We conducted a constant load test to evaluate how stress, hydrogen content, and temperature affect time to fracture due to hydrogen embrittlement in rebar for prestressed concrete. We experimented on tempered martensitic steel rebar taken from prestressed concrete structures prepared for the test. Hydrogen charging was performed by cathodic charging at a current density of 10 A/m2 in a 1 M NaHCO3 solution with ammonium thiocyanate (NH4SCN) added. The sub-surface hydrogen content was controlled by changing the NH4SCN concentration in the solution. The experimental results showed that the time to fracture decreased with increasing applied tensile stress in a power law relationship. The time to fracture and sub-surface hydrogen content also demonstrated a power law relationship, while stress and hydrogen content had no effect on the respective power indexes. Temperature affected the coefficient of power law and the power index of hydrogen content, but the power index of tensile stress was mostly independent of temperature.

Subject
Steel structures, Hydrogen embrittlement, Materials, Hydrogen concentration, Hydrogen content, Materials performance, Slopes, Rebar, Hydrogen charging, Constants, Prestressed concrete, Tensile stress, Fracture
Keywords:
Hydrogen embrittlement, Infrastructure
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2022
Association for Materials Protection and Performance (AMPP)
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