Comparison of magnetic nondestructive methods applied for inspection of steel degradation

A series of low carbon steel specimens is investigated in the frame of a chain of magnetic non-destructive measurements on round robin samples, organized by the Universal Network for Magnetic Non-Destructive Evaluation. The samples have been plastically deformed by cold rolling to five consecutive stages of deformation. They were examined by several different nondestructive magnetic methods and the results were compared with each other and with the destructive mechanical measurements of Vickers hardness and ductile-brittle transition temperature. Very well correlated and qualitatively very similar relations between the magnetic and mechanical parameters were found in all cases, and for all the methods. Difference between the results of different measurements was found only in the sensitivity of the measurement with respect to the independent parameter, which is a promising message for the potential practical applications and possible future standardization of magnetic nondestructive methods.     

A novel approach of accurately evaluating residual stress and microstructure of welded electrical steels

In the present research work the determination of residual stress distribution in welded non-oriented electrical steel samples is discussed. Tungsten inert gas was used for the welding method. Residual stress was directly determined through deformation measurements and appropriate math calculations. Two methods were used: the magnetic, non-destructive method of Barkhausen noise and the semi-destructive method of X-ray diffraction. In order to evaluate the accuracy and reliability of the magnetic method applied, the steel samples were subjected to both compressive and tensile stresses and the magnetic noise values were correlated to residual stress values through an appropriate calibration curve. The results were then verified by the XRD method and were further evaluated by examining the microstructure and the mechanical properties of the as received and welded samples through scanning electron microscopy and hardness measurements, respectively. It was found that the deviation between the two methods was within acceptable limits, thus implying potential applicability of the MBN method in non-destructive testing of materials.     

Studies of radiation embrittlement of model alloys by positron annihilation, thermo-electric and magnetic measurements

The most important effect of the degradation by radiation in steels and welds is the decrease in their ductility. The main ways to determine the mechanical behaviour of such steels are tensile and Charpy impact tests, from which the ductile to brittle transition temperature and its increase due to neutron irradiation can be calculated. These tests are destructive and regularly applied to assess the integrity of structural materials. The possibility of applying validated non-destructive monitoring techniques would however facilitate the surveillance of such materials.In this paper, the positron annihilation line-shape analysis performed on a limited number of complex model alloys with different chemical composition is presented. The results are compared with the values previously obtained by thermo-electric and magnetic Barkhausen measurements and with the results of Charpy impact destructive testing. The obtained results prove that positron annihilation is a good indicator of the change in material properties, given that its main parameter increases by effect of radiation as it occurs with the ductile to brittle transition temperature, and the magnetic and thermoelectric properties.     

Hysteresis minor loop analysis of plastically deformed low-carbon steel

This work investigates applicability of magnetic hysteresis method for non-destructive testing of plastically deformed low-carbon steel. Recently introduced Magnetic Adaptive Testing procedure was used for evaluation of hysteresis minor loop data-sets to find the most sensitive parameter/s for indication of the material degradation stage. Inductive measurements were carried out on two identically degraded series of samples: magnetically closed window-shaped specimens, equipped with the magnetizing and the induction coils, and magnetically open strips, measured by an attached magnetizing yoke. The aim was to compare the results between these sample series in order to determine applicability and limitations of the single-yoke measurement technique. As a result, new magnetic parameters with the best sensitivity–stability ratio in a wide deformation range were introduced and proposed for utilization. Good qualitative coincidence between the measurement results on the closed and the open sample series was obtained in all range of magnetization. Several quantitative distinctions were explained and analyzed in order to improve the single-yoke technique.     

Electric and magnetic properties of sol–gel silica powders doped with ferrofluid

SiO₂ powders with magnetic properties have been prepared via the sol–gel method. Morphology of the magnetic powders has been investigated by scanning electron microscope (SEM). The magnetic susceptibility and electric permittivity measurements of the obtained materials have been performed by means of the lumped-capacitance method. The complex magnetic permeability measurements have been performed by means of the inductance method using toroidal-shaped samples.     

Investigation of magnetic signatures and microstructures for heat-treated ferritic/martensitic HT-9 alloy

There is increased interest in improved methods for in situ non-destructive interrogation of materials for nuclear reactors in order to ensure reactor safety and quantify material degradation (particularly embrittlement) prior to failure. Therefore, a prototypical ferritic/martensitic alloy, HT-9, of interest to the nuclear materials community was investigated to assess microstructure effects on micromagnetics measurements (Barkhausen noise emission, magnetic hysteresis measurements, and first order reversal curve analysis) for samples undergoing three different heat treatments. Microstructural and physical measurements consisted of high precision density, resonant ultrasound elastic constant, Vickers microhardness, grain size, and texture determination. These were varied in the HT-9 alloy samples and related to various magnetic signatures. In parallel, a mesoscale microstructure model was created for α-iron and the effects of polycrystallinity and the demagnetization factor were explored. It was observed that Barkhausen noise emission decreased with increasing hardness and decreasing grain size (lath spacing), while coercivity increased. The results are discussed in terms of the use of magnetic signatures for the non-destructive interrogation of radiation damage and other microstructural changes in ferritic/martensitic alloys.     

Magnetic properties of polymer matrix composites with embedded ferrite particles

Polymeric composite materials offer advantages for many applications because of a combination of properties, which includes high specific mechanical strength and elastic modulus and corrosion resistance. However, the non-magnetic nature of these materials impedes the use of non-destructive evaluation (NDE) techniques using magnetic sensors. In this work, glass fiber-reinforced epoxy magnetic composites were produced with the addition of 10 wt% of cobalt or barium ferrite particles. Circular plates with notches of 1, 5 and 10 mm in diameter were produced and characterized using magnetic flux leakage (MFL) technique. The effect of particle size on the magnetic properties of the composites was also investigated for the barium ferrite. The results indicated a good correlation between the measured magnetic signals and the presence of notches. Smaller average particle sizes hindered the identification of the smallest notch. However, it resulted in better signal-to-noise ratio for the intermediate and larger size notches.     

Magnetic NDT Technology for characterization of decarburizing depth

From practical point of view, determining the decarburizing depth is important in quality control of steel parts as it has undesirable effects on the mechanical properties such as hardness, wear and fatigue resistance. Traditional destructive methods of determining the depth of decarburized layer include metallographic and hardness test which are time-consuming and costly. Since response to eddy current is sensitive to chemical composition as well as microstructure of the material under consideration, the non-destructive method can be used in determining the depth of the decarburized layer in steel parts. It is mainly due to the difference in the microstructures, and as a result, in the magnetic properties of the decarburized layer with other parts of the specimen. In the present study at the first step, the magnetic properties of decarburized carbon steel bars (0.45 wt.% C) were evaluated using an electromagnetic sensor and correlated with the microstructure changes from surface to the core of the sample. At the second step the steel bars were held in 900 °C for different period of times and the depth of decarburizing layers were measured using hardness testing. Finally, the non-destructive eddy current technique was used and the response of test samples to the induction current including primary and secondary voltages, normalized impedance, phase angle and harmonic analysis parameters were investigated. Results show an acceptable accuracy in comparison to the destructive method.     

Complex magnetic and microstructural investigation of duplex stainless steel

Heat treatment induced microstructural processes were studied by different non-destructive magnetic methods in the present work. A commercial SAF 2507 type superduplex stainless steel was investigated. This alloy contains about 40% ferrite and 60% austenite phases in its initial condition. The ferrite phase is not stable, therefore it can decompose to sigma phase and secondary austenite due to heat treatment. All the mechanical, corrosion resistance and magnetic properties are strongly influenced by the microstructural changes. This study had two aims: to understand better the kinetics of the ferrite decomposition process and to study the application possibilities of the applied magnetic measurements. The results, which were supported by electronmicroscopic method (electron back scattered diffraction, EBSD), help us to understand better the microstructural changes in duplex stainless steels caused by heat treatment.     

Brilliant effect of Ca substitution in the appearance of magnetic memory in Dy0.5(Sr1−xCax)0.5MnO3 (x = 0.3) manganites

The present work undertakes an investigation of magnetic memory effect in Dy_0.5(Sr_1−xCa_x)_0.5MnO₃ (x = 0 and x = 0.3) nanoparticles heated at 700 °C and 1350 °C. Zero-field-cooled (ZFC) and field-cooled (FC) magnetization measurements displayed the existence of magnetic memory effect in only samples with a Ca concentration x = 0.3. However, there is no sign of magnetic memory in samples with x = 0 of Ca amount. This confirms that the effect of substituting the Sr by Ca on the appearance of magnetic memory is of great importance, admitting that magnetic memory is mainly due to the powerful inter-particle interactions.     

Magnetic anisotropy and magnetic properties of RTSi (R=Gd, Y; T=Mn, Fe) compounds

Magnetic properties of Gd_xY_1−xMnSi and GdMn_xFe_1−xSi compounds with CeFeSi-type structure have been studied by magnetization measurements in the temperature range 77–600 K in static magnetic fields up to 12 kOe. The measurements for some compounds have been carried out on single crystal samples. The easy magnetization direction of all single crystal samples was found to be the c axis. The value of the anisotropy constant K₁ for GdMnSi was estimated to be 2.0·10⁶ erg cm⁻³ at 77 K. The substitution in both rare earth and 3d sublattices leads to a sharp increase in magnetic anisotropy of these compounds. The concentration dependencies of magnetic ordering temperatures, effective magnetic moments and paramagnetic Curie temperatures have been determined. The obtained results can be explained by the modification of the band structure due to the change of interatomic distances and the filling of 3d band.     

Non-destructive determination of residual stress state in steel weldments by Magnetic Barkhausen Noise technique

The purpose of this study is non-destructive determination of residual stresses in the welded steel plates by Magnetic Barkhausen Noise (MBN) technique. A MBN-stress calibration set-up and a residual stress measurement system with scanning ability were developed. To control the accuracy and the effectiveness of the developed system and procedure, various MBN measurements were carried out. The MBN results were verified by the hole-drilling method. Microstructural investigation and hardness measurements were also conducted. It was concluded that if the calibration procedure including the effect of microstructure is appropriate then MBN is a very promising method for non-destructive, fast and accurate prediction of residual stresses in the welded plates.     

Feasibility of magneto-optic flaw visualization using thin garnet films

We investigate the feasibility of using rare-earth iron garnet films grown on (111)-oriented substrates as magneto-optic indicator films for the visualization of magnetic leakage fields in non-destructive evaluation. In most cases the leakage field of the defect has a strong component in the film plane. The influence of this in-plane dc magnetic field on the image formation is investigated. It is shown that the presence of a strong in-plane magnetic field allows one to extend the dynamic range of the out-of-plane field imposed by the uniaxial anisotropy field H_A. On the other hand, an in-plane field reduces the sensitivity. The guidelines for selecting parameters of magneto-optic indicator films are given.     

The effect of stresses approaching and exceeding the yield point on the magnetic properties of high strength pearlitic steels

The results of a study of the effects of stresses that approach and exceed the yield point on the magnetic properties of a sample of 50D pearlitic steel are reported. Unlike previous work which has only examined residual stress behaviour, measurements were made in-situ while sample remained under stress. Hysteresis loops, permeability curves and magnetostriction loops are presented and a variety of magnetic parameters analysed. The implications of this analysis for the application of non-destructive evaluation techniques such as magnetic flux leakage, magnetic Barkhausen noise and magnetoacoustic emission are discussed. Key changes in magnetic behaviour occur well before yield and this raises the possibility of developing magnetic NDE methods of predicting when a sample is approaching the yield point.     

Characterization of angular dependence of macroscopic magnetic properties in ASTM 36 steel using magnetic Barkhausen noise

Angular-dependent magnetic Barkhausen noise measurements were performed on ASTM 36 steel samples for various values of applied uniaxial stress. The maximum differential permeability and the coercive field are obtained from this Barkhausen signals. The angular dependence of these macroscopic magnetic properties is studied. The tension for which the magneto-elastic energy balances the anisotropic energy is estimated. The results are discussed based on the domain wall theory.     

The influence of chemical disorder enhancement on the martensitic transformation of the Ni50Mn36Sn14 Heusler-type alloy

The effect of chemical disorder over the martensitic phase transformation of the Ni₅₀Mn₃₆Sn₁₄ Heusler-type alloy was systematically investigated by performing X-ray diffractometry (DRX), DC magnetization and ⁵⁷Fe-doping and ¹¹⁹Sn-Mössbauer spectroscopy measurements. DRX patterns are characteristics of a L2₁-type chemically disordered structure, where the presence of this disorder was first evaluated by analyzing the relative intensity of the (1 1 1) DRX reflection, which varies in the case of Fe-doped and practically disappears for the milled samples. In consequence, the magnetic properties of Fe-doped well-milled samples related to the martensitic phase transformation change substantially. 300 K ⁵⁷Fe-Mössbauer spectroscopy data suggest that the changes in the magnetic properties related to the martensitic transformation are intrinsically correlated to the ferromagnetic and paramagnetic fractions, which are respectively associated with Fe atoms replacing Mn- and Sn-sites. In the case of milled samples, the drastic reduction of alloy magnetization was explained by the increase of the number of Mn atoms in the shell regions, which have a reduced magnetic moment comparatively to those in the grain cores. The magnetization change and the temperature transition in the martensitic transformation are governed by the grain core. The initial magnetic properties and martensitic transformation can be recovered by a subsequent annealing on the milled sample.     

瓦形磁吸单元磁路设计及其力学特性研究

船舶喷漆与除锈等作业需求量大，爬壁机器人成为该领域研究热点。瓦形磁吸单元是机器人在垂直钢质立面附壁行走核心装置。为提高磁力和降低磁力对距离敏感性，对瓦形磁性单元采用Halbach阵列充磁的新型磁路设计，利用数值仿真与试验方法开展瓦形磁吸单元力学特性研究。结果表明：Halbach阵列磁路的磁质比是常规配对磁路的2.87倍，衰减率是其0.5倍；Halbach阵列瓦形磁吸单元优化了磁路，减弱了异性磁极间的磁场损耗，使得磁吸单元表面磁感应强度增强。     

Dynamic magnetic properties of ZnO nanocrystals incorporating Fe

The aim of the present work is to study the magnetic properties of ZnO(Fe) nanocrystalline samples prepared by two methods of synthesis. We have used the microwave assisted hydrothermal synthesis and traditional wet chemistry method followed by calcination. The detailed structural characterization was performed by means of X-ray diffraction and micro-Raman spectroscopy measurements. The dynamic magnetic properties were studied by means of AC susceptibility χ. The measurements were performed at small AC magnetic field with amplitude not exceeding 5 Oe and different frequency values (from 7 Hz to 9970 Hz). The AC susceptibility maxima have been found for in-phase susceptibility Re(χ) and for out of phase susceptibility Im(χ). We analyzed the observed frequency dependence of the peak temperature in the AC susceptibility curve using the empirical parameter Φ that is a quantitative measure of the frequency shift and is given by the relative shift of the peak temperature per decade shift in frequency, as well as Vogel-Fulcher law.     

Electronic structure and magnetism of PrNixPt1−x compounds

We have studied influence of the Pt–Ni substitution on the crystal structure and magnetic behavior of the PrNi_xPt_1−x compounds. Polycrystalline samples with x = 1, 0.9, 0.75, 0 were prepared and characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The analysis of XRPD data confirmed that the orthorhombic CrB-type structure owned by the parent binary compounds remains conserved through the entire series. The samples were subsequently investigated by specific heat (C_p), magnetization (M) and ac susceptibility measurements in the temperature range 2–350 K and in magnetic fields up to 9 T. All compounds were found to order ferromagnetically. The T_C values monotonously increase with increasing Ni content. To inspect the crystal-field (CEF) effects and magnetocaloric properties specific-heat data were analyzed in detail and the magnetic contribution to the specific heat together with the magnetic entropy have been determined. The results of first principles electronic structure calculations of the PrNi and PrPt confirmed that besides the stable Pr magnetic moments due to localized 4f-electrons only a very small magnetic moments of at most 0.2μ_B is induced at the Ni (Pt) site due to the polarized 3d-electron states (5d-electron states) hybridizing with the Pr 5d-electron states, i.e. the Ni (Pt) moment plays only minor role in the total balance of the magnetic moments in these compounds.