Determination of Critical Hydrogen Concentration and Its Effect on Mechanical Performance of 2200 MPa and 600 HBW Martensitic Ultra-High-Strength Steel

The influence of hydrogen on the mechanical performance of a hot-rolled martensitic steel was studied by means of constant extension rate test (CERT) and constant load test (CLT) followed with thermal desorption spectroscopy measurements. The steel shows a reduction in tensile strength up to 25% of ultimate tensile strength (UTS) at critical hydrogen concentrations determined to be about 1.1 wt.ppm and 50% of UTS at hydrogen concentrations of 2 wt.ppm. No further strength degradation was observed up to hydrogen concentrations of 4.8 wt.ppm. It was observed that the interplay between local hydrogen concentrations and local stress states, accompanied with the presence of total average hydrogen reducing the general plasticity of the specimen are responsible for the observed strength degradation of the steel at the critical concentrations of hydrogen. Under CLT, the steel does not show sensitivity to hydrogen at applied loads below 50% of UTS under continuous electrochemical hydrogen charging up to 85 h. Hydrogen enhanced creep rates during constant load increased linearly with increasing hydrogen concentration in the steel.