To investigate hydrogen-induced damage to components, it is necessary to examine hydrogen-assisted crack growth, embrittlement, precipitates, and grain boundary corrosion. Fracture patterns, fracture types, and causes of failure must be determined, as well as the hydrogen content in the materials. We reproduce damage mechanisms under laboratory conditions and derive preventive measures.
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Which defects or defect sizes are critical?
Hydrogen accumulates at defects (pores, inclusions, or microcracks) and significantly reduces the critical defect size, causing cracks to form more quickly. We determine critical defect sizes based on materials and loads through both computational and experimental methods.
At what point does the hydrogen concentration become critical for a component?
In this context, “critical” means that premature failure of the component can occur under operating conditions. There is no universally applicable numerical value for a critical hydrogen concentration, as this depends heavily on the materials and microstructure. We investigate the relationship between hydrogen concentration and component properties experimentally by pre-loading samples with defined hydrogen concentrations and then subjecting them to mechanical testing. This allows us to determine the critical hydrogen concentration for service.
Does hydrogen accelerate crack growth?
In most metallic materials, hydrogen significantly increases the crack growth rate (by a factor of 10–100, depending on the materials) We investigate the crack growth rate under the influence of hydrogen in autoclaves specifically developed for this purpose.
Hydrogen Damage to Sheet Metal Edges
High-strength and ultra-high-strength lightweight steels combine the advantages of good formability with high strength. However, this is countered by a hydrogen-induced tendency to crack, particularly in ultra-high-strength steel materials with tensile strengths > 1000 MPa. Hydrogen-induced cracking is a time-dependent damage mechanism caused by the diffusion of atomic hydrogen into the interior and/or within the internal structure of steel. Particularly affected is the process chain of near-contour cutting and forming (forming blanks, roll forming, folding), which in turn enables energy and resource-efficient as well as individually adjustable production and is therefore increasingly becoming the focus of a wide variety of industries. There are correlations between materials, cutting methods, dwell time, hydrogen embrittlement, and formability, which will be investigated in this project. This objective will be achieved through a combination of various experimental analyses and simulation methods. The main project outcome is a guideline for SMEs that helps define various process routes for cutting, storage, and forming to minimize the risk of damage and failure. In addition to recommendations regarding the process chain, the project will also develop guidelines on how to test for hydrogen-induced edge cracking and which tests are suitable for this purpose.
Project Profile: AiF H2 Cracking (already online??)
Shrestha, R.; Ronevich, J. A.; Michler, T.; San Marchi, C.
Fatigue and fracture behavior of aluminum alloys in gaseous hydrogen
in Proc. of ASME 2023 Pressure Vessels & Piping Conference PVP 2023 Vol. 5: Materials & Fabrication; The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (Hrsg.); ASME, New York, NY, USA (2023) Art. PVP2023-106442, V005T06A075; 7 Seiten Link
Ebling F.; Augenstein H.; Wackermann K.
Mechanism-Based LCF Lifetime Assessment Under the Influence of Hydrogen
in Proc. of ASME 2025 Pressure Vessels & Piping Conference; ASME; American Society of Mechanical Engineers, New York City, USA (2025) Art. V05at06a006, 7 Seiten Link
Hydrogen-induced defects and damage
Ebling, F.; Pundt, A.; Wackermann, K.
Effects of Temperature, Pressure and Frequency on Low Cycle Fatigue of Alloy 718 under Gaseous Hydrogen
in Proc. of 5th International Conference on Metals & Hydrogen; OCAS NV; Ghent University, Ghent, NL (2025) 12 Seiten Link
Michler, T.; Elsässer, C.; Kirchheim, R.
Effect of temperature on hydrogen assisted fatigue crack growth rate of a gaseous hydrogen precharged austenitic stainless steel
International Journal of Hydrogen Energy 209/153421 (2026) 0360-3199 Link
Fraunhofer Institute for Mechanics of Materials IWM