Hydrogen embrittlement: an interfacial phenomenon

Hydrogen transport during a test and hydrogen segregation to twins, second phase particles and precipitation products prior to testing are shown to adversely effect the mechanical properties of metals. Hydrogen embrittlement processes in austenitic stainless steel, mild steel and aluminum occurred primarily by hydrogen induced weakening of the interfaces associated with specific metallographic features. In impact and slow bend tests of 21-6-9 and 304L stainless steels, the effect of hydrogen manifests itself in hydrogen induced faceted fracture along interfaces in the metal lattice. The extent of this weakening increases as the hydrogen content in the test sample is increased and during slow strain rate studies which promote hydrogen redistribution during the test. Disk rupture studies with 1015 and 1018 steels show that hydrogen segregation to the inclusion-matrix interface weakens the interface to such a degree that rapid fracture occurs. Studies with aluminum also indicate that hydrogen segregation to an interface degrades the mechanical properties. In age hardening experiments, hydrogen segregation caused an increase in the overaging kinetics in 2024 Al. This caused local softening of the aluminum and was probably due to the effect of hydrogen in promoting a loss of coherency at precipitate-matrix interfaces. The combined results of these tests support a decohesion type embrittlement mechanism, with the decohesion occurring at the interfaces. The results also suggest that any decohesion type mechanism must take into account the importance of hydrogen segregation and dislocation transport of hydrogen in the embrittlement process.

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Science

Level thesis:degree_level

masters

Department dc:contributor.department

Materials Engineering

Grantor dc:publisher

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Year dc:date.issued

1982

Author dc:creator

• Wagner, John A.

Statement dc:rights

• In Copyright

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

Language dc:language.iso

en_US

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/10919/88569

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/88569