Influence of grain boundary misorientation on hydrogen embrittlement in bi-crystal nickel

Computational techniques and tools have been developed to understand hydrogen embrittlement and hydrogen induced intergranular cracking based on grain boundary (GB) engineering with the help of computational materials engineering. This study can help to optimize GB misorientation configurations by identifying the cases that would improve the material properties increasing resistance to hydrogen embrittlement. In order to understand and optimize, it is important to understand the influence of misorientation angle on the atomic clustered hydrogen distribution under the impact of dilatational stress distributions. In this study, a number of bi-crystal models with tilt grain boundary (TGB) misorientation angles (θ) ranging between 0°≤ θ ≤ 90° were developed, with rotation performed about the [001] axis, using numerical microstructural finite element analysis. Subsequently, local stress and strain concentrations generated along the TGB (due to the difference in individual neighbouring crystals elastic anisotropy response as functions of misorientation angles) were evaluated when bi-crystals were subjected to overall uniform applied traction. Finally, the hydrogen distribution and segregations as a function of misorientation angles were studied. In real nickel, as opposed to the numerical model, geometrically necessary dislocations are generated due to GB misorientation. The generated dislocation motion along TGBs in response to dilatational mismatch varies depending on the misorientation angles. These generated dislocation motions affect the stress, strain and hydrogen distribution. Hydrogen segregates along these dislocations acting as traps and since the dislocation distribution varies depending on misorientation angles the hydrogen traps are also influenced by misorientation angles. From the results of numerical modelling it has been observed that the local stress, strain and hydrogen distributions are inhomogeneous, affected by the misorientation angles, orientations of neighbouring crystal and boundary conditions. In real material, as opposed to the numerical model, the clustered atomic hydrogens are segregated in traps near to the TGB due to the influence of dislocations developed under the effects of applied mechanical stress. The numerical model predicts maximum hydrogen concentrations are accumulated on the TGB with misorientation angles ranging between 15°< θ < 45°. This investigation reinforces the importance of GB engineering for designing and optimizing these materials to decrease hydrogen segregation arising from TGB misorientation angles.