Hydrogen-induced Stress-corrosion Cracking

A. Punter, A. T. Fikkers, G. Vanstaen. Hydrogen-Induced Stress Corrosion Cracking on a Pipeline. Materials Performance 31(6), 24 (1992). (Proceedings of the Pipe Protection Conference, Cannes, France, 1991.)... 

A necessary condition for hydrogen-induced stress-corrosion cracking to take place is that the surface of the steel is covered with a layer of adsorbed atomic hydrogen. Atomic hydrogen may be formed through the reduction of hydrogen ions ... 

In conclusion the environmental conditions that can promote hydrogen-induced stress-corrosion cracking are an acidic medium, cathodic polarization of the steel, and the presence of promotors such as sulfur compounds, thiocyanates, cyanates, or compounds of arsenic, antimony. 

Riecke, E., and Johnen, B. (1986). Hydrogen-induced stress corrosion cracking of ungalvanized and galvanized construction steels. Werkst. Korros. 37, 310-317 (in German). 

Test methods for assessing the susceptibility of prestressing steels to hydrogen induced stress corrosion cracking... 

Numerous observations show that cracks often advance by a succession of rapid jerks, which is contrary to what one would expect if crack propagation is due to anodic dissolution at the tip. In addition, the transient propagation rates can be very fast, difficult to reconcile with anodic current densities at the crack tip even if these can be quite high as discussed above. Other mechanisms therefore contribute to crack propagation in these cases, a most likely one is crack propagation by successive brittle fractures of the metal. A case in point is hydrogen induced stress corrosion cracking (HISCC). 

Hydrogen-induced stress corrosion cracking, 105 Hydroscopy, 26... 

In cases of plastic deformations within a critical rate range, however, even relatively soft structural steels in seawater may be at risk for hydrogen-induced stress corrosion cracking [25]. 

Table 23 Chemical composition of the higher-strength steels tested for hydrogen-induced stress corrosion cracking (mass%) [24]...

The influence of the cathodic corrosion protection (CCP) by zinc anodes is not as clearly evident in the results. With regard to hydrogen-induced stress corrosion cracking cathodic polarisation can be potentially favourable or unfavourable ... 

The higher-strength martensitic steels are at risk for stress corrosion cracking in seawater. The stress corrosion cracking can be prevented by means of cathodic corrosion protection, but the protective potential must be limited to about Uh = -0.5 V, since otherwise hydrogen-induced stress corrosion cracking may occur. 

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