Hydrogen embrittlement is a common cause of failure in steel components and structures that must work in underwater and offshore environments. It is a phenomenon caused by the absorption of hydrogen by the material during the manufacturing process of the components and influenced by various environmental factors, as well as others inherent to the design of the components and their working conditions.
The HE:PROTECT methodology devised by AZTERLAN offers the keys to optimizing structures subjected to hydrogen embrittlement in relation to their specific conditions of use.
With a global view of the process of design, manufacture, assembly and expected operation of steel structural components for aquatic use, HE:PROTECT analyzes internal (incorporated in the steel during the manufacturing process) and external (incorporated during operation) hydrogen of the components, allowing action on those aspects of the manufacturing and assembly process that favor this phenomenon.
- Working medium: salinity levels, biofouling, temperature, … of the immersion medium
- Application characteristics: requests and expected mechanical loads
- Hydrogen retained by the raw material
- Suitability of the design with respect to the application characteristics
- Hydrogen supply/loss in casting, forming, heat treatment, cooling and machining processes
- Influence of coatings and surface treatments to hydrogen embrittlement
- Influence of the assembly process on hydrogen absorption
“Solid state forming technologies gather a diverse group manufacturing means, materials and sectors with very different characteristics. However, they face common challenges associated with the incorporation of new materials, demanding production rates and increasing requests for the products they manufacture.
Developing components with advanced features, improving the useful life of manufacturing tools and addressing new markets and industrial applications are some of the areas through which we add value to the companies that design, manufacture and apply these components.”
