Gaseous hydrogen embrittlement of T-250 laser welds

Abstract

The tensile properties of laser-welded T-250 maraging steel are measured, with attention paid to the influence of strain rate and gaseous hydrogen on the fracture behavior of welded specimens. Post-weld heat treatments are performed on laser-welded specimens to obtain underaged (WU), peak-aged (WP), and overaged (WO) specimens. Hydrogen embrittlement (HE) affects the tensile fracture behavior of the welded specimens; HE changes not only the fracture mode but also the fracture location. Without the influence of hydrogen, the fracture location is at the softest region, the weld metal (WM), and the fracture appearance reveals a ductile dimple fracture. For welds sensitive to HE, the fracture is initiated at the heat-affected zone (HAZ) with coarse grain size, and the associated fracture surface exhibits intergranular and quasi-cleavage fractures that are brittle in nature. In addition, the HAZ with coarse grain size is more prone to HE, as compared to other regions in the welded specimens. The WU specimens are susceptible to HE in air under a low strain rate, while the WP specimens are only susceptible to gaseous hydrogen embrittlement (GHE). However, the WO specimens are immune to GHE and insensitive to strain rate.