Hydrogen Interactions with Metals
High-strength steels and stainless steels have the potential to reduce vehicle weight, improve infrastructure sustainability, and protect soldiers on the front-lines. However, they are susceptible to a form of environmentally-driven damage called hydrogen embrittlement or hydrogen influenced cracking. As the lightest element on the periodic table, hydrogen can easily fit between metal atoms in a crystal lattice and diffuse throughout the material or be trapped at specific sites within it. Hydrogen within high-strength steel increases it susceptibility to fracture at lower stresses. We are working to discover the key factors that affect hydrogen uptake, transport, and trapping in high-strength steels in concert with Department of Defense and industry partners to improve long-term reliability of these materials. Funding for this effort has come from the Army Research Lab (ARL), Naval Research Lab (NRL) Steel Founders Society of America (SFSA), and the Department of Energy (DoE).
Materials of interest include:
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