HYDRO-REAL: Work packages

The aim of this WP is the fabrication of the physical materials that will be used in the experimental component of the project using laboratory-scale casting, rolling/drawing and annealing facilities.

The objectives of this work-package are the quantitative characterization of the microstructures and mechanical properties of the materials produced in WP1. This characterization will occur not only at the micro- and nano-scale, but also at the macro-scale in order to compare these materials with current commercially-available steels.

The objective of this WP is to qualitatively and quantitatively characterise the hydrogen solubility, diffusivity and trapping characteristics of the materials produced in WP1 and characterized in WP2 using experimental methods.

The objective of this WP is to experimentally determine the role of RA in HE of high strength steels under static, quasi-static and cyclic loading conditions. The mechanical testing will be performed on samples charged with hydrogen either cathodically at low temperatures or at high temperatures. It is anticipated that the differences in H absorption under these charging conditions will provide insights into the interactions of H with RA. For the purposes of testing it is important to differentiate between Internal hydrogen embrittlement (IHE) and external hydrogen embrittlement (IHE).

The objectives of this work-package are the microstructural characterization of the abovespecified materials after failure. The characterization will be carried out at the micro- and nano-scale and is compared with the results of the uncharged material from WP2. In addition, in-situ tests will be performed to reveal insights to the H-related damage mechanisms before crack initiation and the most critical microstructural features for hydrogen induced cracking.

The objective of this WP is to expand the knowledge of the underlying mechanisms of H-RA interactions in a multi-scale approach. The main goals of the WP are:

• Characterisation of the interfaces between austenite and martensite as well as the atomic processes during transformations between them.
• Simulation of stress and strain distribution under static and cyclic loading conditions
• Observation of hydrogen redistribution at the atomic as well as at the mesoscale
• Understanding of H-related mechanisms and identification of crack initiation spots by analysing the distribution of accumulated plastic strain, vacancies and hydrogen concentration next to RA in the microstructure