Influence of activation energy and sensitivity to hydrogen embrittlement on fatigue strength degradation by irreversible hydrogen in high‐strength steels

Fatigue tests were conducted for cold‐drawn eutectoid steels having different activation energies for irreversible hydrogen trap sites and sensitivities to hydrogen embrittlement; the purpose was to investigate the mechanism of fatigue strength degradation by irreversible hydrogen. The fatigue strength of a sample with low activation energy was decreased by irreversible hydrogen in the material, whereas the fatigue strength of a sample with high activation energy was not. When the activation energies for irreversible hydrogen were almost equal, a higher sensitivity to hydrogen embrittlement induced fatigue strength degradation by irreversible hydrogen. Therefore, fatigue strength degradation by irreversible hydrogen depends on the activation energy for irreversible hydrogen trap sites and sensitivity to hydrogen embrittlement.