Hydrogen embrittlement of Type 4340 steel has been investigated by straining round-notchedspecimens in 105 Pa hydrogen atmosphere at a constent cross-head spead of 1.4x 10-4 mm/s.The circumferentially notched specimens exhibited a significant embrittlement when their me-chanical behaviour in hydrogen was compared with that in air. Although the effect of notch depthon fracture strength in air is negligible, an increase in the depth of notch increase susceptibility toembrittlement when testing in gaseous hydrogen. However, analysis of the effects is complicatedby the facts that (i) the specimens show some degree of notch severity even when strained inair and (ii) the behaviour is complicated by the localised plastic deformation that may occur forrelatively shatlow notches. Such effects are eliminated at high stress concentration factors, sothere is a systematic loss in fracture stress in hydrogen as the notch sensitivity increases fromK=2.6 to 5.7 (where a 87% reduction of fracture stress occurs) but a relatively stable value isthen reached even for very severe notching bj fatigue pre-cracking. Whether or not the effectis due to increasing concentration of hydrogen in the triaxial stress region ahead of the notch,there is no doubt that increasing the stress concentration makes hydrogen more effective as anembrittlement agent.
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