Comparative study of hydrogen embrittlement resistance between additively and conventionally manufactured 304L austenitic stainless steels

Hydrogen embrittlement in 304L austenitic stainless steel fabricated by laser powder-bed-fusion (LPBF) was investigated and compared to conventionally produced 304L samples with two different processing histories; casting plus annealing (CA) and CA plus thermomechanical treatment (CA-TMT). Interestingly, no significant difference in the amount of deformation-induced alpha' martensite between the LPBF and CA-TMT samples was observed, suggesting that the solidification substructure in the LPBF sample enhanced the strength without promoting the harmful hydrogen embrittlement effect. These results are discussed in terms of the chemical in homogeneity, hydrogen-assisted cracking behavior, and hydrogen diffusion and trapping in the present 304L samples.

Automated summary

A comparison was made on the hydrogen embrittlement in 304L austenitic stainless steel fabricated by LPBF and conventionally produced samples. The findings suggest that the solidification substructure in LPBF samples enhances strength without promoting harmful hydrogen embrittlement effects. The study also discusses the chemical inhomogeneity, hydrogen-assisted cracking behavior, and hydrogen diffusion and trapping in these 304L samples.