Magnet exploded for no apparent reason, any explanation ----- (details inside)?

Question

i was hammering really hard on a piece of steel in my vice, really wailing on it so it would bend, then all of a sudden awhen i struck it a magnet sitting on the workbench about a foot away exploded into several pieces!!

the magnet is a thin ring speaker magnet about 2 inches across and covered in steel filings

and i didn't touch it with the hammer, but my whole workbech was vibrating apart

Answer 1

Pounding on your workbench can put very high shock loads throughout. In extreme cases shock waves can cause pieces of solid steel to separate (called spalling). Further, as other answers mentioned, magnets tend to be brittle. This is not because they are made of cheap iron. Modern rare earth magnets are made using a complex sintering process where particles are compressed at slightly elevated temperature to hold them together. They are notoriously brittle. Finally, internal forces caused by the fields inside the magnet actually tend to force the magnet apart, splitting it from pole to pole. Put this all together and poof - one magnet becomes several.

Answer 2

Some magnets are not made of solid iron but are composites. These can be molded into various shapes for special purposes such as speakers. These composites are brittle and not nearly as strong as a solid metal.

Answer 3

Magnets typically are made of very cheap iron that is brittle. It's possible that you exicted a vibration mode and the magnet was cracked so that it shattered.

Answer 4

You could have induced a current or even hit the metal and created the exact resonant frequency of the magnet. Though it is a rare phenomenon, it is possible and has happened.

Answer 5

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Answer 6

its very hard but brittle metal to much vibration