Definition
A property of certain ferromagnetic materials that causes them to change shape slightly when placed in a magnetic field, and conversely, to produce a magnetic field when their shape is mechanically changed. In aviation, this effect is used in some flux gate compasses and in certain transducers and sensors.
Plain English
Some metals stretch or shrink a tiny amount when you put them in a magnetic field, and they also create a magnetic field when you squeeze or stretch them. It works in both directions.
Context Anchor
Seen in aircraft electrical, instrument, and maintenance references when magnetic materials or magnetic sensors are being discussed.
Derivation
From 'magneto-' (relating to magnetism, from Greek 'magnes,' meaning magnet) and 'striction' (from Latin 'strictus,' meaning drawn tight or compressed). The word literally means 'magnetic tightening' — a useful image, since the material physically changes dimension under magnetic influence.
Why Pilots Care
Pilots don't interact with magnetostriction directly, but understanding it helps explain how some heading and navigation sensors generate or detect signals reliably without moving parts.
Intuition Check
Magnetostriction is not the same as a magnet attracting metal. It means the metal itself changes shape by a tiny amount when magnetized.
Example Sentence 1
The flux gate compass relies on magnetostriction in its sensing core to detect the Earth's magnetic field.
Example Sentence 2
During the inspection they noted that magnetostriction in the material could affect the accuracy of the transducer reading.