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Influence of Hydrogen on the LCF Behavior of Quenched and Tempered AISI 4140 Steel

Strain-controlled low-cycle fatigue tests (frequency 1Hz) were performed on quenched and tempered AISI 4140 steel (hardness 400 HV) in order to investigate the influence of hydrogen on cyclic deformation and fatigue life. Specimens were subjected to different hydrogen charging conditions via electrochemical loading in sulfuric acid and compared to uncharged reference samples, all tested at room temperature.

The results clearly demonstrate a significant impact of hydrogen on fatigue performance. Hydrogen-charged specimens failed at considerably lower cycle numbers compared to uncharged samples. Moreover, the cyclic deformation behavior was strongly affected: as shown in Figure 1, the plastic strain amplitude of hydrogen-charged specimens was consistently lower, indicating a…

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Strain-controlled low-cycle fatigue tests (frequency 1Hz) were performed on quenched and tempered AISI 4140 steel (hardness 400 HV) in order to investigate the influence of hydrogen on cyclic deformation and fatigue life. Specimens were subjected to different hydrogen charging conditions via electrochemical loading in sulfuric acid and compared to uncharged reference samples, all tested at room temperature.

The results clearly demonstrate a significant impact of hydrogen on fatigue performance. Hydrogen-charged specimens failed at considerably lower cycle numbers compared to uncharged samples. Moreover, the cyclic deformation behavior was strongly affected: as shown in Figure 1, the plastic strain amplitude of hydrogen-charged specimens was consistently lower, indicating a suppression of cyclic plasticity. This altered deformation behavior suggests hydrogen-assisted mechanisms that accelerate damage evolution.

Fractographic analyses further revealed distinct differences between hydrogen-charged and uncharged specimens, supporting the conclusion that hydrogen plays a decisive role in crack initiation and propagation.

Overall, the study highlights the detrimental effect of hydrogen charging on the LCF behavior of high-strength steels. These findings contribute to a deeper understanding of hydrogen–material interactions and are essential for the reliable design of components exposed to hydrogen-containing environments.

Reference
LCF10-2026-022

Title
Influence of Hydrogen on the LCF Behavior of Quenched and Tempered AISI 4140 Steel
Author(s)
E. Gall, S. Guth
DOI
10.48447/LCF10-2026-022
Event
Tenth International Conference on Low Cycle Fatigue (LCF-10)
Year of publication
2026
Publication type
conference paper (PDF)
Language
English
Keywords
electrochemical hydrogen loading,hydrogen embrittlement,AISI 4140 (quenched and tempered),cyclic plasticity,strain-controlled testing