Role of Mo/V carbides in hydrogen embrittlement of tempered martensitic steel

Abstract

The vulnerability of tempered martensitic steel to hydrogen embrittlement (HE) has attracted attention from a number of researchers. Although utilizing carbide precipitation is one of effective methods to improve HE resistance, few studies have focused on the effects of carbide characteristics, such as the chemical composition and morphology of carbide. This work clarifies the role of Mo carbide and V carbide in the HE behavior of tempered martensitic steels with four steels whose chemical composition was carefully controlled. The beneficial effect of carbides is discussed in terms of hydrogen trapping and fracture mode. The low amount of trapped hydrogen and undissolved carbide led to excellent HE resistance of Mo carbides compared to V carbides. In addition, the superior mechanical performance of Cr-Mo steel was also interpreted by the effect of Cr addition as well as Mo carbides.