TY - CONF A1 - Nietzke, Jonathan A1 - Rhode, Michael A1 - Mente, Tobias A1 - Kannengießer, Thomas T1 - Experimental and numerical characterization of hydrogen diffusion in thick-walled submerged arc welded joint of S420G2+M offshore steel grade T2 - Proceedings of the Fourth International Conference on Metals & Hydrogen N2 - Offshore wind turbines are an important goal in national energy strategies worldwide. Foundation structures are manufactured from submerged arc welded (SAW) plates with thicknesses up to 200 mm. In that connection, high-strength steels like the S420G2+M are more and more applied offering the possibility for increased stability and load-bearing capacity of the foundations. These offshore steel grades can show a susceptibility for delayed hydrogen assisted cold cracking of the weld joints. For that purpose, a minimum waiting time (MWT) of up to 48 h (dependent on applied standards) is recommended before non-destructive testing is allowed and conducted. But this concept is based on older steel grades that have been used for three or more decades. Nowadays, the metallurgical improvements (clean steels, proper rolling, and heat treatment) of base materials and well as welding consumables must be anticipated. Hence, the MWT concept should be critically discussed as it is assumed to be very conservative. For that reason, the focus of this study was to investigate the diffusion behavior in S420G2+M steel and its multi-layer SAW joint. Electrochemical permeation experiments were carried at room temperature. Boundary conditions were anticipated in terms of using different sample thicknesses. From the experimental data, hydrogen diffusion coefficients and absorbed diffusible hydrogen concentrations had been calculated. It was shown that hydrogen diffusion in the base material is increased compared to the weld metal. In addition, the sample thickness had a significant on the calculated diffusion coefficients. The minimum and maximum diffusion coefficients had been used for numerical modelling of the hydrogen diffusion in the welding joint. It became clear that a MWT must be always regarded together with a critical initial diffusible hydrogen concentration for the evaluation of a possible delayed cracking as diffusion times were mostly > 48 h due to the thick plates. T2 - 4th International Conference on Metals and Hydrogen - Steely & Hydrogen 2022 CY - Ghent, Belgium DA - 11.10.2022 KW - Hydrogen KW - Submerged arc welding KW - Diffusion KW - Minimum waiting time KW - Electrochemical permeation PY - 2022 SP - 1 EP - 11 CY - Ghent, Belgium AN - OPUS4-56075 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -