Thermal desorption spectroscopy evaluation of hydrogen-induced damage and deformation-induced defects

Abstract

Thermal desorption spectroscopy (TDS) was performed on ultra-low carbon (ULC) steel with various degrees of hydrogen-induced damage and deformation-induced defects. First, the extent to which hydrogen-induced damage manifests itself in TDS measurements was evaluated. Application of multiple test conditions on cold deformed ULC steel with and without the presence of hydrogen-induced damage showed that such damage did not appear as a hydrogen signal on the TDS spectra. Second, interesting features observed on the TDS spectra of cold deformed ULC steel were further investigated by assessing the TDS spectra of recrystallised and annealed ULC steel. As such, the four peaks in the TDS spectra were linked to microstructural features: interstitial lattice positions, grain boundaries, dislocations and microvoids.