Effect of boron addition on hydrogen embrittlement sensitivity in Fe-Ni based alloys

In Fe-Ni based alloys, hydrogen embrittlement sensitivity is thought to correlate well with microstructure. The effect of boron addition on microstructure of Fe-Ni austenitic alloys has been investigated. It is found that 0.002 wt.% boron addition can significantly retard the formation of η phase, and only a few continuous carbides precipitate at the grain boundaries. As the boron content increases to 0.006 wt.%, carbides at grain boundaries become discontinuous, and are finer in size than that in the alloy with 0.002 wt.% boron. Significant decrease of the percent loss of reduction of area (RA) are seen in the alloys with boron contents lower than 0.006 wt.%. However, when further increasing the boron concentration to 0.01 wt.%, an increase in the percent loss of RA is found, due to the re-appearance of η phase and boride precipitation. Appropriate addition of boron can be an effective way of lowering hydrogen embrittlement sensitivity in Fe-Ni based alloys.