Prediction of the Hydrogen-Induced Damage to Ultra-High Strength Steel Concepts

The hydrogen-induced damage behavior of ultra-high strength steels (UHSS) has been predicted by a combination of experimental and numerical investigations. Firstly, the resistance against hydrogen-induced failure was examined by slow strain rate tests (SSRT) using various sample geometries and hydrogen contents. Secondly, the hydrogen distribution and loading conditions during the tensile test were calculated by means of the finite element method (FEM). Finally, a combination of various damage models was applied and validated by further SSRT. The main result of this study is a failure prediction model, which considers local stress and strain conditions, as well as hydrogen content.