EFFECT OF NEUTRON-IRRADIATION ON MAGNETIC-PROPERTIES IN THE LOW-ALLOYNI-MO STEEL SA508-3

The B-H hysteresis loop and Barkhausen noise have been measured in the neutron irradiated SA508 steel of 45 mu m thickness. The coercive for ce of B-H loop showed a slow change up to a neutron dose of 10(14) n/c m(2) and increased by 15.4% for a 10(16) n/cm(2) dose sample compared with that of the unirradiated one, related to the domain wall motion h indered by the increased defects. However, the amplitude of Barkhausen noise reflecting the wall motion decreased slowly up to 10(14) n/cm(2 ) irradiation, followed by a rapid decrease of 37.5% at 10(16) n/cm(2) . (C) 1997 American Institute of Physics.