Characterization of microstructure of plastically deformed and and thermally treated carbon steel by means of positron annihilation life-time spectroscopy in comparison with micromagnetic methods

Positron annihilation is a very sensitive method for detecting crystal lattice defects. Using positron life-time measurements separate information can be obtained about deslocations, vacancies and vacancy clusters in meatls. Also micromagnetics is very sensitive to the microstructure in steels if they are ferromagnetic. The paper compares positron life-time measurement and micromagnetics during thermal annealing of plastically deformed pure nickel and a carbon steel. The advantage of positron annihilation is insensitivity to macroscopic residual stresses, the disadvantage is a long measuring time. Both methods can give complemantary information about the microstructure of the material