Investigation of Hydrogen Embrittlement Mechanism in Fe - 13% Mn Steel
천희곤 , 남수우 Hui Gon Chun , Soo Woo Nam
Abstract
Using the characteristic phenomenon of the strain-induced phase transformation (ε→α-martensite) in Fe-13% Mn steel, the mechanism of hydrogen embrittlement was studied. The differences in mechanical property and in the amount of the phase transformed with hydrogen-charged and uncharged specimens were investigated. When tensile stress is applied to the hydrogen charged specimens, cracks are formed on their surface layers as the stress reaches the yield point and result in brittle fracture. It is also investigated by the X-ray diffraction analysis that the charged hydrogen could make a phase transformation (ε→α-martensite) on the surface layers of the thin specimen without any applied stress. These experimental results may satisfactorily explain the hydrogen embrittlement phenomenon in terms of the planer pressure theory, which demonstrates that molecular hydrogen with high pressure accumulated in the lattice defects is the cause of hydrogen embrittlement.