Stress-controlled hydrogen embrittlement failure in U-bend high-strength steel

Shibayama, Yuki; Hojo, Tomohiko*; Koyama, Motomichi*; Akiyama, Eiji*

The effect of plastic deformation on the hydrogen embrittlement behavior of high-strength martensitic steels was investigated using a U-bend test. The hydrogen embrittlement susceptibility appeared to be enhanced with increasing plastic strain. Based on fractographic and stress-strain analyses, the maximum principal stress dominated the hydrogen embrittlement fracture. Although the apparent enhancement with increasing plastic deformation was observed, the origin of the enhancement was increased residual stress arising from the evolution of graded plastic strain during U-bending. We conclude that residual stress rather than plastic strain induced by plastic deformation strongly affects hydrogen embrittlement susceptibility in deformed high-strength steel components.