Effects of fatigue-induced changes in microstructure and stress on domain structure and magnetic properties of Fe-C alloys

A study of the effects of microstructural changes on domain structure and magnetic properties as a result of fatigue has been made on Fe-C alloys subjected to either cold work, stress-relief annealing, or heat treatment that produced a ferritic/pearlitic structure. The magnetic properties varied with stress cycling depending on the initial condition of the samples. Variations in coercivity in the initial stage of fatigue were closely related to the changes in dislocation structure. In the intermediate stage of fatigue the observed refinement of domain structures was related to the development of dislocation cell structures and formation of slip bands. In the final stage of fatigue the remanence and maximum permeability decreased dramatically, and this rate of decrease was dependent on the crack propagation rate. (C) 2000 American Institute of Physics. [S0021-8979(00)77008-3].