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This article presents the analysis of environmentally assisted cracking (EAC) processes in two steels containing U-shaped notches through the point method (PM). This methodology belongs to the theory of critical distances (TCD) and has been widely validated in fracture and fatigue analysis in many materials. However, it has never been used in EAC process assessment. The resulting methodology is validated by testing C(T) notched specimens of X80 and S420 steels subjected to aggressive environments under hydrogen embrittlement conditions. The parameters of the TCD have been obtained by finite element simulations, and the results reveal that the PM accurately predicts the crack propagation onset condition (K N IEAC), as well as the evolution of the apparent EAC crack propagation threshold of the material. The study has been completed with an exhaustive analysis of the fracture surfaces to determine the failure mechanisms using scanning electron microscopy (SEM).

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