Hydrogen embrittlement of pearlitic steel in the presence of cracks: A kinematic fracture criterion based on the crack tip strain rate

Abstract

This paper offers a kinematic fracture criterion for hydrogen embrittlement (or hydrogen assisted cracking) of cracked samples of high strength pearlitic steel tested at very different loading/straining rates under cathodic electrochemical conditions promoting hydrogen entry and diffusion into the specimens. The local strain rate at the crack tip (crack tip strain rate CTSR) is shown to be the relevant variable governing the hydrogen embrittlement process. Calculation of the local strain rate is carried out on the basis of the elastic displacement distribution in the vicinity of a crack tip in conditions of plain strain. A local reference length is chosen next to the crack tip, at a distance estimated from the fractographic results of the tests that show a zone microscopically affected by hydrogen. The other relevant variable in hydrogen assisted cracking is the depth of the maximum hydrostatic stress point, which is obtained by using approximate stress distributions in the vicinity of the crack tip in the elastic-plastic regime, or calculated as the asymptotic depth (for quasi-static tests) of the hydrogen affected area.