Accurate mean-field modeling of the Barkhausen noise power in ferromagnetic materials, using a positive-feedback theory of ferromagnetism

A mean-field positive-feedback (PFB) theory of ferromagnetism is used to explain the origin of Barkhausen noise (BN) and to show why it is most pronounced in the irreversible regions of the hysteresis loop. By incorporating the ABBM-Sablik model of BN into the PFB theory, we obtain analytical solutions that simultaneously describe both the major hysteresis loop and, by calculating separate expressions for the differential susceptibility in the irreversible and reversible regions, the BN power response at all points of the loop. The PFB theory depends on summing components of the applied field, in particular, the non-monotonic field-magnetization relationship characterizing hysteresis, associated with physical processes occurring in the material. The resulting physical model is then validated by detailed comparisons with measured single-peak BN data in three different steels. It also agrees with the well-known influence of a demagnetizing field on the position and shape of these peaks. The results could form the basis of a physics-based method for modeling and understanding the significance of the observed single-peak (and in multi-constituent materials, multi-peak) BN envelope responses seen in contemporary applications of BN, such as quality control in manufacturing, non-destructive testing, and monitoring the microstructural state of ferromagnetic materials. (c) 2015 Author(s).