Article Effects of prior austenite grain size on hydrogen embrittlement behavior in high-strength martensitic steel

Xiaodong Lan SAMURAI ORCID ; Kazuho Okada SAMURAI ORCID ; Ivan Gutierrez-Urrutia SAMURAI ORCID ; Akinobu Shibata SAMURAI ORCID

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Xiaodong Lan, Kazuho Okada, Ivan Gutierrez-Urrutia, Akinobu Shibata. Effects of prior austenite grain size on hydrogen embrittlement behavior in high-strength martensitic steel. Materials Science and Engineering: A. 2025, 950 (), 149539. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.msea.2025.149539

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(abstract)

The present study investigates the effects of prior austenite grain (PAG) size on hydrogen embrittlement behavior in high-strength martensitic steel utilizing slow strain rate tensile tests integrated with digital image correlation (DIC) and X-ray computed tomography analyses. The results demonstrate that PAG refinement significantly improves the hydrogen embrittlement resistance under a similar hydrogen level. DIC analysis reveals that the susceptibility to hydrogen embrittlement originates from the plastic deformation related to the lath martensite microstructure. PAG refinement mitigates the microstructure-related strain localization, thereby enhancing the hydrogen embrittlement resistance. Additionally, PAG refinement increases the apparent fracture toughness by promoting greater plastic work and enhancing crack meandering/branching, though the latter effect peaks at a medium PAG size. The enhanced resistance to hydrogen embrittlement thus could be attributed to several factors: reduced strain localization, lower local hydrogen concentration per unit area of PAG boundaries, frequent deflection of intergranular cracks, and an increased density of high-angle boundaries that impede quasi-cleavage cracks—all facilitated by PAG refinement.

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Keyword: Martensitic steel, Hydrogen embrittlement, Prior austenite grain size, Crack morphology, Three-dimensional analysis

Date published: 2025-11-29

Publisher: Elsevier BV

Journal:

  • Materials Science and Engineering: A (ISSN: 09215093) vol. 950 149539

Funding:

  • Japan Society for the Promotion of Science JP23H01717
  • Japan Society for the Promotion of Science JP23K13541
  • Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology JPMXP1122684766
  • Japan Society for the Promotion of Science JP24K01221
  • Japan Society for the Promotion of Science JP22K18910

Manuscript type: Publisher's version (Version of record)

MDR DOI:

First published URL: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.msea.2025.149539

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Updated at: 2025-12-03 16:30:03 +0900

Published on MDR: 2025-12-03 16:24:02 +0900

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