Detecting damages in non-magnetic steel through magnetism

Wear, corrosion, material fatigue--these signs of degradation are common to most materials. This makes it all the more important to detect damage early, preferably on the micro-scale. Magnetic test methods are often used for this purpose, which was previously impossible with non-magnetic steel. Researchers from Kaiserslautern and Mainz have now developed a process in which they apply a thin magnetic layer to steel. Changes in the microstructure can thus be detected by changes in magnetic effects...