Hydrogen Assisted Tempered Martensite Embrittlement of Ultra High Strength Martensitic Steel
The demand for new materials that provide excellent structural performance while reducing weight and being cost-effectively manufactured is increasing. For applications with high strength requirements, ultra-high strength steels (UHSS) have been widely used. However, with such a high strength level, UHSS are very sensitive to the hydrogen that could be ease by the tempering process. In this research, the correlation of hydrogen and tempering process on commercial UHSS 15B30 has been studied. Results show that the tensile strength (TS) of as-quenched 15B30 is about 1900MPa. After tempering treatment of the quenched 15B30, the TS decreases from 1600MPa to 1200MPa with tempering temperature increased from 200°C to 400°C. The 15B30 specimens, being subjected to hydrogen charge, exhibit the dramatic reduction of mechanical strengths.