Suppression of hydrogen entry by separation of load support point and hydrogen generation point

Abstract

Hydrogen embrittlement of metals is a phenomenon in which hydrogen entry into a material, such as steel, reduces its fracture strength and ductility. It is known that the hydrogen embrittlement susceptibility of high strength steels increases with strength, and hydrogen embrittlement is a major issue for high strength bolts, wires, springs used in automobiles, and high strength steel sheets. In this paper, the pure iron was immersed in a 0.05 M-H₂SO₄ solution and added hydrogen. In doing so, we analyzed the effect of connecting the pure iron to other metals and separating the load support point and the hydrogen generation point to prevent hydrogen entry into the pure iron.

Hydrogen entry into the pure iron is suppressed when the metal is connected to the pure iron and immersed in the 0.05 M-H₂SO₄ solution, compared to the pure iron alone. The hydrogen content of the pure iron is not determined solely by the difference in standard electrode potential between the metal to which it is connected. When the platinum is connected, the entire immersed area of the pure iron does not become an anode, and the anode and cathode areas may be mixed.