Hydrogen-enhanced lattice defect formation and hydrogen embrittlement of cyclically prestressed tempered martensitic steel

The numbers of lattice defects formed by applying cyclic prestress with/without hydrogen for various numbers of cycles and strain rates during cyclic prestress were compared for tempered martensitic steel. A tensile test was also carried out to evaluate hydrogen embrittlement susceptibility following the application of cyclic prestress. The results showed that when cyclic prestress was applied without hydrogen, the number of cycles and strain rate had no apparent effect on mechanical properties and fracture morphology at the time of the subsequent tensile test. In contrast, when cyclic prestress was applied with hydrogen, the fracture strain and fracture stress decreased with an increasing number of prestress cycles and a decreasing strain rate, and the fracture morphology exhibited brittle fracture, signifying an increase in hydrogen embrittlement susceptibility at the time of the tensile test. The number of hydrogen-enhanced lattice defects also increased with increasing number of cycles and a decreasing strain rate was found when cyclic prestress was applied with hydrogen. These results indicate a correlation between hydrogen embrittlement susceptibility and the number of hydrogen-enhanced lattice defects. The kinds of increased hydrogen-enhanced lattice defects were probably vacancies and vacancy clusters formed by the interactions between hydrogen and dislocation movement during the application of cyclic prestress. The vacancies and vacancy clusters formed during the application of cyclic prestress with hydrogen presumably caused intergranular fracture and increased hydrogen embrittlement susceptibility.