SEDL / STP / STP962-EB / STP45315S

Assessment of the Degree of Hydrogen Embrittlement Produced in Plated High-Strength 4340 Steel by Paint Strippers Using Slow Strain Rate Testing

Pollock, William J.
Principal research scientist, Aeronautical Research Laboratory, Defence Science and Technology Organisation, Department of Defence, Melbourne,

Grey, Colin
Experimental officer, Materials Research Laboratories, Defence Science and Technology Organisation, Department of Defence, Melbourne,

Pages: 15    Published: Jan 1988

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Abstract

The present work demonstrates how a slow strain rate test can be used to quantify rapidly the severity of hydrogen embrittlement produced in porous cadmium plated-and-baked high-strength 4340 steel by paint strippers. The results of multiple slow strain rate tests, conducted at a crosshead displacement rate of 2 × 10^-4 mm/s using notched tension specimens in various paint strippers, show that a minimum mean fracture stress within the range of 1700 to 1850 MN/m² can be correlated with the pass/fail criterion for acceptability of paint strippers in standard notched C-ring tests. The advantages of using a slow strain rate test as a viable alternative to existing standard methods for hydrogen embrittlement testing are discussed.