Excellent Resistance to Hydrogen Embrittlement of High-Strength Copper-Based Alloy
In order to develop more energy-efficient and safer, hydrogen pre-cooling systems destined for use in hydrogen refueling stations, a metallic material must first be researched and found to possess three excellent material properties: high strength, high thermal conductivity and low susceptibility to hydrogen embrittlement (HE). This study investigated the hydrogen compatibility of a beryllium-copper alloy 25 (UNS-C17200), fabricated by a solution annealing at 1053 K and via subsequent aging treatment at 588 K. After these thermal processes, the tensile strength exceeded 1200 MPa, due to the precipitation of nano-sized CuBe compounds (γ’ phase). Slow strain rate tensile (SSRT) and tension-compression fatigue tests were performed using this material, in addition to fatigue crack growth and fracture toughness tests, in laboratory air and in gaseous hydrogen with a pressure of 115 MPa at room temperature. After the SSRT test, the material showed no hydrogen-induced degradation of strength or ductility and, surprisingly, there was also no degradation of fatigue resistance or fracture toughness values in high-pressure gaseous hydrogen. Specifically, it was revealed that the material demonstrated an excellent HE resistance, despite having such a high tensile strength.