Fastener Testing: Safety Risks Arising from Hydrogen Enbrittlement in Aircraft Components

摘要

Tomorrow's aircraft will be more comfortable, lighter, more fuel efficient and easier to operate. Hence the drive to find new materials, new engines, simpler designs and structures, which are easier to assemble, and new component coatings. Some aircraft components are made of high-strength steels, which are susceptible to hydrogen embrittlement, a phenomenon by which hydrogen atoms diffusing into the micro-structure of a metal cause it to become more brittle, resulting in sudden and unpredictable fracture. In order to guarantee the required performance, internationally renowned companies in the aircraft industry rely on creep testing machines to characterize material properties.