Magnetic field variation induced by cyclic bending stress

Metal magnetic memory technique has provided a new arena for assessing stress status, especially for detecting early damage in ferromagnetic materials. To investigate the magnetomechanical effect of metal magnetic memory phenomenon, the rotary bending fatigue experiments under different stress levels were conducted. The normal components of magnetic field intensities induced by cyclic bending stresses on the surfaces of 45-steel specimens were measured throughout the fatigue process. The results show that surface magnetic fields generated contains reversible and irreversible process prior to failure, while there is a substantial increase just before fracture. Possible reasons for the variations of magnetic fields and corresponding signal characteristics to identify damage zones were discussed.