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.