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Hydrogen in metals can cause a degradation of the mechanical properties, the so-called hydrogen embrittlement. In combination with internal stresses, hydrogen assisted cracking (HAC) can occur. This phenomenon is not completely understood yet. To better characterise the cracking behaviour, it is important to gain information about the evolution of the 3D crack network. For this purpose samples of lean duplex stainless steel were loaded with hydrogen by means of electrochemical charging and investigated by means of synchrotron refraction CT and SEM fractography after uniaxial tensile loading. Synchrotron refraction CT is an analyser-based imaging (ABI) technique. It uses a Si (111) single crystal as analyser, which is placed into the beam path between sample and detector. According to Bragg’s law only incident x-rays within a narrow range around the Bragg-angle are diffracted from the analyser into the detector. Hence, the analyser acts as an angular filter for the transmitted beam. This filtering allows to turn the refraction and scattering of x-rays into image contrast. Refraction occurs at all interfaces, where the density of the material changes and is more sensitive to density changes than the attenuation. Therefore, it is possible to detect smaller cracks than with classical x-ray imaging techniques, like CT, with comparable spacial resolution. It also visualises the 3D structure of the cracks and gains quantitative information about their morphology and distribution. Since cracks introduced by HAC are usually very small and have a small opening displacement, synchrotron refraction CT is expected to be well suited for imaging this cracking mechanism and can be a valuable tool to characterise the formation and the evolution of a 3D crack network.
High-strength low-alloyed (HSLA) steels with yield strength ≥ 690 MPa are gaining popularity in civil engineering and construction of heavy vehicles. With increasing yield strength, the susceptibility for degradation of the mechanical properties in presence of diffusible hydrogen, i.e. hydrogen-assisted cracking (HAC) generally increases. HAC is a result of the critical interaction of local microstructure, mechanical load and hydrogen concentration. In existing standards for welding of HSLA steels, recommendations (preheating, interpass temperature and hydrogen removal heat treatment) are given to limit the amount of introduced hydrogen during welding. The recommendations are based on investigations with conventional arc welding processes. In the past decade, modern weld technologies were developed to enable welding of narrower weld seams with V-grooves of 30°, e.g. the modified spray arc process. In that connection, a reduced number of weld runs and weld volume are important technical and, hence, economic benefits. In the present study, the hydrogen distribution in S960QL multi-layer welds with thickness of 20 mm was analyzed depending on heat control. The influence of different weld seam opening angles (grooves), heat input, interpass temperature and hydrogen removal procedures was investigated. The results show that weldments with narrow groove contained increased diffusible hydrogen amount. Reasons had been longer diffusion path and higher wire feeding rate compared to conventional welds with wider 60° Vgroove. Hydrogen concentration has been reduced by decreasing both the heat input and interpass temperature. Hydrogen free weldments were achieved via hydrogen removal heat treating at 250 °C for 5 h subsequently after welding. Regarding the strength of the investigated steel, it is recommended to conduct a heat treatment after welding. For the first time, hydrogen concentration gradients were experimentally determined across the weld seam thickness in HSLA multi-layer welds.
Influence of Hydrogen Uptake and Diffusion in Structural Components in the Field of Renewable Energy
(2021)
Great efforts are invested worldwide in the development of efficient electrolysis processes, fuel cells technologies and hydrogen transport and storage infrastructures. This includes the exploitation of existing gas-grid infrastructure for the injection of hydrogen. Considering transport and storage facilities, the utilization of gaseous hydrogen can be divided into two main groups which are differentiating in the pressure regime. Fueling stations are operating in high pressure (>800 bar) and high purity and therefore use austenitic stainless steels in their compression systems. On the other hand, existing gas infrastructure where the natural gas is transported across long distances is usually operating with up to 300 bar. In this case the pipe-systems consist of several steel classes, mainly low alloyed steels in which the surface quality and the gas mixture are strongly varying.
Even though ingress of hydrogen can lead to catastrophic failures in all steels, its exact impact on the mechanical properties, as well as its interaction with the surface, microstructure and lattice and the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Therefore, research on the impact of gaseous hydrogen in pressure vessels and pipes has clearly an integral part on the path to safe and sustainable use of the different components along the different chains. This becomes even more relevant considering the influence of impurities in the gas, e.g. sulfur and with the introduction of new production technologies, such as additive manufacturing, into the market.
Determination of these interactions and impact that might lead to the degradation of the properties can allow a safe use of steels in present and future hydrogen-based energy applications.
The following contribution gives an overview of the problem and introduction to the conventional and innovative tools used and developed nowadays to analyze it. For this purpose, materials were loaded with hydrogen by electrochemical means and under high pressure and elevated temperatures. The results presented provide an invaluable insight into the impact of hydrogen on the integrity of selected steels used in the two mentioned above applications. This work is part of an ongoing research in which mechanical, chemical, structural, and microstructural analyses tools are combined in-situ and ex-situ.
Um die Absorption von Wasserstoff und dessen Verhalten in den Werkstoffen beim Einsatz unter Druck-H2 sowie die H- abhängigen Materialeigenschaften zu definieren, entwickelt die BAM mit ihrer langjährigen Erfahrung adäquate Prüfkonzepte, die einsatzrelevante Bedingungen und reale Beanspruchungen (Temperatur, Wasserstoff und mech. Beanspruchung) hierarchisch berücksichtigen. Der Vortrag gibt eine Einführung in das Thema von wasserstoffunterstützen Materialschäden durch die Problematik der Einspeisung von Wasserstoff in bestehende Erdgasnetze. Ferner wird auf die Hochdruck-Infrastruktur (sowie H2-Tankstellen) und die Entwicklung von Prüfkonzepten für die Gasinfrastruktur unter Druckwasserstoffbeaufschlagung eingegangen.
Increasing environmental problems with conventional energy technology are stimulating the demand for alternative energy solutions. With air quality reaching catastrophic levels in large cities worldwide, Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles offer the ideal combination of clean power with the amenities of electric drives. Hydrogen use on vehicles, nevertheless, also raises some issues about safe handling. As fuel cells and hydrogen applications, including vehicles, approach technological maturity, developing their business cases becomes crucial in introducing them to the consumer markets.
The Joint European Summer School JESS 2021 addresses these issues by offering high quality graduate level courses on selected topics of vehicle technology, innovation & business development, safe handling of hydrogen, and modelling. This series of summer schools has been ongoing since 2004 and targets an audience of university students (MSc and PhD levels) and post-doctoral researchers. We also welcome more experienced researchers and engineers wishing to expand their general knowledge, for instance, to suit a newly acquired position or collect credits for Continuous Professional Development (CPD). The course content is tailored to the needs of a diverse audience: newcomers to the field, experienced students, and young professionals working at the forefront of fuel cell and hydrogen applications.
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.
Large scale hydrogen assisted cracking test for thick walled SAW joints for offshore applications
(2023)
Offshore wind turbines continuously increase in size and weight and demand adequate offshore foundations concepts like monopiles, tripods or jackets. These components are typically submerged arc welded (SAW) high-strength thick steel plates like the S420ML. During welding, the occurrence of delayed hydrogen assisted cracking (HAC) must be anticipated. HAC is a critical combination of the local hydrogen concentration within a susceptible microstructure under certain mechanical load, i.e., the occurring (welding) residual stresses. The welding sequence of the thick-walled plates complicate the residual stress distribution due to the necessary repeated thermal cycling, i.e., welding seam / layer deposition to fill the joint. For that purpose, SAW with two-wire-technique was used to weld a specially designed and prototype-like mock-up of a real component with a thickness of 50 mm, filled more than 20 passes and a seam length of 1,000 mm. Additional welded stiffeners simulated the effect of a high restraint, to stimulate critical HAC conditions. The necessity of a minimum waiting time (MWT) before the NDT can be conducted (to exclude HAC) was critically verified by the application of ultrasonic testing of the welded joint at different time-steps of the NDT of 48 h after welding. The residual stresses were determined by a robot XRD goniometer. Tensile residual stresses up to the yield limit are found both in the weld metal and in the heat-affected zone. Numerical modelling allowed the qualitative estimation of the hydrogen diffusion in the weld. A remarkable HAC occurrence was not identified and proves both, a certain resistance of the weld joint to HAC and the (questionable) duration of the MWT.
In the course of tomorrow's hydrogen-based energy transition, the construction of the corresponding infrastructure will play a central role. The majority of materials used to date are typically welded for component fabrication. In that context, steels are widely applied and can be prone to hydrogen embrittlement. This includes the classical delayed cold cracking during welding processing as well as embrittlement phenomena during operation. For the evaluation of any hydrogen effect on, for example, the mechanical properties of a welded metallic material, the hydrogen content must be precisely determined. In the case of welds, for example, according to ISO 3690, this is the isothermal carrier gas hot extraction (CGHE). CGHE is based on accelerated hydrogen degassing due to thermal activation of hydrogen at elevated temperatures. In addition to the pure quantification of hydrogen, thermal desorption analysis (TDA) with varied heating rates can be used to determine and evaluate the bonding state at microstructural defects in the material. For both techniques, experimental and measurement influences have to be considered, which have a great effect on the result. For CGHE, for example, ISO 3690 suggests different sample geometries as well as minimum extraction times. The present study summarizes results and experiences of numerous investigations with different sample temperatures and geometries (ISO 3690 type B and cylindrical TDA samples) regarding: the influence of the sample surface (polished/welded), measurement accuracies depending on the sample volume as well as the insufficient monitoring of the effect of the PI controller on the extraction temperature. In particular, a deviating extraction temperature to the set temperature, can significantly falsify the measurement results. Based on the results, methods are shown to quickly reach the desired extraction temperature without having to physically interfere with the measurement equipment. This serves to substantially improve the reliability of hydrogen measurement through increased signal stability and accelerated hydrogen desorption. In general, an independent temperature measurement with dummy samples for the selected heating procedure is advisable to exclude possible unwanted temperature influences already before the measurement. In addition (and way more important), the methods described can be transferred directly to industrial applications.