Hydrogen Embrittlement Behavior of 430 and 445NF Ferritic Stainless Steels

Hydrogen embrittlement behavior of two kinds of commercial ferritic stainless steels (STSs), 430 (UNS S43000) and 445NF (UNS S44536), was investigated by means of a series of cathodical hydrogen charging, slow strain rate tests, bending tests, and thermal desorption spectrometry analyses. The hydrogen concentration in 445NF STS was lower than that of 430 STS under identical hydrogen charging conditions because of the formation of a more passive layer. In addition, 445NF STS exhibited a larger passive range in the potentiodynamic polarization curve. However, resistance to hydrogen embrittlement of 445NF STS was inferior to that of 430 STS because of precipitation of the Laves phase at grain boundaries of the former at annealing temperatures of 873 K to 1123 K (600 °C to 850 °C). Crack propagation was found to occur along the interface between the Laves phase and the matrix. For 445NF STS, dissolution of the Laves phase by solution heat treatment at 1273 K (1000 °C) followed by quenching was effective in terms of suppressing degradation of its mechanical properties and formability, which were related to hydrogen embrittlement.