Ingenieurwissenschaften und zugeordnete Tätigkeiten
Filtern
Dokumenttyp
- Posterpräsentation (6) (entfernen)
Sprache
- Englisch (6)
Schlagworte
- Hydrogen (6) (entfernen)
Organisationseinheit der BAM
- 9 Komponentensicherheit (6) (entfernen)
The degradation effect of hydrogen on the mechanical properties of steels is well known, but still not sufficiently understood. The fast and safe market ramp up of hydrogen technologies makes it evident to evaluate a wider understanding of this topic. In general it is often described as hydrogen embrittlement. Therefore it is desirable to achieve a test method which is able to provide material properties under hydrogen atmosphere in an easy way. Currently mechanical tests under hydrogen atmosphere are executed in autoclaves. For this technique complex hardware is needed, therefore tests are expensive and test capacities are only available in a small scale. The shown test method promises a trendsetting approach for reducing costs and machine time by using hollow specimen.
The focus of this study is to evaluate the influence of hydrogen on the friction and wear behavior of a wide range of polymer materials. Thereby, the tribological performance of filled und unfilled polymers from different suppliers were compared at room temperature in air and hydrogen gas (H2) as well as in liquid hydrogen at -235°C (LH2).
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.
Due to their excellent combination of ductility, strength and corrosive resistance, austenitic stainless steels (ASS) are widely used in many industrial applications. Thus, these steel grades can be found as structural components in the (petro-)chemical industry, in offshore applications and more recent for storage and transport of hydrogen fuel. Steels employed for these applications are exposed to aggressive environments and hydrogen containing media. The ingress and accumulation of hydrogen into the microstructure is commonly observed during service leading to a phenomenon called “hydrogen embrittlement”. A loss in ductility and strength, the formation of cracks and phase transformations are typical features of this hydrogen-induced degradation of mechanical properties.
Although, great efforts are made to understanding hydrogen embrittlement, there is an ongoing debate of the underlying mechanisms. This knowledge is crucial for the safe use and durability of components on the one side and the development of new materials on the other.
Time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) was proven to be a powerful tool for depicting the distribution of the hydrogen isotope deuterium in the microstructure of austenitic and duplex steels. The combination with imaging techniques such as electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), delivering structural and morphological information, creates a comprehensive picture of the hydrogen/deuterium-induced effects in the materials. All the gathered data is treated with principal component analysis (PCA) and data fusion to enhance the depth of information.
The mobility of hydrogen and deuterium in a steel microstructure is affected by external mechanical stress. To investigate the behaviour of deuterium in a strained microstructure, a new in situ experimental approach was developed. This gives the possibility of analysing samples in the SIMS instrument simultaneously to four-point-bending-tests.
Specimens made from ASS AISI 304L were electrochemically charged with deuterium instead of hydrogen. This necessity stems from the difficulty to separate between artificially charged hydrogen and hydrogen existing in the pristine material or adsorbed from the rest gas in the analysis chamber. Nonetheless, similar diffusion, permeation and solubility data allow to draw qualitative conclusions from the experiments, which are relevant for the application addressed.
The reduction of harmful emissions to the environment is one of the most urgent challenges of our time. To achieve this goal, it is inevitable to shift from using fossil fuels to renewable energy sources. Within this transition, hydrogen can play a key role serving as fuel in transportation and as means for energy storage.
The storage and transport of hydrogen using austenitic stainless steels as the infrastructure, as well as the use of these grades in hydrogen containing aggressive environments, remains problematic. The degradation of the mechanical properties and the possibility of phase transformation by ingress and accumulation of hydrogen are the main drawbacks. Advanced studies of the behaviour of hydrogen in austenite is necessary to fully understand the occurring damage processes. This knowledge is crucial for the safe use of components in industry and transportation facilities of hydrogen.
A powerful tool for depicting the distribution of hydrogen in steels, with high accuracy and resolution, is time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS). We here present a comprehensive research on the hydrogen degradation processes in AISI 304L based on electrochemical charging and subsequent ToF-SIMS experiments. To obtain furthermore information about the structural composition and cracking behaviour, electron-backscattered diffraction (EBSD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were performed afterwards. All the gathered data was treated employing data fusion, thus creating a thorough portrait of hydrogen diffusion and its damaging effects in AISI 304L.
Specimens were charged with deuterium instead of hydrogen. This necessity stems from the difficulty to separate between artificially charged hydrogen and traces existing in the material or adsorbed from the rest gas in the analysis chamber. Similar diffusion and permeation behaviour, as well as solubility, allow nonetheless to draw onclusions from the experiments.
High-strength low-alloyed (HSLA) steels with yield strength ≥ 690 MPa have increasing im-portance in steel construction and civil engineering. However, weld processing of those steels is a major challenge. The susceptibility for degradation of mechanical properties of weld joints sig-nificantly increases in presence of hydrogen and can result in hydrogen assisted cracking (HAC). Generally, risk for HAC increases with increasing yield strength of HSLA steels. To min-imize the incidence of HAC, it is essential to gain knowledge about both the (1) absorbed hydro-gen amount and its distribution in the weld seam and (2) options to lower the amount of intro-duced hydrogen. Existing standards recommend heat treatment procedures (interpass tempera-ture or post weld heat treatment) to reduce the diffusible hydrogen concentration in weldments. In this context, different weld seam geometries should be considered. For HSLA steel fabrication weld processing with seam opening angles of 45° to 60° is typical. Modern weld technologies allow welding with seam opening angles of 30° - reduced welding time and costs. In the present study, the hydrogen distribution in multi-layer welds of a 960 MPa HSLA steel was analysed. Influence of different seam opening angles as well as heat input, interpass temperature and post weld heat treatments were investigated. The welded samples were quenched in ice water imme-diately after welding and subsequently stored in liquid nitrogen. After defined warming up, small specimens were machined from the weld seam by water jet cutting. The diffusible hydrogen concentration was measured by carrier gas hot extraction with coupled mass spectrometer. The results showed, that low heat input and post weld heat treatment procedures can lower hydrogen concentrations in welds. Furthermore, a gradient of the hydrogen concentration was identified with increasing weld pool depth. By varying the seam opening angles different hydrogen concen-trations were measured.