TY - CONF A1 - Shikomba, Nikanor A1 - Böllinghaus, Thomas A1 - Konert, Florian A1 - Sobol, Oded A1 - Blasón Gonzalez, Sergio A1 - Krafft, Eike A1 - Staudt, Thorsten T1 - Testing the resistance of low-alloyed steel welds for pressurized gaseous hydrogen applications N2 - Green hydrogen has become an essential energy carrier to achieve a climate-neutral economy. The production, storage, transport and usage of green hydrogen (GH2) requires facilities and systems that are safe and sustainable. Systems for GH2 facilities, especially for storage and transport are mainly assembled of welded steel components. These components are exposed to the gaseous hydrogen environment throughout their service life. In contrast to hydrogen absorption from electrochemical environments entailing hydrogen-assisted corrosion cracking, the absorption and material degradation in gaseous environments have less been investigated. Nevertheless, the degradation of mechanical properties in materials and their welds due to absorbed hydrogen poses significant risks, including cracking and leakages. To ensure the safety and reliability of GH2 facilities throughout their service life, it is crucial to investigate and prevent such hydrogen-induced degradation, thereby avoiding potential incidental and accidental scenarios. Due to the worldwide technology push for new energy carriers like GH2 and its derivates, extensive research and testing of welded components is not an option to avoid delays in the GH2-readiness of respective facilities. The present contribution shows how to investigate the compatibility of low alloyed steels and their welds for GH2 storage and transport subjected to quasi-static mechanical loads in principle by utilizing the Slow Strain Rate Test (SSRT) with the Hollow Specimen Technique (HST). Exemplarily, low-alloyed steel welds of the P355NL1 type currently used for hydrogen storage tanks at intermediate pressures have been investigated and compared to welds of type X65, as a very common pipeline material. Test results show a higher value of the Hydrogen Embrittlement Index (HEI) in weld specimens than the base specimens in both investigated materials. HEI of 8.3% was recorded in base specimens and 15% in weld specimens of P355NL1, while X65 EI gives 30.2% in BM and 27.7 in WM. The fractography analysis reveals that hydrogen promotes the transition from tensile fracture to brittle fracture. Hydrogen did not show any effect on the yield strength and tensile strength of all tested specimens. However, it affects the plastic elongation of the tested materials. In conclusion, the obtained HEI values indicate a mild but significant degradation in the materials. The results confirm that hydrogen absorption from gaseous environments leads to a reduction in the mechanical properties of steels and their welds, with a more pronounced impact on ductility than on strength. T2 - IIW Annual Assembly July 2024, Commission XI CY - Rhodes, Greece DA - 07.07.2024 KW - Hydrogen-assisted cracking KW - Welded joint KW - Hollow specimens KW - SSRT KW - Structural steels PY - 2024 AN - OPUS4-61113 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Grimault de Freitas, Tomás A1 - Konert, Florian A1 - Nietzke, Jonathan A1 - Krzysch, Zephanja A1 - Böllinghaus, Thomas A1 - Michler, Thorsten A1 - Wackermann, Ken A1 - Oesterlin, Heiner A1 - Tlili, Mohamed A1 - Ruchti, Peter A1 - Beitelschmidt, Denise A1 - Elsen-Humberg, Stephan A1 - Koenigs, Timo A1 - Systermans, Thomas A1 - Sobol, Oded T1 - Tensile testing in high-pressure gaseous hydrogen using the hollow specimen method N2 - Metallic materials, predominantly steels, are the most common structural materials in the various components along the hydrogen supply chain. Ensuring their sustainable and safe use in hydrogen technologies is a key factor in the ramp-up of the hydrogen economy. This requires extensive materials qualification, however, most of the accepted; and standardized test methods for determining the influence of gaseous hydrogen on metallic materials describe complex and costly procedures that are only available to a very limited extent worldwide. The hollow specimen technique is a simple, rapid, and economical method designed to overcome the limitations of the current methods for the qualification of metallic materials under high-pressure hydrogen gas. However, this technique is not yet standardized. The TransHyDE-H2Hohlzug project is presented in this article, along with the main steps required to optimize the hollow specimen technique. This includes closing knowledge gaps related to the specimen geometry, surface quality, and gas purity in dedicated working packages, thus contributing to a comprehensive standardization of the technique for tests in high-pressure hydrogen gas. KW - High-pressure Gaseous Hydrogen KW - Hydrogen Embrittlement KW - Tensile Testing KW - Hollow Specimen Technique PY - 2024 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-610557 DO - https://doi.org/10.1557/s43577-024-00776-9 VL - 49 SP - 1 EP - 9 PB - Springer Nature AN - OPUS4-61055 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Grimault de Freitas, Tomás A1 - de Araujo Abilio, André A1 - Konert, Florian A1 - Nietzke, Jonathan A1 - Krzysch, Zephanja A1 - Böllinghaus, Thomas A1 - Sobol, Oded T1 - Challenges with metallic materials for the transport and storage of hydrogen N2 - The hydrogen economy is one of the most important solutions to achieve climate neutrality in Europe. It involves the production, storage, transport and use of large quantities of hydrogen in existing and new infrastructures. Components along this supply chain, such as pipelines and storage tanks, are made of various metallic materials, with steel being the most common construction material. The rapid introduction of hydrogen therefore brings with it major challenges, in particular the need for comprehensive qualification of components and materials to ensure the sustainable and safe use of hydrogen technologies. This article provides an overview of the state of the art in the testing of materials and components as well as corresponding future trends and developments for a successful transition to a hydrogen economy. T2 - VGBE - Materials and Quality Assurance 2023 CY - Bergheim, Germany DA - 10.05.2023 KW - Hydrogen Embrittlement KW - Materials Testing KW - Component Testing KW - High-Pressure Gaseous Hydrogen KW - Hollow Specimen Technique PY - 2024 VL - 4 SP - 60 EP - 64 PB - VGBE Energy AN - OPUS4-60686 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Mente, Tobias A1 - Grimault de Freitas, Tomás A1 - Nietzke, Jonathan A1 - Konert, Florian A1 - Sobol, Oded A1 - Wackermann, Ken A1 - Ruchti, Peter A1 - Elsen-Humberg, Stefan A1 - Systermans, Thomas ED - Zimmermann, Martina T1 - Hohlzugprüfung als kostengünstige Methode zur Werkstoffcharakterisierung für die Wasserstoffwirtschaft N2 - Wasserstoff ist ein notwendiger Baustein zur Erreichung zukünftiger Klimaziele. Für eine schnell hochlaufende Wasserstoffwirtschaft ist es daher notwendig sowohl bestehende Infrastruktur als auch neue Werkstoffe für den sicheren und nachhaltigen Einsatz in Wasserstofftechnologien zu qualifizieren. Die akzeptierten und standardisierten Prüfverfahren zur Ermittlung des Einflusses gasförmigen Wasserstoffs auf die mechanischen Eigenschaften metallischer Werkstoffe sind meist sehr komplex, mit hohem technologischem und finanziellem Aufwand verbunden und stehen nur Wenigen Instituten weltweit zur Verfügung. Die Hohlzugprüftechnik bietet hier eine kostengünstige und einfach zu realisierende Alternative. Mit der im Jahr 2024 erstmals veröffentlichten ISO 7039 wurde diese Prüftechnik auch für die Wirtschaft anwendbar gemacht. Der Standard gilt allgemein für die Prüfung mit gasförmigen Medien, weist jedoch in Bezug auf die Prüfung mit gasförmigem Wasserstoff noch einige Wissenslücken auf. Im Teilvorhaben H2HohlZug des Leitprojekt TransHyDE werden die Lücken zum Einfluss der Geometrie, Oberflächenqualität sowie Gasreinheit in einzelnen Arbeitspaketen geschlossen und die Erkenntnisse in einen Standard überführt. T2 - 43. Vortrags- und Diskussionstagung Werkstoffprüfung 2025 - Werkstoffe und Bauteile auf dem Prüfstand CY - Dresden, Germany DA - 27.11.2025 KW - Hohlzugprüfung KW - Druckwasserstoff KW - ISO 7039 KW - H2HohlZug - TransHyDE PY - 2025 SN - 978-3-88355-454-9 SP - 11 EP - 17 PB - Deutsche Gesellschaft für Materialkunde e.V. (DGM) CY - Dresden AN - OPUS4-64937 LA - deu AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Konert, Florian A1 - Freitas, Tomás T1 - 5. Vollversammlung TransHyDE N2 - Die im Jahr 2025 abgeschlossenen Meilensteine des Projektes H2HohlZug werden präsentiert. Diese umfassen die nationale Einigung auf eine Probengeometrie sowie die Testbedingungen. Weiter wurde ein Normentwurf in das ISO-Gremium eingebracht. Die begleitenden Publikationen in Fachzeitschriften sowie Beteiligungen an Konferenzen werden zusammengefasst. Abschließend wird der Ablauf des internationalen Round-Robins beschrieben und der Transfer der Kenntnisse in den Normungsprozess erläutert.“ T2 - 5. TransHyDE Vollversammlung CY - Leipzig, Germany DA - 26.11.2025 KW - Hohlzugprobe KW - TransHyDE KW - Norm PY - 2025 AN - OPUS4-64976 LA - deu AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Nietzke, Jonathan A1 - Konert, Florian A1 - Poka, Konstantin A1 - Merz, Benjamin A1 - Sobol, Oded A1 - Böllinghaus, Thomas T1 - Comparison of hydrogen effects on additively manufactured and conventional austenitic steels N2 - Hydrogen and its derivatives are promising energy carriers for future renewable energy supplies. Austenitic stainless steels, such as AISI 316L, are commonly used in hydrogen transportation systems. While often thought to be resistant to hydrogen embrittlement, studies have shown that 316L is susceptible under certain conditions. As demand for hydrogen applications grows, additive manufacturing (AM) technologies offer design flexibility and customisation benefits. However, data on AM parts behaviour in hydrogen environments is lacking. This study investigates the influence of hydrogen on mechanical properties using slow strain rate testing (SSRT) on conventional AISI 304L, 316L and AM 316L specimens. The results indicate a greater effect of hydrogen on 304L compared to 316L, with AM 316L showing increased susceptibility. However, the ductility of AM 316L remains comparable to conventional 316L due to its initial ductility. The study provides insights into the performance of conventional and AM austenitic stainless steels in gaseous hydrogen environments. KW - Slow strain rate testing KW - Hollow specimen KW - Hydrogen embrittlement KW - Additive manufacturing KW - Austenitic steel PY - 2025 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-615919 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.engfailanal.2024.109042 SN - 1350-6307 VL - 167 SP - 1 PB - Elsevier B.V. AN - OPUS4-61591 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Konert, Florian A1 - Nietzke, Jonathan A1 - Grimault de Freitas, Tomás A1 - Rhode, Michael A1 - Sobol, Oded A1 - Böllinghaus, Thomas T1 - Investigation of resistance to gaseous hydrogen of a longitudinal weld seam in a X65 pipeline using the hollow specimen technique N2 - The constantly increasing demand for renewable energy sources leads to the necessity of transporting large amounts of hydrogen. Since pipelines enable a cost-effective way for the distribution of gaseous hydrogen, the interaction of hydrogen and the pipeline materials must be carefully investigated as hydrogen can cause a degradation of the mechanical properties under certain conditions. Especially welds, which are assumed to be more susceptible to the degradation enhanced by hydrogen, are of great interest. The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of gaseous hydrogen on the mechanical properties of an X65 pipeline, and the longitudinal submerged arc welding (SAW) welded joint. The tests are conducted using the hollow specimen technique on two types of specimens: one extracted from the base material (BM) and the other extracted as a cross-weld (CW) specimen consisting of BM and weld seam. The specimens are charged in situ under a pressure of 60 bar and tested using slow strain rate (SSR) tensile tests with a nominal strain rate of 10−5 s−1. The properties obtained of specimens tested in hydrogen atmosphere are compared to the properties of comparable specimen in inert argon atmosphere as a reference. The performed tests showed a decrease of the reduction of area (RA) from 72% in inert atmosphere to 52% in hydrogen atmosphere for the CW specimen and a decrease from 73% in inert atmosphere to 51% for the BM. Metallographic analyses showed the crack initiation between fine-grained heat-affected zone (FGHAZ) and BM for the specimens tested in hydrogen atmosphere as well as for the reference specimens. This leads to the conclusion that the location of the crack initiation does not change due to the presence of gaseous hydrogen. KW - Hydrogen KW - Hollow specimen technique KW - Pipeline KW - SSRT KW - Hydrogen embrittlement KW - Cross-weld specimen PY - 2025 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-624658 DO - https://doi.org/10.1007/s40194-025-01953-3 SN - 0043-2288 SN - 1878-6669 VL - 69 IS - 3 SP - 861 EP - 870 PB - Springer CY - Berlin AN - OPUS4-62465 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Shikomba, Nikanor A1 - Böllinghaus, Thomas A1 - Konert, Florian A1 - Sobol, Oded A1 - Blasón Gonzalez, Sergio A1 - Ohijeagbon, Idehai Olayemi A1 - Krafft, Eike A1 - Staudt, Thorsten T1 - Resistance of welded low-alloyed pressure vessel and pipeline steels in gaseous hydrogen N2 - Green hydrogen has become an essential energy carrier to achieve a climate-neutral economy. The production, storage, transport and usage of green hydrogen require safe and sustainable facilities and systems. The present contribution provides a procedure guideline to investigate the compatibility of steel welds for pressurised gaseous hydrogen applications under quasi-static mechanical loads, utilising the slow strain rate test and hollow specimen technique. Exemplarily, a weld of the low-alloyed steel P355NL1 was investigated and compared to an X65 weld. The results indicate that the base metal exhibits a higher ductility than the weld metal for both steels. Generally, hydrogen-exposed specimens exhibited a reduced strain, as compared to reference specimens. The hydrogen degradation, evaluated by the hydrogen embrittlement index, was more pronounced in the weld metal compared to the base P355NL1 material, whereas the X65 exhibited a larger hydrogen degradation of the base material than in the weld metal. Fractographic analysis of the test specimens revealed that hydrogen causes a transition from ductile to brittle features. Generally, the results of this study indicate a mild but significant degradation of the mechanical properties in terms of the ductility of the welds in the respective pressurised hydrogen atmosphere. KW - Hydrogen-assisted cracking KW - Welded joint KW - Slow strain rate test KW - Hollow Specimen KW - Structural steel PY - 2025 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-634138 DO - https://doi.org/10.1007/s40194-025-02074-7 SN - 0043-2288 SP - 1 EP - 15 PB - Springer CY - Berlin AN - OPUS4-63413 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Campari, Alessandro A1 - Konert, Florian A1 - Razavi, Nima A1 - Sobol, Oded A1 - Alvaro, Antonio T1 - Hydrogen-assisted cracking: A deep learning approach for fractographic analysis N2 - Hydrogen handling equipment suffers from interaction with their operating environment, which degrades the mechanical properties and compromises component integrity. Hydrogen-assisted cracking is responsible for several industrial failures with potentially severe consequences. A thorough failure analysis can determine the failure mechanism, locate its origin, and identify possible root causes to avoid similar events in the future. Postmortem fractographic analysis can classify the fracture mode and determine whether the hydrogen-metal interaction contributed to the component’s breakdown. Experts in fracture classification identify characteristic marks and textural features by visual inspection to determine the failure mechanism. Although widely adopted, this process is time-consuming and influenced by subjective judgment and individual expertise. This study aims to automate fractographic analysis through advanced computer vision techniques. Different materials were tested in hydrogen atmospheres and inert environments, and their fracture surfaces were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy to create an extensive image dataset. A pre-trained Convolutional Neural Network was finetuned to accurately classify brittle and ductile fractures. In addition, Grad-CAM interpretability method was adopted to identify the image regions most influential in the model’s prediction and compare the saliency maps with expert annotations. This approach offered a reliable data-driven alternative to conventional fractographic analysis. KW - Failure analysis KW - Fractographic analysis KW - Hydrogen embrittlement KW - Material compatibility PY - 2026 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-646610 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.commatsci.2025.114366 SN - 0927-0256 VL - 262 SP - 1 EP - 16 PB - Elsevier Science CY - Amsterdam [u.a.] AN - OPUS4-64661 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -