HY-TOOLBOX: Development of evaluation toolbox for hydrogen embrittlement sensitivity

Purpose and goal

The aim of the project is to develop a Hy-Toolbox, that contains methods to assess risk for hydrogen embrittlement HE, irrespective of H origin and to facilitate the assessment of HE risks for steel producers and users. More specific goals are: provide new possibilities to design more HE resistant steels support environmentally driven process changes and intelligent utilization of coatings use fracture mechanics tests to rank materials and assess fitness for purpose establish link between H content and residual stresses promote safe use of materials in corrosive environments

Expected results and effects

The project results will contribute to safe use of steel by decreasing risks to HE and by supporting steel manufacturers and end users with a versatile, unique, and robust toolbox that consists of modern evaluation methods such as Thermal Desorption Spectroscopy with Mass Spectrometry (TDMS) in combination with fracture mechanics testing, metallographic methods and modern electron microscopy techniques to assess the risks for HE independently of the source of H.

Planned approach and implementation

The project is divided in work packages that includes the following tasks: - Production and delivery of test specimens - HE evaluation: H content and trapping, H diffusivity, fracture mechanics tests, effect of environmental H on the mechanical degradation, metallographic analysis after fracture, and residual stress measurements - Hy-Toolbox development, application and implementation - Coordination and results dissemination