HyFerrA: Hydrogen trapping in steels with ferrite/austenite interfaces
Context
Application of high strength steels for safe generation, transportation and storage of H poses high risks related to one of the major material issues related to H-material interaction also known as hydrogen embrittlement (HE). H and other alloying elements are non-uniformly distributed within the microstructure and in particular at the interface between the two phases. Such interfaces may play an important role in HE and could serve as sites for crack initiation and growth. However, the role of the retained austenite in hydrogen trapping and during mechanical loading remains.
Research objectives
The goal of this project is to determine the role of applied mechanical load and hydrogen charging in hydrogen diffusion and uptake in multiphase steels with austenite. Specific focus is placed on the ferrite/austenite interface, and the elemental distribution across the interface together with the effect of mechanical load. Therefore, the SMS research group will characterize the effect of load on hydrogen trapping and diffusion in different multiphase steels containing RA. This will be complemented by insights from advanced computational methods and microstructural characterization by the project partners, MCL and Montanuniversität Leoben. These combined insights obtained within the project are expected to contribute to future design of experimental and computational set-ups for studying HE in steels with retained austenite and application-specific design of new HE-resistant multiphase steels for H storage and transport applications.
Project logo and funding logo
This project is funded by the research foundation Flanders (FWO) through the weave program.
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