Effect of anisotropy and slip transfer on hydrogen-assisted cracking of a 2205 duplex stainless steel: A critical analysis

Duplex Stainless Steels (DSSs) for engineering applications usually show dual-phase microstructure with directional phase distribution and considerable crystallographic texture. Here, we investigate the effect of anisotropy on the Hydrogen Embrittlement (HE) susceptibility of a 2205 DSS. Moreover, slip transfer across Grain Boundary (GB) is experimentally and theoretically analyzed. The specimen sampling along 45 degrees Rolling Direction (RD) showed remarkable HE resistance owing to the delayed initiation and slow evolution of microcracks. HydrogenAssisted Cracks (HACs) frequently initiated at the austenite GBs, because the synergistic interactions between hydrogen-enhanced planar slip and slip transfer across GB promote stress/hydrogen accumulation and reduce the GB cohesion.