Hydrogen Embrittlement Mechanism of Ultrafine-grained Iron with Different Grain Sizes

Abstract

To investigate the effect of grain sizes on hydrogen embrittlement of 4N-purity iron, miniature tensile tests were conducted after hydrogen charging for ultrafine-grained specimens produced by high-pressure torsion and subsequent annealing. Hydrogen embrittlement indexes defined from reduction of area were increased with decreasing grain size, and shear-type fracture was occurred with fine dimples on the fracture surface of the specimen with a smaller grain size. The formation and growth of microvoids at triple junctions of grain boundaries ahead of propagated cracks were responsible for such earlier sheartype fracture because necking between adjacent microvoids is more likely and extensively occurred. In the specimens with larger grain sizes or without hydrogen charging, on the other hand, local coalescence and growth of microvoids were predominant due to longer distances between triple junctions, resulting in void coalescence-type fracture with coarser dimple patterns. Therefore, hydrogen atoms introduced by hydrogen charging are considered to enhance the formation of deformation-induced vacancies in ultrafine-grained iron, resulting in shear-type fracture with finer dimple patterns.

Multi-scale analysis method for crack damage in 8Cr4Mo4V alloys

“…Supplementary Fig. 4d combines simulation, experimental, and literature data 45,46 on yield stress, and fits a formula for the relationship between material yield stress and average grain size under multi-scale conditions. The specific formula is described in detail in the Methods section.…”