Hydrogen Diffusion Mechanism around a Crack Tip in Type 304L Austenite Stainless Steel Considering the Influence of the Volume Expansion of Strain-Induced Martensite Transformation

Strain-induced martensite transformation (SIMT) commonly exists around a crack tip of metastable austenite stainless steels. The influence of the volume expansion of the SIMT on the hydrogen diffusion was investigated by hydrogen diffusion modelling around a crack tip in type 304L austenite stainless steel. The volume expansion changed the tensile stress state into pressure stress state at the crack tip, resulting in a large stress gradient along the crack propagation direction. Compared to the analysis without considering the volume expansion effect, this volume expansion further accelerated the hydrogen transport from the inner surface to a critical region ahead of the crack tip, and further increased the maximum value of the hydrogen concentration at the critical position where the strain-induced martensite fraction approximates to 0.1, indicating that the volume expansion of the SIMT further increased the hydrogen embrittlement susceptibility.