The influence of composition and microstructure on susceptibility to hydrogen induced cracking (HIC) was investigated in high strength pipeline steels, with Mn contents of 1.2% (standard, X70), and 0.5% (medium, MX70). The HIC resistance of the simulated coarse grained heat affected zone microstructures and normalized X70 transfer bar was also investigated. Notched and fatigue pre-cracked samples were charged with hydrogen prior to three point bend tests. The conditional fracture toughness JQ was determined. The results are discussed in relation to grain size, microstructure, composition and the type and distribution of non-metallic inclusions and precipitates. Published as "Effect of manganese content and microstructure on the susceptibility of X70 pipeline steel to hydrogen cracking" AbstractHydrogen, even in very low concentrations, can diffuse to regions of high stress concentration resulting in a degradation of mechanical properties. However, the transport of hydrogen depends on the interaction between hydrogen atoms and microstructural traps which, in turn, is related to microstructure. The influence of composition and microstructure on susceptibility to hydrogen embrittlement was investigated by selecting pipeline steels with different Mn contents, i.e., standard Mn (X70) and medium Mn (MX70) strips. The HAZ (heat affected zone) microstructures of these strips as well as a normlised transfer bar (TB) were also investigated. HAZ simulations were conducted using Gleeble thermo-mechanical machine to simulate a thermal cycle typical of inservice repairs. Notched and fatigue pre-cracked samples were subjected to electrochemical hydrogen charging using a solution of H 2 SO 4 and NaAsO 2 to achieve 2 and 4 ppm hydrogen content. Three point bend tests were conducted on as-received and hydrogen-charged samples. The X70 strip exhibited a higher J Q than the MX70 strip before and after charging, whereas the TB displayed the lowest J Q . The fracture performance of both steels deteriorated almost linearly with an increase in the hydrogen content. Because of their coarser prior austenite grain sizes and the presence of relatively hard bainitic-ferrite structure with martensite/austenite islands, the simulated HAZ microstructures of the two steels demonstrated significantly lower fracture resistance both with and without hydrogen. The results obtained were compared and discussed in relation to the grain size, microstructure, composition and the type and distribution of precipitates in the samples.

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The role of microstructure in susceptibility to hydrogen uptake and property degradation is being evaluated using a number of high strength pipeline steels. To do so, a cellular automaton (CA) model has been used to examine the effect of grain size, as a first step in assessing the influence of microstructure. The simulation results of hydrogen diffusion into microstructures with different grain sizes are presented.

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