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Title: Hydrogen assisted fracture of sensitized Type 304L austenitic stainless steel

Technical Report ·
DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/5589541· OSTI ID:5589541

Sensitized specimens of Type 304L stainless steel were tensile tested in atmospheres of hydrogen and helium at high pressure, and in air at ambient pressure. Comparison tensile tests were made with solution-annealed specimens of Type 304L stainless steel in the same atmosphere. When both specimens were tested in high-pressure hydrogen, the sensitized specimens had greater loss in ductility and increased tendency to intergranular fracture. For the sensitized specimens, plastic strain to failure (epsilon/sub p/ = 1n A/sub 0//A/sub f/) in hydrogen at 69 MPa was reduced by 60 to 70% in comparison to similar tests in helium. In addition, a notch with a stress concentration factor of about 3 reduced plastic strain an additional 50 to 60%. In all cases, the nominal tensile strength of Type 304L stainless steel was increased by the notch. There was no evidence of intergranular failure in notched specimens of solution-annealed Type 304L stainless steel tested in high-pressure hydrogen environments.

Research Organization:
Du Pont de Nemours (E.I.) and Co., Aiken, SC (United States). Savannah River Lab.
DOE Contract Number:
EY-76-C-09-0001
OSTI ID:
5589541
Report Number(s):
DP-MS-79-61; CONF-800205-5; TRN: 80-007999
Resource Relation:
Conference: American Institute of Metallurgical Engineers meeting, Las Vegas, NV, USA, Feb 1980
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English