting in weakened magnetism. Especially for high-performance magnets, such as neodymium-iron-boron magnets, which are relatively brittle in texture, collisions or frictions may cause cracks or breakage of the magnets, thus destroying the orderly arrangement of magnetic domains and damaging the magnetism.
2. Practice: When placing and transporting magnets, handle them carefully to avoid collisions between them or frictions with other hard objects. For the storage of multiple magnets, place non-magnetic isolation materials (such as plastic, cardboard, etc.) between them to prevent direct contact and collisions between the magnets. Also, avoid hitting or squeezing the magnets forcefully during the use of the magnets.
Avoidance of Excessive Stacking
1. Reason: If multiple magnets are stacked excessively, excessive attraction between them may cause the magnets to deform or be damaged. Moreover, when magnets are stacked, the distribution of the magnetic field will change, which may subject the internal magnetic domains to uneven stress and thus affect the magnetism.
2. Practice: When storing magnets, do not stack them excessively. If stacking is necessary, control the height and number of the stack and ensure that there is an appropriate interval or isolation material between each magnet to reduce the mutual influence.
