Effects of defect on the hydrogen embrittlement behavior of X80 pipeline steel in hydrogen-blended natural gas environments

In order to study the effects of notched parameters on the hydrogen embrittlement (HE) behaviors of pipeline steel in hydrogen-blended natural gas environments, the mechanical properties of notched X80 steel specimens with various depth (δ), angle (ω) and curvature radius (ρ) were studied using slow strain rate tensile (SSRT) tests combined with scanning electron microscope (SEM) and finite element analysis (FEA). The tests indicate that the presence of notches greatly reduces the fracture strain, and increases the sensitivity of the specimen to HE. The geometric shape of the notch greatly affects the HE sensitivity of the notch specimen. The sharper the geometric shape of the notch, the higher the hydrostatic stress at the notch root, and the higher the diffusion hydrogen concentration, thereby increasing the hydrogen embrittlement sensitivity of the specimen. In addition, specimen with shallow notches also exhibits high hydrogen embrittlement sensitivity due to its shorter hydrogen atom diffusion distance.