Formation of magnetic grating on steel plates by electron/laser beam irradiation

The steels examined were a ferromagnetic carbon steel, S35C (equivalent to AISI 1035), and a nonmagnetic austenitic stainless steel, SUS 304 (equivalent to AISI 304). The gratings formed were magnetized in a 5.4-kOe field and the profile of the vertical component of magnetic flux leakage from each magnetized grating was measured. Changes of microstructure and mechanical strength of the beam-irradiated portions of the steel plates were also investigated. The measurements of the leakage flux profiles revealed the existence of remanent magnetism in the gratings. Metallographic and mechanical-hardness examinations showed that the original mixed ferrite/pearlite phase in the S35C steel was changed to martensite by beam irradiation. This increased its mechanical hardness. It was also determined that small grains of the ferrimagnetic ferrite phase were precipitated in the base of the nonmagnetic austenitic phase in the SUS 304