An analysis was conducted on the possibility of making an assessment of the degree of plastic deformation ε in X2CrNi18-9 steel by measuring three electromagnetic diagnostic signals: the Barkhausen noise features, the impedance components in in-series LCR circuits, and the residual magnetic field components. The impact of ε on a series of different extracted features of diagnostic signals was investigated. The occurrence of two regions of sensitivity was found for all the features of the analysed signals. The two regions were separated by the following critical deformation value: ε ~ 10% for the components of the residual magnetic field and ε ~ 15% for the normalised components of impedance. As for the Barkhausen noise signal, the values were as follows: ε ~ 20% for the mean value, ε ~ 20% for the peak value of the signal envelope, and ε ~ 5% for the total number of the signal events. Metallographic tests were performed, which revealed essential changes in the microstructure of the tested material for the established critical values. The martensite transformation occurring during the plastic deformation process of X2CrNi18-9 austenitic steel process generated a magnetic phase. This magnetic phase was strong enough to relate the strain state to the values of diagnostic signals. The changes in the material electromagnetic properties due to martensitic transformation (γ → α') began much earlier than indicated by the metallographic testing results.
Keywords: Barkhausen noise; LCR circuits; austenitic steel; plastic deformation; residual magnetic field.