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Recent advances on hydrogen embrittlement of structural materials

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Abstract

This paper presents a critical review of current understanding of the effect of hydrogen on fracture and fatigue of metals and alloys. First, microstructures found immediately beneath hydrogen-induced fracture surfaces in various materials are presented. Then, recent progress toward the fundamentals of hydrogen-induced fracture is reported. Lastly, a recent attempt to model hydrogen embrittlement by linking the macroscale (e.g. applied load and hydrogen content) and the operating microscopic degradation mechanism at the local microstructural defect level is reviewed.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the DOE EERE Fuel Cells program through Grant GO 15045. M.D., A.N., S.W., B.P.S., and P.S. acknowledge the support from the World Premier International Research Center Initiative (WPI), MEXT, Japan, through the International Institute for Carbon-Neutral Energy Research (I2CNER) of Kyushu University. S.W. acknowledges support from the National Science Foundation through Award No. CMMI-1406462. The authors would also like to acknowledge Prof. I.M. Robertson at the University of Wisconsin-Madison for his guidance, support and discussions. Also, the authors acknowledge K.E. Nygren at the University of Wisconsin-Madison for fruitful discussions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1206 West Green Street, Urbana, IL, 61801, USA

    Mohsen Dadfarnia & Petros Sofronis

  2. Material Surface and Interface Science Research Department, Steel Research Laboratory, JFE Steel Corporation, Minamiwatarida-cho, Kawasaki-ku, Kawasaki, Kanagawa, 210-0855, Japan

    Akihide Nagao

  3. Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1415 Engineering Drive, Madison, WI, 53706, USA

    Shuai Wang

  4. Institut für Materialphysik, Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Friedrich-Hund-Platz 1, 37077, Göttingen, Germany

    May L. Martin

  5. Sandia National Laboratories, P.O. Box 969, Livermore, CA, 94551, USA

    Brian P. Somerday

  6. International Institute for Carbon-Neutral Energy Research (WPI-I2CNER), Kyushu University, 744 Motooka, Nishi-ku, Fukuoka, Fukuoka, 819-0395, Japan

    Mohsen Dadfarnia, Akihide Nagao, Shuai Wang, Brian P. Somerday & Petros Sofronis

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  1. Mohsen Dadfarnia
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Correspondence to Petros Sofronis.

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Dadfarnia, M., Nagao, A., Wang, S. et al. Recent advances on hydrogen embrittlement of structural materials. Int J Fract 196, 223–243 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10704-015-0068-4

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