THE EFFECTS OF PLASTIC DEFORMATION ON MAGNETIC PROPERTIES OF POLYCRYSTALLINE METALS
Most of the laws of the ferromagnetic behavior of metals and alloys were derived from studies of single crystals. In order to apply these laws to polycrystalline metals the effect of the crystallographic composition of the polycrystalline body has to be taken into account. For this purpose the concept of a "closed flux shell" as a fundamental quality of polycrystalline metal is put forward on the basis of the following trend of thought:One of the most important factors determining the size and arrangement of ferromagnetic domains in a single crystal is the tendency to close the magnetic flux throughout the specimen by a suitable arrangement of these domains. The size of the crystal defines the limits within which the flux can be closed. In a polycrystalline metal, a "crystal" is defined as a region of one crystallographic orientation separated by crystal boundaries from neighboring regions of different orientation. The corresponding unit, as far as ferromagnetic properties are concerned, will be a closed flux shell which may contain many domains but is always a region of closed magnetic flux. Neighboring regions, having different crystallographic orientation, will each also consist of a closed magnetic flux shell. Crystal boundaries are regarded as lattice discontinuities which separate regions of different orientation and at the same time separate different closed flux shells.The consequences of this model and experimental evidence supporting it are discussed. An explanation of the effect of plastic deformation on magnetic properties is suggested by considering the changes in the size of the closed flux shell which will occur during plastic deformation.