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Among the very few techniques to localize hydrogen (H) at the microscale in steels, Time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) was proven to be a reliable tool. The necessity to detect hydrogen stems from its deleterious effects in metals, that are often used as structural components and to obtain better understanding of the underlying metallurgical mechanisms of hydrogen embrittlement (HE) which are still unclear.
Austenitic stainless steels are nowadays commonly used in a wide variety of application, from hydrogen transport and storage facilities to petrochemical and offshore applications where they are exposed to aggressive environments and therefore prone to HE. One of the greater risks in the austenitic class is the embrittlement of the material due to the instability of the γ austenite and its transformation into a brittle α martensitic phase. This transformation takes place due to the local stresses that are induced by the uptake of hydrogen during service. Nonetheless, it was shown that this transformation can occur as an artefact during SIMS analysis itself where Cs-sputtering is necessary not only to remove surface contaminations but mainly to enhance H/D secondary ion yield.
In the following contribution we show the influence of different sputtering conditions on AISI 304L austenitic stainless steel in order to distinguish the artefact from the hydrogen induced transformation. The material was charged electrochemically in a deuterium based electrolyte. Deuterium (D) must be in these experiments as a replacement for hydrogen which cannot be used because adsorbed hydrogen superimposes hydrogen originating from charging the sample in the SIMS images. ToF-SIMS analyses were conducted by ToF SIMS IV (IONTOF GmbH, Münster, Germany). The experiments were carried out on deuterium charged and non-charged samples. The structural characterization was carried out by SEM and EBSD examinations before and after charging, both with a Leo Gemeni 1530VP field-emission scanning electron microscope and a Zeiss Supra 40 instrument (Carl Zeiss Microscopy GmbH, Oberkochen, Germany). The results showed that the use of 1keV Cs+ beam induces stacking faults while higher sputter beam energies results in γ→α transformation.
Intramedullary hip screws (IMHSs) are implanted for the fixture of pertrochanteric femoral fractures (thigh bone). The present work investigates the failure of an IMHS implant after the rehabilitation period which required a revision surgery where the upper femur had to be replaced by a hip endoprosthesis. Due to litigation the corresponding failure analysis was conducted at BAM Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing and is the subject of this article. By order of the customer failure causes due to material and fabrication failures should be particularly investigated. Therefore, thorough fractographic, chemical as well as metallographic investigations were carried out. In order to assess possible fabrication failures selected dimensions of the components were compared with the technical drawings and the surface topography was analysed.
The investigation revealed several causes for the fracture of the lag screw which is the implant component intended to fix the position of the femoral head. These are in descending order of relevance: (1) the screw was placed incorrectly and therefore had a smaller bending stiffness, (2) the femoral fracture zone was not stable, i.e., the lag screw 'moved out' of its proper position and (3) the laser marking on the lag screw was relatively large and led to a metallurgical notch at the now, because of the above mentioned points, severely stressed region. A material- or fabrication failure was not the root cause for the fracture of the lag screw. It was mainly due to its incorrect placement during surgery and the instability of the bone fracture. Furthermore, the implant geometry with 130° was not well-suited for the patient's anatomy. A 135°-IMHS might have been biomechanically preferable. Based on the determined failure causes and influences a relative lifetime estimation led to about 10% of the lifetime of a correctly placed 135°-IMHS assuming a sufficiently stable bone fracture zone.
Laser Plasma Hybrid Welding of Austenitic Stainless Steels - Phenomena of Process Instability
(2007)
Laser plasma hybrid welding has been proved to be a very stable hybrid welding process and
welds of high quality can be produced, especially if high surface quality and low spattering is
demanded such as in welding fabrication of high alloyed austenitic stainless steels.
In particular cases, even though welds display high outer quality, X-ray examinations
revealed weld defects which may range from low porosity to blowhole-like cavities. The
phenomena and the main influencing parameters such as arc current, welding speed and
focal point position are discussed. Parameter fields will be suggested for welding plates of
different austenitic stainless steel grades with thicknesses ranging from 3 to 8 mm. The
results are based on welding experiments carried out using a 4.4 kW diode pumped Nd:YAGlaser.
Thus, also the influence of the feeding fibre diameter has been investigated and it was found
that the resulting beam shape has a major effect on the welding performance.
Hydrogen represents an important alternative to fossil fuels. Hydrogen storage is possible as a gas, at room temperature (RT) at about 20 MPa pressure, and in a liquefied form, at cryogenic temperatures of about 20 K. The latter form is particularly attractive due to the possibility of stocking a large quantity of hydrogen within a small volume. In moving parts (e.g. of transport vehicles) cryogenic temperature and the presence of hydrogen strongly enhance wear processes and subsequently component failure.
The present work deals with the deformation behaviour and the microstructural deterioration of austenitic CrNi- and CrMn high nitrogen-steels during friction in liquid hydrogen at 20 K. The modified microstructure within the wear scar is studied by scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction methods. Diffraction studies of wear scars reveal the importance of twinning during deformation at 20 K. This increase of twinning can be attributed to a hydrogen-induced reduction of stacking fault energy (SFE) in the austenitic steels. Interactions between twin boundaries and planar dislocation structures along with locally increased stresses led to the formation of extensive crack networks. The amount of hydrogen-induced surface cracks depends on the alloy composition and is not necessarily correlated to the wear resistance of the austenitic steels.