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Characterization of Hydrogen-Related Fracture Behavior in As-Quenched Low-Carbon Martensitic Steel and Tempered Medium-Carbon Martensitic Steel

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Abstract

Hydrogen-related fracture behaviors in low-carbon (Fe-0.1wtpctC) and medium-carbon (Fe-0.4wtpctC) martensitic steels were characterized through crystallographic orientation analysis using electron backscattering diffraction. The martensitic steels with lower strength (Fe-0.1C specimen or Fe-0.4C specimen tempered at higher temperature) exhibited transgranular fracture, where fractured surfaces consisted of dimples and quasi-cleavage patterns. Crystallographic orientation analysis revealed that several of the micro-cracks that formed around the prior austenite grain boundaries propagated along {011} planes. In contrast, fracture surface morphologies of the martensitic steels with higher strength (Fe-0.4C specimen tempered at lower temperature) appeared to be intergranular-like. Crystallographic orientation analysis demonstrated that, on a microscopic level, the fracture surfaces comprised the facets parallel to {011} planes. These results suggest that the hydrogen-related fractures in martensitic steels with higher strength are not exactly intergranular at the prior austenite grain boundaries, but they are transgranular fractures propagated along {011} planes close to the prior austenite grain boundaries. A description of the mechanism of hydrogen-related fracture is proposed based on the results.

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Acknowledgments

This study was financially supported by the Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research on Innovative Area, “Bulk Nanostructured Metals” (Area No. 2201), the Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (A) (No. 24246114), the Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (A) (No. 24686082), the Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research (No. 24656440), and the Elements Strategy Initiative for Structural Materials (ESISM), all through the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), Japan. AS and NT were also supported by the ISIJ Research Promotion Grant. The authors greatly appreciate all the supports.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Kyoto University, Yoshida-honmachi, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606-8501, Japan

    Akinobu Shibata (Associate Professor), Tamotsu Murata (Graduate Student), Hiroshi Takahashi (Undergraduate Student), Takahiro Matsuoka (Graduate Student) & Nobuhiro Tsuji (Professor)

  2. Elements Strategy Initiative for Structural Materials (ESISM), Kyoto University, Yoshida-honmachi, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606-8501, Japan

    Akinobu Shibata (Associate Professor) & Nobuhiro Tsuji (Professor)

Authors
  1. Akinobu Shibata
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  2. Tamotsu Murata
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  3. Hiroshi Takahashi
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  4. Takahiro Matsuoka
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  5. Nobuhiro Tsuji
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Correspondence to Akinobu Shibata.

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Manuscript submitted on January 5, 2015.

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Shibata, A., Murata, T., Takahashi, H. et al. Characterization of Hydrogen-Related Fracture Behavior in As-Quenched Low-Carbon Martensitic Steel and Tempered Medium-Carbon Martensitic Steel. Metall Mater Trans A 46, 5685–5696 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11661-015-3176-x

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