PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Gong, P.
AU  - Nutter, J.
AU  - Rivera-Diaz-Del-Castillo, P. E. J.
AU  - Rainforth, W. M.
TI  - Hydrogen embrittlement through the formation of low-energy dislocation nanostructures in nanoprecipitation-strengthened steels
AID  - 10.1126/sciadv.abb6152
DP  - 2020 Nov 01
TA  - Science Advances
PG  - eabb6152
VI  - 6
IP  - 46
4099  - http://advances.sciencemag.org/content/6/46/eabb6152.short
4100  - http://advances.sciencemag.org/content/6/46/eabb6152.full
SO  - Sci Adv2020 Nov 01; 6
AB  - Hydrogen embrittlement is shown to proceed through a previously unidentified mechanism. Upon ingress to the microstructure, hydrogen promotes the formation of low-energy dislocation nanostructures. These are characterized by cell patterns whose misorientation increases with strain, which concomitantly attracts further hydrogen up to a critical amount inducing failure. The appearance of the failure zone resembles the “fish eye” associated to inclusions as stress concentrators, a commonly accepted cause for failure. It is shown that the actual crack initiation is the dislocation nanostructure and its associated strain partitioning.