Diagram of plastic material transition into brittle state under hydrogen saturation

Abstract

Major progress made in theoretically describing the behavior of a «hydrogen-metal» system still fails to unambiguously explain the phenomenon of hydrogen brittleness in metals. It follows that a phenomenological approach is appropriate to describe the transition of a plastic material into its brittle state with the growth of hydrogen concentration. A diagram for such a transition is plotted on the basis of known experimental data on how hydrogen affects mechanical properties of structural steels. It is intended for the purposes of predicting the behavior of fracture observed in elements of metal structures under peak overloads or normal operation. © Published under licence by IOP Publishing Ltd.