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Hydrogen Embrittlement of Automotive Advanced High-Strength Steels

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Abstract

Advanced high-strength steels (AHSS) have a better combination between strength and ductility than conventional HSS, and higher crash resistances are obtained in concomitance with weight reduction of car structural components. These steels have been developed in the last few decades, and their use is rapidly increasing. Notwithstanding, some of their important features have to be still understood and studied in order to completely characterize their service behavior. In particular, the high mechanical resistance of AHSS makes hydrogen-related problems a great concern for this steel grade. This article investigates the hydrogen embrittlement (HE) of four AHSS steels. The behavior of one transformation induced plasticity (TRIP), two martensitic with different strength levels, and one hot-stam** steels has been studied using slow strain rate tensile (SSRT) tests on electrochemically hydrogenated notched samples. The embrittlement susceptibility of these AHSS steels has been correlated mainly to their strength level and to their microstructural features. Finally, the hydrogen critical concentrations for HE, established by SSRT tests, have been compared to hydrogen contents absorbed during the painting process of a body in white (BIW) structure, experimentally determined during a real cycle in an industrial plant.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dipartimento di Ingegneria Chimica, Chimica Industriale e Scienza dei Materiali, Università di Pisa, 56126, Pisa, Italy

    Gianfranco Lovicu (Research Assistant), Massimo De Sanctis (Associate Professor), Antonella Dimatteo (Young Researcher) & Renzo Valentini (Associate Professor)

  2. Centro Ricerche Fiat Scpa, 10043, Orbassano, TO, Italy

    Mauro Bottazzi (Sheets Specialist) & Fabio D’Aiuto (Sheets Specialist)

  3. Dipartimento di Ingegneria Meccanica, Nucleare e della Produzione, Università di Pisa, 56126, Pisa, Italy

    Ciro Santus (Assistant Professor)

Authors
  1. Gianfranco Lovicu
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  2. Mauro Bottazzi
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  3. Fabio D’Aiuto
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  4. Massimo De Sanctis
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  5. Antonella Dimatteo
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  6. Ciro Santus
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  7. Renzo Valentini
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Correspondence to Gianfranco Lovicu.

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Manuscript submitted January 28, 2011.

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Lovicu, G., Bottazzi, M., D’Aiuto, F. et al. Hydrogen Embrittlement of Automotive Advanced High-Strength Steels. Metall Mater Trans A 43, 4075–4087 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11661-012-1280-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11661-012-1280-8

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