Hydrogen retrapping after thermal charging of hydrogen in iron single crystal

Abstract

A theory to estimate and describe the behavior of supersaturated hydrogen in interstitial sites of a normal lattice and in trap sites is suggested, and the experimental proof is provided by thermal analysis. In this theory, variation with temperature changes of the equilibrium state between hydrogen in trapping sites and in normal lattice sites, which occurs during rapid cooling after hydrogen charging at high temperature, is considered. Two evolution rate peaks of hy-drogen corresponding to a reversible trap, a dislocation, and to an irreversible trap, a microvoid, are observed, respectively, at 388 and 538 K in a thermal analysis plot. The hydrogen amount released from the reversible trap is increased with decreasing microvoid concentration, even though the reversible trap density is maintained at the same level. According to the theoretical analysis, supersaturated hydrogen dissolved in a normal lattice site by a rapid cooling of hydrogen-charged iron from high temperature is predominantly retrapped into the vacant irreversible trap-ping sites. The remaining hydrogen exists in the normal lattice interstitial sites and will maintain local equilibrium with hydrogen in the reversible trap sites. The apparent hydrogen diffusivities at 293 K with each type of trap are estimated to be 1 × 10^-6 cm²/s for reversible traps and 4 × 10^-8 cm²/s for microvoid traps, based on changes in the hydrogen amount released from each type of trap with the room-temperature anneal time in vacuum.