Hydrogen embrittlement of ASTM A 203 D nuclear structural steel

Abstract

The influence of hydrogen on the mechanical properties of ASTM A 203 D nuclear structural steel has been studied by tension, bend and delayed-failure tests at room temperature. While the tension tests of hydrogen charged unnotched specimens reveal no change in ultimate strength and ductility, the effect of hydrogen is manifested in notched specimens (tensile and bend) as a decrease in ultimate strength (maximum load in bend test) and ductility; the effect increases with increasing hydrogen content. It is observed that for a given hydrogen concentration, the decrease in bend ductility is remarkably large compared to that in tensile ductility. Hydrogen charging does not cause any delayed-failure upto 200 h under an applied tensile stress, 0.85 times the notch tensile strength. However delayed failure occurs in hydrogen charged bend samples in less than 10 h under an applied bending load of about 0.80 times of the uncharged maximum load. Fractographs of hydrogen charged unnotched specimens show ductile dimple fracture, while those of notched tension and bend specimens under hydrogen-charged conditions show a mixture of ductile dimple and quasi-cleavage cracking. The proportion of quasi-cleavage cracking increases with increasing hydrogen content and this fracture mode is more predominant in bend specimens. The changes in tensile properties and fracture modes can reasonably be explained by existing theories of hydrogen embrittlement. An attempt is made to explain the significant difference in the embrittlement susceptibility of bend and tensile specimens in the light of difference in triaxiality and plastic zone size near the notch tip.