Abstract
The embrittlement of alloy 82 welds exposed to a simulated pressurised water reactor (PWR) environment was analysed and compared with that observed for cathodically hydrogen-precharged specimens. Similarities in mechanical behaviour, i.e. the evolution of the constitutive equations with a decrease in flow stress compared with non-precharged specimens, and in the fracture modes, with brittle zones in the outer layer, enabled us to conclude that the embrittlement observed in simulated PWR environment corresponded to a two-step hydrogen-assisted cracking mechanism. The first step corresponded to hydrogen absorption into the surface layer leading to crack initiation, and the second step to hydrogen localisation ahead of the crack tip promoting crack propagation.
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