Hydrogen Influence on Microstructure, Corrosion Resistance and Mechanical Properties of Low Alloy Steel and Explosively Cladded Steel Used for Hydrogen Storage Salt Caverns

The aim of this work was to investigate whether the low alloy steel and the explosively welded metals used for salt caverns equipment's are susceptible to hydrogen degradation. The materials described in this article are cheap and widely used 09G2S low alloy steel and titanium grade1 as a clad material for its superior resistance to corrosive environment joined explosively with low alloy steel S355J2+N. It was observed that at the explosive bonded interface between the base steel and the stainless steel some local melting zones are formed. It was found that the cathodic hydrogen charging causes changes in the microstructure of low alloy steel and decreases the shear strength of bonds and tensile stress as well as the corrosion resistance of clads.