Hydrogen diffusivity, uptake and embrittlement of solution annealed and cold deformed austenitic stainless steel 1.4435 at hydrogen pressures up to 1000 bar and 200 °C

• Published in: Corrosion science 2024-07, Vol.235, p.112219, Article 112219
• Main Authors: Eichinger, Matthias, Pengg, Johann, Zwittnig, Dino, Mori, Gregor
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Austenitic stainless steel; High-pressure charging; Hydrogen embrittlement; Hydrogen uptake
• ISSN: 0010-938X; 1879-0496
• DOI: 10.1016/j.corsci.2024.112219

Austenitic stainless steel 1.4435, a candidate material for high-pressure tubing for hydrogen applications, was investigated in two different stages of cold deformation (0 and 27 %) regarding its hydrogen embrittlement tendency. The determination of effective diffusion coefficients revealed slightly increased diffusion kinetics at 60°C for the cold-reduced material (8.0 · 10−15 m²/s) compared to the solution annealed one (5.0 · 10−15 m²/s). High-pressure gaseous hydrogen charging shows no differences regarding the degree of cold deformation with a maximum hydrogen concentration of 112 wt.-ppm. Furthermore, a significant ductility loss expressed by the ratio of the reduction of area was observed. •Cold drawn material shows enhanced diffusion kinetics than solution annealed state.•Hydrogen contents of up to 112 wt.-ppm are present after gaseous charging.•No failure occurred in constant load tests at 90 % of the yield strength.•SSRTs show no significant decrease in fracture elongation due to hydrogen charging.•1.4435 is applicable for hydrogen tank systems within the tested conditions.