Hydrogen Absorption into Austenitic Stainless Steels Under High-Pressure Gaseous Hydrogen and Cathodic Charge in Aqueous Solution

Abstract

Type 316L and Type 304 austenitic stainless steels, both deformed and non-deformed, were hydrogen charged cathodically in an aqueous solution as well as by exposure to high-pressure gaseous hydrogen in an attempt to identify suitable conditions of cathodic charge for simulating hydrogen absorption from gaseous hydrogen environments. Thermal desorption analysis (TDA) was conducted, and the amount of absorbed hydrogen and the spectrum shape were compared between the two charging methods. Simulations were performed by means of the McNabb–Foster model to analyze the spectrum shape and peak temperature, and understand the effects of deformation on the spectra. It was revealed that the spectrum shape and peak temperature were dependent directly upon the initial distribution of hydrogen within the specimen, which varied widely according to the hydrogen charge condition. Deformation also had a marked effect on the amount of absorbed hydrogen in Type 304 steel due to the strain-induced martensitic transformation.