TY - CONF A1 - Rhode, Michael T1 - Component test for the assessment of hydrogen assisted cracking susceptibility of thick-walled submerged arc welded offshore steels N2 - Offshore wind turbines (OWT) are a key factor of the sustainable energy generation of tomorrow. The continuously increasing installation depths and weight of the OWTs require suitable foundation concepts like monopiles or tripods. Typically, mild steels like the S420ML are used with plate thicknesses up to several hundreds of mm causing high restraints in the weld joints. Due to the large plate thickness, submerged arc welding (SAW) with multiple wires is the state-of-the-art welding procedure. As a result of the very high stiffness of the construction, a certain susceptibility for time-delayed hydrogen-assisted cracking (HAC) may occur. The evaluation of crack susceptibility is very complex due to the component size and stiffness of real offshore structures. For this purpose, a near-component test geometry was developed to transfer the real stiffness conditions to laboratory (i.e., workshop) scale. The investigated mock-up, weighing 350 kg, comprised heavy plates (thickness 50 mm, seam length 1,000 m) joined by a 22-pass submerged arc weld. Additional stiffeners simulated the effect of high restraint or shrinkage restraint of the weld. Extreme scenarios of hydrogen absorption during welding were simulated via the use of welding fluxes in dry (HD < 5 ml/100g Fe) and moisture condition (HD > 15 ml/100g Fe). The residual stresses were determined by a robot X-ray diffractometer. Areas of critical tensile residual stress (at the level of the yield strength) were found in the weld metal and heat affected zone. To identify possible delayed cracking, the welds were tested by phased array ultrasonic testing (PAUT) after 48 h. Summarized, no significant occurrence of HAC was detected, indicating the high crack resistance of the welded joint, i.e., a suitable combination of base material, welding consumable and welding parameters. T2 - AJP 2023: 3rd International Conference on Advanced Joining Processes 2023 CY - Braga, Portugal DA - 19.10.2023 KW - Hydrogen assisted cracking KW - Submerged arc welding KW - Component test KW - NDT KW - Waiting time PY - 2023 AN - OPUS4-58672 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Rhode, Michael T1 - Effect of Ti and Nb on hydrogen trapping in welded S690 HSLA steel and effect on delayed cold cracking N2 - Fine-grain, high-strength, low-alloy (HSLA) structural steels with yield strengths > 600 MPa are now the state of the art in construction applications such as mobile cranes and civil engineering. HSLA grades derive their strength from a combination of specific heat treatment and the underlying chemical composition. In this context, Ti or Nb are essential to obtain a fine-grained microstructure as well as the necessary carbides or nitrides for precipitation strengthening. In this context, the specific effect of Ti or Nb-rich compounds on hydrogen trapping and diffusion is well known for special laboratory cast alloys, but unknown for realistic steel compositions. For this reason, a series of S690Q-based alloys were synthesized, close to a real steel composition, but with well controlled Ti or Nb additions in different amounts. Specimens were obtained from these alloys by electrochemical discharge machining (EDM). The specimens were tested using the well-established electrochemical permeation technique. From the experimental results, the hydrogen diffusion coefficients and the analytical subsurface hydrogen concentration were calculated. In addition, the hydrogen trapping behavior at elevated temperatures was interpreted by thermal desorption analysis (TDA) using different heating rates of hydrogen charged samples. The results showed that in contrast to metallurgically "pure" laboratory cast alloys, realistic chemical compositions were similar in their hydrogen trapping behavior, despite some small differences. All investigated steel grades exhibited shallow and reversible hydrogen trapping, regardless of their chemical composition. Of course, the experiments only allowed the calculation of effective diffusion coefficients and trapping energies, which represent an average of the entire microstructure. Nevertheless, HSLA steels are typically joined by arc welding, which includes the risk of delayed hydrogen assisted cracking. From the point of view of welding practice, however, a more or less identical hydrogen diffusion behavior means that no special "metallurgically specific", justifiable measures need to be considered, despite the well-established processes such as "soaking" or dehydrogenation heat treatment. Of course, a closer look at the heat-affected zone (HAZ) or the weld metal of the specific welds is necessary. However, especially in the case of thick-walled welds, it is assumed that the weld metal and HAZ are similar to the base material due to the multi-layer welding, which results in multiple annealing cycles of the weld metal and HAZ. T2 - FEMS Euromat 2025 - 18th European Congress and Exhibition on Advanced Materials and Processes CY - Granada, Spain DA - 15.09.2025 KW - Hydrogen assisted cracking KW - HSLA KW - Diffusion KW - Electrochemical permeation PY - 2025 AN - OPUS4-64156 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Steffens, B. R. A1 - Böllinghaus, Thomas A1 - Shoales, G. A. A1 - Rhode, Michael ED - Somerday, B. P. ED - Sofronis, P. T1 - Hydrogen dependent material properties of UHSS for aerospace applications N2 - Quantitative investigations of hydrogen dependent properties of aircraft landing gear materials have only scarcely been carried out in the past. They are essential for respective component life time assessments. To better understand the behavior of these landing gear materials in a hydrogen rich environment, specimens were charged in the condition as delivered with known concentrations of hydrogen and then mechanically tested to evaluate the degradation effects. The present contribution is focused on evaluating the hydrogen concentration dependent material properties and the respective fracture topographies of the two investigated steels, and then continued by the comparison of the results with other previously investigated martensitic steels in order to better understand the thresholds for these materials to maintain structural integrity. T2 - International Hydrogen Conference 2016 CY - Jackson Lake Lodge, Moran, WY, USA DA - 11.09.2016 KW - Material properties KW - Hydrogen assisted cracking KW - Degradation KW - Aerospace materials KW - Ultra high strength steels PY - 2017 SN - 978-0-7918-6138-7 DO - https://doi.org/10.1115/1.861387_ch12 SP - 123 EP - 131 PB - ASME CY - New York, USA AN - OPUS4-42504 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Rhode, Michael T1 - Hydrogen diffusion in thick-walled S690 SAW joints: Part 1 - Experimental determination of microstructure dependent diffusion coefficients N2 - S690 steels are widely used in heavy-duty applications, such as structural components, mobile cranes, and industrial plant construction, owing to their high strength and weldability. However, thick-plate submerged arc welding (SAW) can introduce elevated hydrogen levels and residual stresses that promote time-delayed hydro-gen-assisted cold cracking (HACC). Accurate, microstructure-specific diffusion data are scarce, limiting pre-dictive HACC assessments. This study presents an experimental determination of hydrogen diffusion coeffi-cients (DH) in two S690 variants: thermomechanically rolled (S690MC) and quenched and tempered (S690Q). Multi-layer SAW welds were produced from 30 mm-thick plate material at three heat input levels, and diffusion membranes were extracted from weld metal (WM), heat-affected zone (HAZ), and base material (BM). Hydro-gen permeation tests, conducted in accordance with DIN EN ISO 17081, yielded time-normalized flux curves from which DH was derived using the inflection-point method. At room temperature, DH values ranged from 6 × 10⁻⁵ to 9 × 10⁻⁵ mm²/s across all regions and heat inputs, with no significant difference between S690MC and S690Q. Weld metal exhibited marginally lower DH, attributed to enhanced hydrogen trapping, while base mate-rial measurements showed greater variability. These microstructure-resolved diffusion coefficients fill a critical data gap and provide essential input for the numerical simulations presented in Part 2. The results also support practical guidelines for mitigating HACC risk through the optimization of welding parameters. T2 - 78th IIW Annual Assembly, Meeting of Commission II-C CY - Genoa, Italy DA - 22.06.2025 KW - Hydrogen assisted cracking KW - Submerged arc welding KW - High strength steels KW - Hydrogen Diffusion KW - Electrochemical permeation PY - 2025 AN - OPUS4-63540 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Czeskleba, Denis A1 - Rhode, Michael A1 - Wandtke, Karsten A1 - Irfan, Muhammad Dary A1 - Kannengiesser, Thomas T1 - Hydrogen diffusion in thick-walled S690 saw joints: part 1—experimental determination of microstructure-dependent diffusion coefficients N2 - High-strength low-alloyed steel S690 is widely used in heavy-duty applications, such as structural components, mobile cranes, and industrial plant construction, owing to their high strength and weldability. However, thick-plate submerged arc welding (SAW) can introduce elevated hydrogen levels and residual stresses that promote time-delayed hydrogen-assisted cold cracking (HACC). Accurate, microstructure-specific diffusion data are scarce, limiting predictive HACC assessments. This study presents an experimental determination of hydrogen diffusion coefficients (DH) in two S690 variants: thermomechanically rolled (S690MC) and quenched and tempered (S690Q). Multi-layer SAW welds were produced from 30 mm thick plate material at three heat input levels, and diffusion membranes were extracted from weld metal (WM), heat-affected zone (HAZ), and base material (BM). Hydrogen permeation tests, conducted in accordance with DIN En ISO 17081, yielded flux curves normalized in time from which DH was derived using the inflection-point method. At room temperature, DH values ranged from 6 × 10−5 mm2/s to 9 × 10−5 mm2/s across all regions and heat inputs, with no significant difference between S690MC and S690Q. Weld metal exhibited marginally lower DH, attributed to enhanced hydrogen trapping, while base material measurements showed greater variability. These microstructure-resolved diffusion coefficients add quantitative data for modern S690 SAW welds and provide internally consistent input parameters for the numerical simulations presented in part 2. The results support improved parameterization for subsequent assessments of HACC risk through the optimization of welding parameters. KW - Hydrogen assisted cracking KW - Submerged arc welding KW - Diffusion KW - Electrochemical permeation KW - Microstructure PY - 2026 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-655711 DO - https://doi.org/10.1007/s40194-026-02400-7 SN - 0043-2288 SP - 1 EP - 15 PB - Springer Science and Business Media LLC AN - OPUS4-65571 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Rhode, Michael T1 - Hydrogen diffusion in thick-walled S690 SAW joints: Part 2 - Predictive modeling of welding heat input and microstructure influence N2 - High-strength low-alloy (HSLA) steels such as S690 are widely employed in thick-walled welded structures, where hydrogen-assisted cold cracking (HACC) remains a persistent concern. While microstructure-specific hydrogen diffusion coefficients (DH) for weld metal (WM), heat-affected zone (HAZ), and base material (BM) were experimentally established in Part 1 of this study, their quantitative influence on hydrogen accumulation and effusion has not yet been fully clarified. This work presents a transient, spatially resolved numerical model for simulating hydrogen transport in multi-pass submerged arc welds. The model integrates experimentally determined DH values with realistic thermal cycles and temperature-dependent boundary conditions. Developed in Python, the simulation tool is purpose-built for hydrogen diffusion in welded joints and offers a focused, transparent alternative to general-purpose finite element platforms. Parametric analyses demonstrate that, although the diffusion coefficients vary by up to 50 %, their impact on overall hydrogen retention is minor. In contrast, welding parameters such as plate thickness, bead geometry, cooling time (t₈/₅), and interpass tem-perature exert a dominant influence on hydrogen distribution. Despite clear microstructural differences between the thermomechanically rolled (S690MC) and quenched and tempered (S690Q) variants, including hardness softening versus hardening in the heat-affected zone of the (pen)ultimate weld bead, the simulations confirm that their diffusion behavior and hydrogen solubility are closely aligned. Consequently, differences in diffusivity and solubility exert only a minor influence on hydrogen retention compared to thermal exposure and joint geometry. These findings support the interchangeable use of both steel grades in terms of HACC risk due to hydrogen diffusion kinetics, under comparable welding conditions. T2 - 78th IIW Annual Assembly, Meeting of Commission II-C CY - Genoa, Italy DA - 22.06.2025 KW - Hydrogen assisted cracking KW - Numerical simulation KW - Hydrogen diffusion PY - 2025 AN - OPUS4-63541 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Czeskleba, Denis A1 - Rhode, Michael A1 - Wandtke, Karsten A1 - Irfan, Muhammad Dary A1 - Kannengiesser, Thomas T1 - Hydrogen diffusion in thick-walled S690 SAW joints: part 2 – predictive modeling of heat input and microstructure influence N2 - High-strength low-alloy (HSLA) steels such as S690 are widely employed in thick-walled welded structures, where hydrogen-assisted cold cracking (HACC) remains a persistent concern. While microstructure-specific hydrogen diffusion coefficients (DH) for weld metal (WM), heat-affected zone (HAZ), and base material (BM) were experimentally established in Part 1 of this study, their quantitative influence on hydrogen accumulation and effusion has not yet been fully clarified. This work presents a transient, spatially resolved numerical model for simulating hydrogen transport in multi-pass submerged arc welds. The model integrates experimentally determined DH values with realistic thermal cycles and temperature-dependent boundary conditions. Developed in Python, the simulation tool is purpose-built for hydrogen diffusion in welded joints. It offers a focused, transparent alternative. It offers a focused, transparent alternative to general-purpose finite element platforms. Parametric analyses demonstrate that, although the diffusion coefficients vary by up to 50%, their impact on overall hydrogen retention is minor. In contrast, plate thickness, bead geometry, cooling time (t₈/₅), and interpass temperature exert a dominant influence on hydrogen distribution. Despite clear microstructural differences between the thermomechanically rolled (S690MC) and quenched and tempered (S690Q) variants, including opposite HAZ hardness responses (softening in S690MC, hardening in S690Q) in the (pen)ultimate weld bead, the simulations confirm that their diffusion behavior and hydrogen solubility are closely aligned. Consequently, differences in DH and solubility exert only a minor influence on hydrogen retention compared to thermal exposure and joint geometry. These findings support the interchangeable use of both steel grades in terms of HACC risk due to hydrogen diffusion kinetics under comparable welding conditions. KW - Hydrogen assisted cracking KW - Numerical simulation KW - Diffusion KW - Submerged arc welding PY - 2026 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-655721 DO - https://doi.org/10.1007/s40194-026-02395-1 SN - 0043-2288 SP - 1 EP - 16 PB - Springer Science and Business Media LLC AN - OPUS4-65572 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Rhode, Michael A1 - Nietzke, Jonathan A1 - Richter, Tim A1 - Mente, Tobias A1 - Mayr, P A1 - Nitsche, A T1 - Hydrogen effect on mechanical properties and cracking of creep‑resistant 9% Cr P92 steel and P91 weld metal N2 - Martensitic 9% Cr steels like P91 and P92 can show an increased susceptibility to delayed hydrogen-assisted cracking. The focus of this study was the microstructure and heat treatment efect on the mechanical properties of P92 base material and P91 multi-layer weld metal in both as-welded and post weld heat treated (PWHT) condition. Tensile tests with hydrogen free reference samples and electrochemically hydrogen charged samples were carried out; the mechanical properties were assessed and supported by detailed fractographic analysis. Finally, a hydrogen and microstructure-dependent fracture criterion is established. All investigated microstructures showed a hydrogen-infuenced degradation of the mechanical properties compared to the hydrogen-free reference samples. The as-welded martensitic P91 weld metal had the highest degree of degradation in the presence of hydrogen. The P91 PWHT weld metal and the P92 base material had comparable properties. From that point of view, a signifcantly increased risk for hydrogen-assisted cold cracking during welding fabrication of P91 weld joints must be considered before any heat treatment is conducted. T2 - IIW Annual Assembly, Meeting of Commission IX-C CY - Tokyo, Japan DA - 16.07.2022 KW - Creep-resisting materials KW - Welding KW - Hydrogen assisted cracking KW - Hydrogen embrittlement KW - Mechanical properties PY - 2022 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-564070 DO - https://doi.org/10.1007/s40194-022-01410-5 SN - 0043-2288 SP - 1 EP - 12 PB - Springer Nature CY - Basel (CH) AN - OPUS4-56407 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Richter, Tim A1 - Rhode, Michael T1 - Hydrogen embrittlement and mechanical properties of 9 % Cr P92 steel and P91 weld metal N2 - Martensitic 9 %-Cr steels like P91 and P92 can show an increased susceptibility to delayed hydrogen assisted cracking. The focus of this study was the microstructure and heat treatment effect on the mechanical properties of P92 base material and P91 multi-layer weld metal in both as-welded and post weld heat treated (PWHT) condition. Tensile tests with hydrogen free reference samples and electrochemically hydrogen charged samples were carried out, the mechanical properties were assessed and supported by dedicated fractographic analysis. In addition, hydrogen and microstructure dependent fracture criteria were calculated. All investigated microstructures showed a hydrogen influenced degradation of the mechanical properties compared to the hydrogen free reference samples. In that connection, the as welded martensitic P91 weld metal had the highest degree of degradation in presence of hydrogen. The P91 PWHT weld metal and the P92 base material had comparable properties. From that point of view, a significantly increased risk for hydrogen assisted cold cracking during welding fabrication of P91 weld joints must be considered before any heat treatment is conducted. T2 - IIW Annual Assembly, Meeting of Commission IX-C CY - Tokyo, Japan DA - 21.07.2022 KW - Creep-resistant steel KW - Mechanical properties KW - Hydrogen assisted cracking KW - Weld joint KW - Degradation PY - 2022 AN - OPUS4-55462 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Rhode, Michael A1 - Mente, Tobias A1 - Steppan, E. A1 - Kannengießer, Thomas A1 - Steger, J. T1 - Hydrogen trapping in T24 Cr-Mo-V steel weld joints - microstructure effect vs. experimental influence on activation energy for diffusion N2 - Hydrogen-assisted cracking is a critical combination of local microstructure, mechanical load and hydrogen concentration. Welded microstructures of low-alloyed creep-resistant Cr-Mo-V steels show different hydrogen trapping kinetics. This influences the adsorbed hydrogen concentration as well as the diffusion by moderate or strong trapping. A common approach to describe hydrogen traps is by their activation energy that is necessary to release hydrogen from the trap. In the present study, Cr-Mo-V steel T24 (7CrMoVTiB10-10) base material and TIG weld metal were investigated. Electrochemically hydrogen charged specimens were analyzed by thermal desorption analysis (TDA) with different linear heating rates. The results show two different effects. At first, the microstructure effect on trapping is evident in terms of higher hydrogen concentrations in the weld metal and increased activation energy for hydrogen release. Secondly, it is necessary to monitor the real specimen temperature. A comparison between the adjusted heating rate and the real specimen temperature shows that the calculated activation energy varies by factor two. Thus, the trap character in case of the base material changes to irreversible at decreased temperature. Hence, the effect of the experimental procedure must be considered as well if evaluating TDA results. Finally, realistic temperature assessment is mandatory for calculation of activation energy via TDA. KW - Creep-resistant steel KW - Hydrogen assisted cracking KW - Thermal desorption analysis KW - Welding KW - Microstructure KW - Diffusion PY - 2018 DO - https://doi.org/10.1007/s40194-017-0546-6 SN - 0043-2288 SN - 1878-6669 VL - 62 IS - 2 SP - 277 EP - 287 PB - Springer CY - Berlin, Heidelberg AN - OPUS4-44505 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -