Research Projects

The safety and integrity of structural components made from ferrous alloys depend on their resistance to harsh environmental conditions. Hydrogen exposure can lead to embrittlement and premature failure in metallic systems, particularly in DP steels. The complex microstructure of DP steels contains multiple phases and trapping sites for hydrogen, making it difficult to understand the processes leading to mechanical degradation. Accurate hydrogen concentration measurements are crucial for assessing the impact of hydrogen on local micromechanics. However, existing experimental characterization techniques struggle to capture this information due to spatial resolution difficulties. Key unresolved issues include the distribution of hydrogen in DP steels during deformation, its role in strain localization, and the extent of hydrogen-assisted mechanical degradation. This study aims to quantify hydrogen's effects on macroscopic deformation behavior, assess its role in dislocation-based plasticity, develop a microstructure-informed numerical framework, and understand the influence of microstructural features and tensile loading on hydrogen diffusion and trapping behavior.