COMPOSITION DEPENDENCE OF THE MAGNETOMECHANICAL EFFECT AND MAGNETOSTRICTION

Magnetomechanical and magnetostriction measurements were performed on a series of plain carbon steels, with carbon contents ranging from 0.1 to 0.9 wt%. The microstructures in all specimens were similar, being a mixture of ferrite and pearlite, with the pearlite volume fraction i ncreasing with increasing carbon. The magnetomechanical effect was fou nd to vary with carbon content. Specifically, the change in magnetizat ion with stress was proportional to the remanent magnetization for a g iven carbon level. Also, the sign of the magnetization change upon rem oval of compressive stress reversed at 0.6 wt% carbon. The results wer e explained by the increased number of domain wall pinning sites produ ced by the increase in carbon content.