What is Hydrogen Embrittlement and how do you address it?
A. As it relates to us, hydrogen embrittlement is when a secondary process such as quenching, precipitation hardening, or plating diffuse hydrogen gas into the manufactured component. An external load is not required for failure as many times the residual stress in the material itself is enough to cause failure. The most common methods to address this are the use of materials which are not susceptible, or to “bake” out the diffused hydrogen.
Related Questions
- Let’s address a secondary question first: Will operating my vehicle at a leaner mixture with my Hydrogen Solutions Center system, cause damage to my valves?
- Are there other metallurgical issues of concern, e.g. hydrogen embrittlement, intergranular attack, etc.?
- What is hydrogen embrittlement, and how do you avoid/alleviate it?
