Effect of hydrogen embrittlement on the microstructures of electroplated steel alloy 4130

Abstract

In this work, the behavior of hydrogen embrittlement and corrosion of nickel, cadmium and copper electroplating steel alloy 4130 were examined. The microstructures of exposed steel 4130 characterized by energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The gained results specify that the hydrogen is diffused through the coated steel alloy 4130 at the ambient temperatures producing corrosion products. The hydrogen concentration through the steel alloy 4130 is depending on the current density, and increasing as current density increases. The current density is responsible for weakness of steel alloy surface due to the promotion of hydrogen induced crack. Also it is noticed that the hydrogen induced crack is initiated firstly at the intergranular spaces between ferritic and pearlitic groups. Keywords: Electroplating, Microstructure, SEM, EDAX, Steel 4130