Influence of alloying on hydrogen-assisted cracking and diffusible hydrogen content in Cr-Mo steel welds

Study of hydrogen-assisted cracking and measurement of diffusible hydrogen content in different Cr-Mo steel welds shows that under identical conditions, susceptibility to cracking increased and diffusible hydrogen content decrease with increase in alloy content. Hydrogen permeation studies show that hydrogen diffusivity decreases and solubility increases with increase in alloy content. Thus decrease in diffusible hydrogen content with increase in alloying is attributed to increase in apparent solubility and decrease in apparent diffusivity of hydrogen. Analysis of the results indicates that variation of diffusible hydrogen content and apparent diffusivity of hydrogen with alloy content can be represented as a function of carbon equivalent CE1 originally proposed to predict the hardness in the heat-affected zone of alloy steel welds. [Materials include 0.5Cr-0.5Mo, 2.25Cr-1Mo, and 9Cr-1Mo.]