Determining internal stresses in chromium single crystals by neutron diffraction

A neutron-diffraction method of determining low residual stresses is described. The method is applicable to crystals having modulated magnetic structures and is based on the high sensitivity to external loads and residual stresses for the critical magnetic field required to convert the specimen into the single-modulation magnetic state. The method can be used in the laboratory to estimate internal stresses up to about 20 MPa for each domain type and for a single crystal as a whole in the presence of a modulated antiferromagnetic structure.