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Fracture Failure of Zinc-Plated Hub Bolts by Hydrogen Embrittlement

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Abstract

In this work, the failure behavior of a batch of zinc-plated hub bolts with high strength was detected and analyzed to determine the failure mechanism. The fracture failure occurred at the head-to-shank transition. The initial region of the crack was at the external edge of the bolts. Brittle fractures containing intergranular and transgranular features were observed using a scanning electron microscope. Yawning grain boundaries as well as micropores on the grain surfaces were observed at many areas of the fracture surfaces. According to the analysis results, hydrogen embrittlement is considered as the probable mechanism of the failed specimens. Poor baking treatment may be the reason leading to the incomplete removal of hydrogen.

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Acknowledgment

This work was supported by a grant from the Shandong Province Special Grant for High-Level Overseas Talents (Grant No. tshw20120745), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 11404192), the Research Award Fund for Outstanding Young and Middle-aged Scientists of Shandong Province, China (Grant No. BS2014CL002), the Science and Technology Activities Foundation of China for Returned Personnel, and the research fund of Shandong Academy of Sciences (Grant No. 2015QN003).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Research Center of Failure Analysis and Engineering Safety Assessment, Shandong Academy of Sciences, Jinan, People’s Republic of China

    Na Xu, Ning Ding, Junbo Shi, Weimin Guo & Chi-Man Lawrence Wu

  2. Department of Physics and Materials Science, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, People’s Republic of China

    Ning Ding & Chi-Man Lawrence Wu

Authors
  1. Na Xu
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  2. Ning Ding
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  3. Junbo Shi
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  4. Weimin Guo
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  5. Chi-Man Lawrence Wu
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Correspondence to Ning Ding or Chi-Man Lawrence Wu.

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Xu, N., Ding, N., Shi, J. et al. Fracture Failure of Zinc-Plated Hub Bolts by Hydrogen Embrittlement. J Fail. Anal. and Preven. 15, 464–469 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11668-015-9972-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11668-015-9972-1

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