A Moving Cracking Story: Designing against Hydrogen Embrittlement in Titanium
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Cambridge
Department Name: Materials Science & Metallurgy
Abstract
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Organisations
Publications
Cheung E
(2022)
Optimisation of the hydrogen bake-out treatment in steels via Gaussian processes
in Materials & Design
León-Cázares F
(2021)
General model for the kinetics of solute diffusion at solid-solid interfaces
in Physical Review Materials
Pedrazzini S
(2023)
Effect of Substrate Bed Temperature on Solute Segregation and Mechanical Properties in Ti-6Al-4V Produced by Laser Powder Bed Fusion
in Metallurgical and Materials Transactions A
Turk A
(2020)
Quantification of hydrogen trapping in multiphase steels: Part II - Effect of austenite morphology
in Acta Materialia
Turk A
(2020)
Quantification of hydrogen trapping in multiphase steels: Part I - Point traps in martensite
in Acta Materialia
| Description | New atomic-scale and micromechanical computational models have been developed to predict how Hydrogen diffuses within complex/multi-phase metallic alloys. The models are very useful because standard material characterisation methods, such as electron microscopy, are not able detect hydrogen inside materials. The models have been applied and expanded to design heat treatments for hydrogen release during alloy processing to reduce their in-service susceptibility to hydrogen embrittlement. In addition, the models could help in optimising alloy processing to reduce energy, emissions and costs involved in large component manufacturing, such as steels for nuclear reactor pressure vessels. New experimental evidence has been obtained about rapid permeation of H in high temperature alloys exposed to H-rich flames during H/NH3 combustion. We have shown that even short exposure to ammonia/hydrogen combustion environments led to hydrogen being absorbed by alloys and a possible variation in ductility -i.e. Hydrogen embrittlement- is influenced by the combustion conditions. Furthermore, we showed that the formation of an oxide layer affects the hydrogen absorption rate of the materials, demonstrating complex interactions between metals and O+H at high temperatures. This work demonstrates that ammonia/hydrogen flame chemistry on combustor materials should not be ignored and warrants further studies on material's mechanical and environmental stability under realistic combustion conditions. |
| Exploitation Route | Industrial collaborators in the Nuclear and aerospace industry outside the grant are incorporating the modelling outcomes as part of their workflow for alloy processing. |
| Sectors | Aerospace, Defence and Marine,Energy,Manufacturing, including Industrial Biotechology,Transport |
| Description | Our results have been used to raise critical awareness to the scientific and industrial communities of possible issues of adopting H-based combustion technologies, via presenting preliminary findings of possible hydrogen permeation and embrittlement in high temperature materials during H/NH3 combustion. Similar conversations have been held with a number of collaborators in automotive, aerospace and maritime industries towards considering the definition and adoption of new material safety protocols in H-powered propulsion systems. From a scientific perspective, we have presented evidence -for the first time- of hydrogen permeation to metals during H/NH3 combustion. Such has has been materialised in defining new areas for research on material development for H combustion as well as providing seminal data for a new research grant application. |
| First Year Of Impact | 2022 |
| Sector | Aerospace, Defence and Marine,Energy,Manufacturing, including Industrial Biotechology,Transport |
| Impact Types | Economic |