Local nucleation fields of Fe-rich microwires and their dependence on applied stresses

Local nucleation fields of Fe-rich amorphous glass-coated microwires with composition Fe74Si11B13C2 have been measured along the wire length at different applied tension stresses. From these measurements the ratio lambda(s)/M-s, where lambda(s) is the magnetostriction constant and M, is the saturation magnetization, as well as the amplitude of the residual quenching stresses have been determined for wires with different metal core radius and glass shell thickness. The method enables one to determine also the positions of strong localized defects that reduce considerably the wire nucleation field from its average value. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.