Development of mechanisms of hydrogen cracking of metal systems and methods to protect steel products from corrosion-mechanical destruction

The brittle destruction of high-strength metals and alloys used in the chemical and oil refining industry, caused by the influence of aggressive hydrogen-containing media, is a serious scientific issue, the relevance of which has increased dramatically in recent decades due to the discovery of the anomalous hydrogen effects on the complex properties of metals and alloys (abnormal plastic auto-deformation of iron, structural-phase transformations, synergistic effects of microplasticity, effect of reversible shape loss in amorphous metal alloys, and many others). A significant number of hydrogen sources (corrosion in aqueous solutions, hydrogen absorption in the production of welding operations and application of technological protective coatings or cathodic protection of underground pipelines) causes significant difficulties in describing the processes of hydrogen degradation of metal materials. Degradation is manifested in various ways, such as: hydrogen cracking of high-strength steels; hydrogen participation in the process of stress corrosion cracking of stainless steels; cracking of nuclear reactor tubes made of zirconium alloys and embrittlement of titanium alloys by hydride formation, GaAs degradation of monolithic microwave integrated circuits on satellites, etc. The harmful effect of hydrogen on mechanical properties was first noted by Johnson in 1875. Since then, scientists have made many advances in the development of metals with optimal parameters of strength and plasticity. Despite many years of research, the problem of interaction of metal-hydrogen systems remains open due to the variety of approaches and techniques to the assessment of embrittlement effects of hydrogen and hydrogen-containing media. So far it has not been possible to establish a single mechanism of interaction of hydrogen with metal materials, which would explain the whole set of phenomena, related to hydrogen destruction. Therefore, to analyze the mechanisms of hydrogen cracking of metal systems and to develop methods of steel products protection from corrosion-mechanical destruction are relevant areas of scientific and practical activities.