Resistance to hydrogen embrittlement of low alloy steels was evaluated based on their critical hydrogen content and critical stress. Constant load test (CLT), Slow Strain Rate Test (SSRT) and Conventional Strain Rate Test (CSRT) were carried out using JIS-SCM435 and V-added steels in six laboratories. It was confirmed that the same test results were obtained in different laboratories under the same test conditions. Furthermore, the relationships between diffusible hydrogen content and nominal fracture stress obtained by means of CLT and SSRT were similar to each other. In CSRT, the nominal fracture stress was higher than that in CLT and SSRT under the same absorbed hydrogen content in the specimens. In SSRT and CSRT, fracture surfaces showed Quasi-cleavage mode under small hydrogen content, while they showed Inter-granular fracture under large hydrogen content. In order to compare the three methods considering the concentration of hydrogen in stress field, locally accumulated hydrogen content under the same fracture stress is calculated. The locally accumulated hydrogen under the same applied stress, in other words, critical hydrogen content to hydrogen embrittlement, is the following order; SSRT < CLT < CSRT in JIS-SCM435, and CSRT < CLT ≒ SSRT in V-added steels.
To investigate causes of superior hydrogen embrittlement resistance of drawn pearlitic steel, notched microcantilevers with different notch orientations with respect to the lamellar interface were fabricated by focused ion beam, and microbending tests were conducted in air and during cathodic hydrogen charging by electrochemical nanoindentation. In air, indentation load monotonically increased with increase in indentation displacement, and no crack appeared for any notch orientations. During hydrogen charging, indentation load declined, and a crack appeared. The load reduction with respect to the displacement was larger, and the crack was deeper for the notch parallel to the lamellar interface than that normal to the lamellar interface. Furthermore, stationary cracks in the microcantilevers were observed by scanning electron microscopy and scanning transmission electron microscopy. For the notch parallel to the lamellar interface, a sharp long crack was identified along the lamellar interface. The crack stopped at the position where the cementite lamellae are disconnected. In lattice images, cementite was identified in one side of the crack, and ferrite in another side of the same crack. On the other hand, for the notch normal to the lamellar interface, a blunt short crack was identified. Thus, it was concluded that the ferrite-cementite interface is a preferential crack path, and hydrogen embrittlement resistance in the direction parallel to the lamellar interface is superior to that normal to the lamellar interface. The present results also indicate that directional lamellar alignment of the drawn pearlitic steel suppresses crack propagation in the radial direction of the drawn wire, improving the hydrogen embrittlement resistance in the drawing direction.
To investigate causes of superior hydrogen embrittlement resistance of drawn pearlitic steel, notched microcantilevers with different notch orientations were fabricated by focused ion beam, and microbending tests were conducted in air and during cathodic hydrogen charging by electrochemical nanoindentation. In air, indentation load increased with increase in indentation displacement, and no crack appeared for any notch orientations. During hydrogen charging, indentation load declined, and a crack appeared. The degree in the load reduction was larger, and the crack was deeper for the notch parallel to the lamellar interface than that normal to the lamellar interface. Furthermore, stationary cracks in the microcantilevers were observed by scanning electron microscopy and scanning transmission electron microscopy. For the notch parallel to the lamellar interface, a sharp long crack was identified along the lamellar interface. The crack stopped at the position where the cementite lamellae are disconnected. In lattice images, cementite was identified in one side of the crack, and ferrite in another side of the same crack. On the other hand, for the notch normal to the lamellar interface, a blunt short crack was identified. Thus, it was concluded that the ferrite-cementite interface is a preferential crack path, and hydrogen embrittlement resistance in the direction parallel to the lamellar interface is superior to that normal to the lamellar interface. The present results also indicate that directional lamellar alignment of the drawn pearlitic steel suppresses crack propagation in the radial direction of the drawn wire, improving the hydrogen embrittlement resistance in the drawing direction.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.