Effects of Hydrogen Environment on Fatigue Characteristics of 18Cr-8Ni Stainless Steel

In order to clarify the effects of hydrogen on the fatigue characteristics of an austenitic stainless steel, bending fatigue tests were conducted in air, in a hydrogen gas and in a nitrogen gas. Main results obtained are as follows. Effects of hydrogen gas environment are not clearly seen on the strain range - fatigue life diagram, because there are opposite effects to crack propagation and to crack initiation; accelerates crack propagation, but retards crack initiation. Striation spacing or in-situ observation confirms the acceleration. The retardation seems to be attributed to the absence of oxygen or water vapor in the hydrogen gas.