A method of initializing a multiferroic element for obtaining a stable element operation includes applying at least one selected from a group consisting of an electric field and a magnetic field to the multiferroic element under a temperature condition equal to or higher than a phase transition temperature. The multiferroic element has a laminated structural body including a first alloy layer and a second alloy layer. The first alloy layer is formed by using any of antimony-tellurium, bismuth-tellurium and bismuth-selenium as a principal component. The second alloy layer is laminated on the first alloy layer, and formed by using a compound represented by the following general formula (1) as a principal component. The second alloy layer is configured to undergo phase transition between a reset phase and a set phase. Electric polarization is not caused in the reset phase, but caused in the set phase. The second alloy layer undergoes the phase transition from the reset phase to the set phase at the phase transition temperature. [Chemical Formula 1]
M.sub.1-xTe.sub.x (1)
Here, in the above-mentioned general formula (1), M represents an atom of any of germanium, aluminum and silicon, and x represents a numerical value of 0.5 or more and lower than 1.

The invention concerns a method of machining a workpiece, wherein an end-facing tooth edge of a gear profile of the workpiece that was generated by a chip-removing machining process is reworked at a first location into a chamfered edge by way of a plastic forming operation. The material which in the plastic forming operation was displaced towards the end surface of the gear profile is pushed outward as a material protrusion in the end surface of the tooth, while the material displaced towards the flank of the tooth is pushed outward as a material protrusion on the flank side of the chamfer, and the resulting material protrusions in the end surface and on the flank side are removed. The workpiece, while still carrying the material protrusion on the end surface of the gear profile, is transferred to a second location where the protrusion on the flank side of the chamfer is removed.