Improved resistance to hydrogen embrittlement in a high-strength steel by quenching-partitioning-tempering treatment

The effect of epsilon-carbide on hydrogen embrittlement (HE) susceptibility was evaluated in a quenching partitioning tempering (Q-P-T) treated steel. Total elongation loss (1 min hydrogen charging) drops from 42.7% to 0.6% after the tempering treatment. A significant improvement to HE is associated with the trapping capacity of epsilon-carbide, which is revealed by thermal desorption spectroscopy analysis and three-dimensional atom probe. A possible mechanism is discussed to explain the improved resistance to HE. (C) 2014 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.