mechanical behaviour of austenitic stainless steel loaded in the aqueous solution of h2so4 during tensile testing

Introduction/purpose: stainless steels have excellent corrosion resistance and adequate mechanical properties. however, their use in aggressively hydrogenated environments in the energy industry causes a loss of ductility. this work studied the effect of hydrogen on the mechanical behavior of the dinx15crnisi25.21/aisi310 austenitic stainless steel loaded in an aqueous solution of purely sulfuric acid h2so4 at 1n at room temperature during tensile testing. methods: experimental characterization techniques are applied to standardised machining-manufactured tensile specimens which underwent a series of heat treatments ranging from quenching at 1050°c for 35 minutes to tempering at 680°c for 30 minutes. this is accompanied by a succession of immersions of these samples by cryogenic quenching cycles at -196°c for a duration of 1 hour. the hydrogen was electrolytically loaded in a pyrex glass cell for various loading times, ranging from 1h00 to 15h00, with a step of 2h00. results: the results showed a reduction in mechanical properties and plasticity. the electrochemical method confirmed the material's sensitivity to hydrogen embrittlement, calculating the embrittlement criterion ei (%). this method indicates a rapid increase in values depending on hydrogen loading times, with a maximum value of 41.60%. conclusion: the study highlights the negative impact of hydrogen on the mechanical properties of aisi310 stainless steel, emphasising the need for reduced hydrogen exposure in steel applications.