Measurement of the rate of transformation induced plasticity in TRIP steel by the use of Barkhausen noise emission as a function of plastic straining

This paper investigates the rate of transformation induced plasticity in TRIP steel (TRansformation-Induced Plasticity) after plastic straining by the use of Barkhausen noise emission. The samples were subjected to a variable degree of plastic straining and analysed by the use of conventional techniques such SEM, XRD, as well as microhardness in order to investigate residual stress and microstructural alterations initiated by the uniaxial tensile test. Barkhausen noise emission is analysed as a function of plastic straining as well as in the direction of the exerted load and interpreted with respect to the aforementioned microstructure and stress alterations. It was found that Barkhausen noise markedly decreases along with increasing plastic straining, up to 20%, followed by a strain region in which the evolution of Barkhausen noise reaches saturation. Samples after the tensile test exhibited marked magnetic anisotropy since the Barkhausen noise emission in the direction perpendicular to the tensile stress remained less affected. Apart from the effective value of Barkhausen noise, the Barkhausen noise envelopes were also analysed.