Hydrogen embrittlement is a common cause of failure in steel components and structures that must work in underwater and offshore environments. It is a phenomenon caused by the absorption of hydrogen by the material during the manufacturing process of the components and influenced by various environmental factors, as well as others inherent to the design of the components and their working conditions.
The HE:PROTECT methodology devised by AZTERLAN offers the keys to optimizing structures subjected to hydrogen embrittlement in relation to their specific conditions of use.
With a global view of the process of design, manufacture, assembly and expected operation of steel structural components for aquatic use, HE:PROTECT analyzes internal (incorporated in the steel during the manufacturing process) and external (incorporated during operation) hydrogen of the components, allowing action on those aspects of the manufacturing and assembly process that favor this phenomenon.
- Working medium: salinity levels, biofouling, temperature, … of the immersion medium
- Application characteristics: requests and expected mechanical loads
- Hydrogen retained by the raw material
- Suitability of the design with respect to the application characteristics
- Hydrogen supply/loss in casting, forming, heat treatment, cooling and machining processes
- Influence of coatings and surface treatments to hydrogen embrittlement
- Influence of the assembly process on hydrogen absorption
“Las tecnologías de conformado agrupan vías de fabricación, materiales y sectores con características muy diversas. Sin embargo, se enfrentan a retos comunes asociados a la incorporación de nuevos materiales, exigentes cadencias de producción y crecientes solicitudes de los productos fabricados.
Desarrollar componentes conformados con prestaciones avanzadas, mejorar la vida útil de los útiles de trabajo y abordar nuevos mercados y aplicaciones industriales son algunos de ámbitos a través de los que aportamos valor a las empresas que diseñan, fabrican y aplican estos componentes.”
