Simple Experiment on Permeation of Hydrogen into Steel in Cyclic Contact

Abstract

A new test system was developed with which a variety of simple contact tests in controlled environment could be made to gain understanding of the complex processes involved in rolling contact fatigue. Cyclic normal contact tests were conducted with SCM435 steel disc and SUJ2 ball in hydrogen, air and in vacuum, and the specimens were analyzed with sector type secondary ion mass spectrometry. It was found that the amount of hydrogen permeated into the subsurface at the contact area under cyclic contact is greater than that at the surface in non contact test in hydrogen environment. The permeated hydrogen in the subsurface for the tests in hydrogen was diffusive hydrogen.

Keywords

• hydrogen
• permeation
• diffusion
• steel
• elastic plastic deformation
• cyclic loading
• secondary ion mass spectroscopy