No description available.

Hydrogen embrittlement is a well-known source of cracking in metallic mechanical elements. This work studies the influence of hydrogen and carbides on the crack formation in a castnickel-alloy-component in a selective catalytic reduction system. It was found in literature that the alloy is prone to hydrogen embrittlement, and could therefore be a key factor in the crack formation. Cracks were found in the component, which is subjected to urea vapor (which contains a lot of hydrogen) at high temperatures. The propagation path of the crack seems to follow the carbide network in the material. From these observations two objectives for this project was formulated. The first objective of the work is to determine if hydrogen embrittlementis a plausible theory as a cause of the cracking. The second objective of this work is to investigate whether local stress levels in the vicinity of carbides is further raised by hydrogen. A modified boundary formulation of a crack tip is coupled with hydrogen diffusion, in order to realize the first objective. The coupled mechanical and diffusion problem is solved with a finite element model. The finite element model approximates the concentration of hydrogen that is diffused into the body during the working time, by the process of hydrogen diffusion for various parameters: hydrogen concentration in the crack, carbide trap density, carbide trap energy and more. A literature study is carried out and relevant intervals of such parameters is determined. It is found from the FE model that the concentration of hydrogen, 0.5mm ahead of the crack tip, can be approximately 1000 appm for smaller carbide trap energies (weak traps). For largercarbide trap energies (strong traps), the hydrogen concentration 0.5mm ahead of the crack tipcan be as high as 10000 appm and above. As a range of feasible hydrogen concentrations has been established, the second objective can be considered. The second objective is determined by considering dislocations and hydrogen in the vicinity of a carbide with a discrete dislocation dynamics (DDD) model. A conservative hydrogen concentration of 1000 appm, as well as hydrogen free setting is considered in the DDD simulation. The presence of hydrogen is shown to elevate the local dislocation density byapproximately 20%, which in turn elevates the local stress levels. It is highly plausible that stress levels may be further elevated by hydrogen as hydrogen concentrations from the first objective may be much higher than 1000 appm.

[pt] As tubulações de aços utilizadas pela indústria do petróleo estão constantemente expostas à ação do ácido sulfídrico (H2S) que é o veículo para a difusão do hidrogênio no aço, provocando o surgimento de trincas induzidas pela fragilização por hidrogênio e/ou trincas de corrosão sob tensão. A junta soldada, que é considerada a região crítica dos dutos, foi o objeto de avaliação neste trabalho mediante ensaios de tração sob baixa taxa de deformação (BTD) e através da norma NACE TM0177/96 - Método A (Standard Tensile Test), verificando o seu comportamento quanto à fragilização por hidrogênio e à corrosão sob tensão em aços da classe API grau X70 e X80. Uma solução de tiossulfato de sódio foi utilizada no ensaio BTD para avaliação da fragilização por hidrogênio e corrosão sob tensão, reduzindo custos e atendendo aos ítens de segurança. Os resultados mostraram que os aços API 5L X70 e X80 são susceptíveis à fragilização por hidrogênio e à corrosão sob tensão. / [en] The steel tubes used in the Oil Industry are constantly exposed to hydrogen sulphide (H2S) which leads to the diffusion of hydrogen into the steel, provoking hydrogen induced embrittlement cracks and/or stress corrosion cracking. Welded joints, generally considered to be the critical region in pipelines, were evaluated in this study, using slow strain rate tensile testing (SSRT) and NACE TMO177/96 - Method A (standard tensile test) norm, verifying the behaviour of joints in API X-70 and X-80 grade steels, with regard to hydrogen embrittlement and stress corrosion cracking. Sodium thiosulphate was used in the slow strain rate tests permit the evaluation of hydrogen embrittlement and stress corrosion cracking while reducing testing costs and maintaining safety standards. The results show that the API X-70 and X-80 grade steels are susceptible to hydrogen embrittlement and stress corrosion cracking.

Diverse hypotheses are behind the strength degradation in metals due to hydrogen diffusion, leading to a severe, sudden failure. These diverse hypotheses of hydrogen embrittlement include various mechanisms that are responsible for the embrittlement of metals due to hydrogen exposure in their microstructures. This research study focuses on one hydrogen embrittlement mechanism: Hydrogen-Enhanced-Localized-Plasticity (HELP). The HELP is the only single mechanism characterized by promoting localization of plastic flow ahead of the crack by increasing dislocation motion in that region. The current state of the art is a development of a numerical model representing a fully diffusion-mechanical coupled model. This fully coupled model attempts to gain valuable insights into hydrogen's influence on the mechanical properties and the fatigue life of metals, in general. First, detailed development of a numerical approach is illustrated describing how to fully couple the hydrogen diffusion and stresses using a finite element method. The formulation is based on a coupled temperature-displacement procedure using Abaqus. This coupled computational model, described in this first part, is novel because the mechanical part is based on an isotropic-kinematic hardening law. Furthermore, this fully coupled numerical model can capture both a hardening and softening effect of the stress-strain curve when the solution of the plastic properties is dependent on hydrogen. This can also contribute in a complementary way to the results previously shown by other researchers. Though these previous studies used the same hydrogen diffusion model, their mechanical part was based on a power law. Second, this research attempts to delve into the hydrogen effect on the constitutive response of metals undergoing a cyclic load. Hence, based on the HELP theory, this constitutive coupled model can capture different cyclic hardening behaviors. This study can largely contribute to understanding the degradation of the mechanical properties of materials before crack propagation, which has been heavily covered in the literature.

No description available.

The embrittlement of reactor pressure vessel (RPV) steels due to neutron irradiation restricts the operating lifetime of nuclear reactors. The reference temperature 𝑇0, obtained from fracture mechanics testing using the Master Curve concept, is a good indicator of the irradiation resistance of a material. The measurement of the shift in 𝑇0 after neutron irradiation, which accompanies the embrittlement of the material, using the Master Curve concept, enables the assessment of the reactor materials. In the context of worldwide life time extensions of nuclear power plants, the limited availability of neutron irradiated materials (surveillance materials) is a challenge. Testing of miniaturized 0.16T C(T) specimens manufactured from already tested standard Charpy-sized specimens helps to solve the material shortage problem. In this work, four different reactor pressure vessel steels with different compositions were investigated in the unirradiated and in the neutron-irradiated condition. A total number of 189 mini-C(T) samples were fabricated and tested. An important component of this study is the transferability of fracture mechanics data from mini-C(T) to standard Charpy-sized specimen. Our results demonstrate good agreement of the reference temperatures from the mini-C(T) specimens with those from standard Charpy-sized specimens. RPV steels containing higher Cu and P contents exhibit a higher increase in 𝑇0 after irradiation. The fracture surfaces were investigated using SEM in order to record the location of the fracture initiators. The fracture modes were also determined. A large number of test results formed the basis for a censoring probability function, which was used to optimally select the testing temperature in Master Curve testing. The effect of the slow stable crack growth censoring criteria from ASTM E1921 on the determination of 𝑇0 was analysed and found to have a minor effect. Our results demonstrate the validity of mini-C(T) specimen testing and confirm the role of the impurity elements Cu and P in neutron embrittlement. We anticipate further research linking microstructure to the fracture properties of materials before and after neutron irradiation and the optimization of Master Curve testing using the results from our statistical analysis.

In this work the susceptibility of Fe-10Cr-4Al steel to liquid metal embitterment (LME)in low oxygen environment was investigated. slow strain rate testing (SSRT) wereconducted on 10-4 FeCrAl steel in a stagnant lead from 340-480◦C, lead-bismutheutectic (LBE) from 140-450◦C and lead-bismuth mixture at 375◦C with increasingbismuth content from 0.1wt%-40wt%. The results showed that in the stagnant leadenvironment the FeCrAl steel showed no sign of LME with all samples being subjectedto around 25% strain before final break. In LBE the samples were affected by LMEespecially at 350-400◦C. The total elongation to failure reduced in LBE from 25%to 13.1% and a ductility trough from 190-400◦C was observed. In the lead-bismuthmixture there was a reduction in ductility at 5wt% going from 25% to 20% totalelongation, at 15wt% going from 20% to 16% total elongation and at 30wt% going from16% to 13% total elongation. / I det här arbetet har stålet Fe-10Cr-4Al känslighet till liquidmetal embrittlemnt(LME)i låga syre miljöer av flytande bly, mellan 340-480 °C, och Bly/Vismut eutektisk (LBE),mellan 140-450 °C, undersökts. En stegvis ökning av Vismut halten i flytande blygenfördes också från 0.1 wt% Bi till 40 wt% Bi med en fast temperatur på 375 °C.Resultaten från dessa experiment visade att i ren bly miljö så visade stålet Fe-10Cr-4Al inga tecken på LME, alla prover gick till brott runt 25% strain. I LBE blev ståletsvårt på verkat av LME, framför allt inom temperaturer intervallet 350-400 °C. Dentotala förlängningen av proverna blev här reducerat från 25% ner till 13.1% och en klarduktilitets tråg mellan 190-400 °C kunde observeras. I experimenten med gradvisökande Vismut halt observerades markanta nedgångar i stålets duktilitet vid 5 wt%Bi då den droppar från 25% till 20% förlängning, nästa dropp observerades vid 15 wt%Bi, 20%-16% och vid 30 wt% Bi med ett reduktion från 16% till 13%.

No description available.

Yes / Brittleness in manganese steels can be associated with processing in a "wet¿ [micro]climate resulting in the formation of continuous oxide networks. The formation of these networks can be prevented by sintering in an atmosphere, also ¿local¿ in a semiclosed container, adhering to the Ellingham-Richardson oxide reduction criteria. When this requirement is satisfied, however, further types of ductile ¿ brittle transitions are observed. Rapid cooling, typically above 40°C/min, produces enough martensite to render Fe-(3-4)Mn-(0·6-0·7)C material macroscopically brittle. Quenched and conventionally tempered structures remain brittle. It is tentatively suggested that segregation of minor alloying/tramp element(s), as in cast materials, is responsible for this temper embrittlement. To overcome it, heat treatment at a temperature no higher than 200°C, recovery/stress relief, is recommended.

Many experiments demonstrate that the effects of hydrogen solutes decrease macroscopic fracture stresses and strains in ductile materials. Hydrogen-related failures have occurred in nearly all industries involving hydrogen-producing environments. The financial losses incurred from those failures reaches millions if not billions of dollars annually. With the ever-urgent needs for alternative energy sources, there is a strong push for a hydrogen economy from government and private sectors. Safe storage and transportation of hydrogen increases the momentum for studying hydrogen-related failures, especially in ductile materials. To quantify ductile material damage with the effects of hydrogen embrittlement, it is necessary to add hydrogen effects into the void nucleation, void growth, and void coalescence equations. In this research, hydrogen-enhanced void nucleation is our focus, with hydrogen-enhanced void growth and void coalescence t be studied in the future. Molecular Dynamic (MD) and Monte Carlo (MC) simulations with Embedded Atom Method (EAM) potentials were performed to study how hydrogen affects dislocation nucleation, dislocation structure formation and nanovoid nucleation at nickel grain boundaries. The results were inserted into the continuum void nucleation model by Horstemeyer and Gokhale, and the relationships between stress triaxiality-driven void nucleation, grain boundary hydrogen concentrations and local grain geometries were extracted. MD and MC simulations with EAM potentials were also performed to study how hydrogen interstitials affect the dislocation nucleation, dislocation structure formation and subsequent anovoid nucleation of single crystal nickel in different hydrogen-charging conditions. Evolutions of dislocation structures of nickel single crystal with different hydrogen concentrations were compared. The effects of nanovoid nucleation stress and strain at different hydrogen concentrations were quantified. The results were also inserted into the Horstemeyer and Gokhale model and the relationship between stress triaxiality-driven void nucleation and hydrogen concentration caused by stress gradient, which showed similar trends as the grain boundary studies. From nanoscale studies and existing experimental observations, a continuum void nucleation model with hydrogen effects was proposed and used in a continuum damage model based upon Bammann and coworkers. The damage model was implemented into user material code in FEA code ABAQUS. Finite element analyses were performed and the results were compared to the experimental data by Kwon and Asaro.