DE VELO PMENT BODY

Hydrogen in Hot Forming

of Ultrahigh-strength
Structural Parts

© thyssenkrupp

During the annealing process in the hot forming of ultra-

high-strength body parts, surface reactions can lead to hydrogen
absorption and hence to part embrittlement. With unfavourably
designed body-in-white processes this can result in part failure.
Steel expert thyssenkrupp Steel Europe has conducted extensive
investigations of hydrogen embrittlement into the causes and
developed a series of effective countermeasures.

OPTIMISING PART STRESSES steels, are state-of-the-art [1]. However, thyssenkrupp Steel Europe has
IN HOT FORMING with increasing strengths of up to characterised the behaviour of manga-
1900 MPa in hot forming, it comes to nese-boron steels under the effects of
The hot forming of ultrahigh-strength a growing susceptibility to hydrogen- hydrogen in extensive investigations.
body parts is an established production induced part failure [2]. A robust steel This requires special measuring equip-
technology in automotive lightweight production process can be achieved ment and a deep understanding of the
design today. Car bodies, made up of through appropriate process design causes and the fundamental mecha-
one third hot-formed manganese-boron and material-adapted part handling. nisms of action of hydrogen. From this,
38
 AUTHORS key measures for robust process design In parallel with controlling hydrogen
can be derived. The solutions presented pickup, the negative effects of low part
include measures to minimise hydrogen removal temperatures (increased part
pickup during manufacture, rules for hardness), cold trimming (microcracks
reliable further processing of hot- and residual stresses) as well as subse-
formed parts and simulation-assisted quent joining processes (local hardening
processes for optimising part stresses and residual stresses) can be reduced
Dipl.-Ing. (FH) Janko Banik at the OEM. almost completely by means of adapted
is Senior Engineer Forming part manufacturing during the hot form-
Technology at the thyssenkrupp ing process. Plastic strains in the
Steel Europe AG in Dortmund CAUSES OF HYDROGEN
press-hardened part, for example due to
(Germany). EMBRITTLEMENT AND DETECTION
incorrect storage, lead to an increase in
OF HYDROGEN
residual stresses, which can favour the
Although the susceptibility of high- formation of microcracks and in combi-
strength steels to hydrogen embrittle- nation with diffusible hydrogen trigger
ment is determined by a large number of the crack propagation process.
factors, in simplified terms failure can be The concentration of diffusible hydro-
attributed to the three influencing factors gen is measured by means of Thermal
Dipl.-Ing. Dr.-Ing. Ulrich Etzold
is Project Coordinator Metallography local interaction of diffusible hydrogen, Desorption Mass Spectrometry (TDMS).
at the thyssenkrupp Steel Europe AG stress-in-part states and material proper- The process offers high accuracy and
in Duisburg (Germany). ties (microstructure), FIGURE 1 (left). low detection limits [3]. During measure-
Stress concentrations around design- ment the sample is heated steadily and
or production-related notches, such as the hydrogen effusing from the sample
welds or cut edges, can result in an up to roughly 400 °C is transported
increased local hydrogen concentration to a mass spectrometer to determine
with subsequent crack initiation. If the the diffusible hydrogen concentration
material’s theoretical limit for maximum quantitatively.
Dipl.-Ing. Dr.-Ing. Julia Mura tolerable stress is exceeded locally, a
is Product Manager for Hot Forming
crack propagation process begins which
Products at the thyssenkrupp Steel MINIMISING HYDROGEN PICKUP
Europe AG in Duisburg (Germany). leads to failure of the part. However, the
theoretically tolerable maximum stress For the reliable production of press-hard-
for a material condition and a specific ened parts, hydrogen pickup must be
hydrogen concentration is seldom limited by means of adapted production
reached in practice. Hydrogen-induced conditions along the entire manufactur-
delayed fracture is detected by assess- ing chain from steel production to hot
ment of fracture surfaces and typical forming to body assembly and painting
Dipl.-Ing. Norbert Rössler signs of the influence of hydrogen. A at the OEM. In the first step, hot-dip
is Project Coordinator at the characteristic fracture surface image coating of the steel coil, absorption of
thyssenkrupp Steel Europe AG from the scanning electron microscope hydrogen by the hot steel at tempera-
in Duisburg (Germany).
is shown in FIGURE 1 (right). tures of up to 750 °C is limited by main-

Influencing factors
Characteristic intergranular
fracture pattern

Stresses
in part
Micropores

Gaping grain boundaries

Diffusible
Microstructure hydrogen Ductile hairline cracke (“crow´s feet”)
(hardness) in material

FIGURE 1 Three influencing factors (left) and fracture surface characteristics (SEM image, right) of hydrogen-induced crack formation (© thyssenkrupp)

05I2016 Volume 118 39

DE VELO PMENT BODY

taining a defined furnace atmosphere. 0.6

Coil Blank Press-hardened parts
Low contents of diffusible hydrogen
(Hdiff ), FIGURE 2, at around the detection 0.5
limit of ≤ 0.1 ppm can be achieved by
this. Random tests during ongoing pro- 0.4

Hdiff [ppm]
duction prove the effectiveness of the
0.3
measures taken in the hot-dip coating
process, FIGURE 2.
0.2
A decisive role is played by the second
Detection
step, further processing in the hot form- 0.1 limit
ing process [4]. Here, hydrogen pickup is
observed during press hardening. Dur-
Cold-rolled AlSi AlSi AlSi Press After Aging Aging
ing heat treatment the moisture in the coil strip sheet blank hardening tempering 1 week 2 weeks
furnace atmosphere reacts on the AlSi
coating surface to form aluminium oxide Hdiff min Hdiff max
and hydrogen, FIGURE 3 (left). At the high FIGURE 2 Variation of diffusible hydrogen content Hdiff from cold-rolled coil to aged hot-formed part
temperatures in the furnace the atomic (© thyssenkrupp)
hydrogen can diffuse through the coat-
ing into the steel. However at room tem-
perature the alloy coating formed is
almost diffusion-tight, FIGURE 3 (centre). introduction of hydrogen. Under produc- this [5]. At these temperatures the
Uncoated parts are less critical, since tion conditions this can be done by con- mechanical properties remain at the
less hydrogen is formed during passage trolling the furnace dew point. In indus- desired level. Holding time at this tem-
through the furnace and the absorbed trial practice dry compressed air or perature depends on the hydrogen con-
hydrogen can escape unhindered after nitrogen are suitable for controlling the tent present in the part. Alternatively the
press hardening. furnace atmosphere. FIGURE 5 shows as part can be aged at room temperature
FIGURE 4 presents the belonging trans- an example the hydrogen contents in a over a period of days to weeks, FIGURE 2.
verse microsection of an AlSi coating part following hot forming with typical In the OEM process steps “phosphat-
applied to a manganese-boron steel heat treatment parameters of 920 °C fur- ing and electrocoating” up to 0.2 ppm
(MBW 1500) before and after hot nace temperature and 6 min dwell time. diffusible hydrogen can be generated
forming. Diffusible hydrogen can be effectively and absorbed by the press-hardened
At this point the processor has the reduced by targeted tempering of endan- parts. The diffusible hydrogen content is
possibility of limiting moisture in the gered parts, FIGURE 3 (right). Tempera- reduced back to ≤ 0.1 ppm by baking at
furnace atmosphere and so reducing the tures of around 200 °C are adequate for around 170 °C and 20 min.

Annealing for austenitisation Part after forming Tempering

Processes in furnace at temperatures > 480 °C Processes in part at room temperature Processes in part at temperatures > 150 °C

Reaction at workpiece surface FeAlSi alloy layers act as effusion barrier FeAlSi alloy layers are permeable
2AI + 3H2O → AI2O3+ 6H+ (3H2)

3H2O

AI2O3
1 1 1

2 2 2

3 3

Hdiff

4 4 4

Hdiff Hdiff Hdiff

Hydrogen diffusion
in material and FIGURE 3 Hydrogen formation
effusion via and effusion processes in
cut edges
hot-dip aluminised manga-
nese-boron steel for hot
1 Alumina layers 2 FeAlSi alloy layers 3 FeAl interdiffusion layer 4 Steel substrate forming (© thyssenkrupp)

40
 FIGURE 4 Transverse microsection of an AlSi coating
A B applied to a manganese-boron steel (MBW 1500)
before (A) and after hot forming (B) (© thyssenkrupp)

A Before hot forming

A2 B2
A1 B After hot forming
B1

A1 FeAlSi alloy layer

A2 AlSi top layer

B1 FeAl interdiffusion layer

Diffusion of Al into substrate

B2 FeAlSi alloy layers

50 µm 50 µm
Diffusion of Fe into coating

STRESS-REDUCED reliable part production is to avoid criti- The data required are determined for
MANUFACTURING PROCESS cal stress states. As part failure is caused example with the aid of bending tests on
by complex interaction between stress notched specimens as well as parallel
For a full assessment of part reliability with state, material strength and local hydro- simulations of stress state and stress-in-
the help of a crack criterion it is important gen concentration, no universally valid duced hydrogen transport in the speci-
also to consider the part manufacturing limit for hydrogen content can be given men body. In the bending tests the
process. For example strain hardening of for press-hardened parts. Instead, part hydrogen content is increased sequen-
the edges during mechanical trimming reliability should be assessed with the tially until failure for various stress lev-
produces additional residual stresses as aid of semi-empirical failure criteria [6]. els. The simulations deliver the stress
well as higher hardness, increasing the These criteria deliver information on state and hydrogen content at the crack
part’s delayed fracture susceptibility. critical stress states in order to identify origin. The information from experi-
Despite this parts can be produced reliably vulnerable part regions. ments and simulations finally forms the
by adapting the furnace dew point and
reducing the hydrogen in the part.
Particularly in fusion welding pro-
cesses such as MIG brazing and MAG 1.0 50
welding, critical stress states can occur
in combination with hydrogen. This 0.9 45
must be considered during part design
so that no overcritical loads occur in the 0.8 40
material as a result of shrinkage stresses
0.7 35
due to the metallurgical notch. Spot Water content [g/m3]
welding is preferable due to the relatively
0.6 30
Hdiff [ppm]

low thermal stresses produced.

One solution to the challenge resulting 0.5 25
from high stress and the metallurgical
notch effect in the joint area is the use of 0.4 20
soft part flanges. These can be produced
during hot forming by targeted cooling, 0.3 15

as in tailored tempering, or afterwards

0.2 10
by tempering the desired part areas. Tai-
Detection
lored tempering is suitable for parts with 0.1 5 limit
high residual stresses which are exposed
to extreme stresses due to gap bridging -35 -25 -15 -5 5 15 25 35
during body-in-white assembly.
Furnace dew point [°C], at furnace temperature 920 °C

OPTIMISING PART STRESSES Hdiff after press hardening in ppm Water content

In addition to maintaining low hydrogen FIGURE 5 Diffusible hydrogen at MBW 1500+AS as a function of furnace dew point with a furnace dwell
contents, a central factor in ensuring time of 6 min (© thyssenkrupp)

05I2016 Volume 118 41

DE VELO PMENT BODY

basis for a crack criterion applicable to

any part. There is also the possibility of
assessing the influence of local pre-dam-
age due to plastic strain.

CONCLUSION

The hot forming of ultrahigh-strength

body parts is an established technology
for lightweight design automotive pro-
duction today. However, with increasing
strength of up to 1900 MPa comes a
growing delayed fracture susceptibility.
Reliable part production can be achieved
through appropriate design of press shop
and body assembly processes and by
material-adapted parts handing at the
decisive points. In addition, simulation
methods offer the ability to predict criti-
cal situations and devise corresponding
countermeasures.
In the future the further development
of simulation-assisted failure criteria
will offer the possibility of including the
effects of welds, cold-trimmed edges and
corrosion in the analysis. In this way the
reliability of part manufacture can be
further increased, attainable strength
levels can be raised, and weight-saving
potential can be exploited more effi-
ciently by the use of hot-formed parts.

REFERENCES
[1] Kleimann, M.; Schorn, T.: Strictly Enforced
Lightweight Design. In: ATZextra worldwide –
The New Golf (November 2012), pp. 38-47
[2] Pohl, M.: Wasserstoff in Metallen. Eine syste-
matische Übersicht. In: Pract. Metallogr. 51 (2014),
No. 4, pp. 291-305
[3] Bergers, K. et al.: Determination of Hydrogen
in Steel by Thermal Desorption Mass Spectrometry.
In: Steel Research International 81 (2010), No. 7,
pp. 499-507
[4] thyssenkrupp Steel Europe (Ed.): Warmum-
formung im Automobilbau. Bibliothek der Technik,
Vol. 348, Süddeutscher Verlag, Munich, 2012
[5] George, C. et al.: Absorption/Desorption of
Diffusible Hydrogen in Aluminized Boron Steel. In:
ISIJ International 53 (2013), No. 8, pp. 1295-1304
[6] Rott, O.; Thiessen, R.-G.: Modelling and Simula-
tion of Hydrogen Transport in Steel. In: ESIA12 –
Engineering Structural Integrity Assessment: Where
are we now?, Manchester, 28 and 29 May 2013

THANKS
The findings of thyssenkrupp Steel Europe pre-
sented here are the work of the authors as well as
of colleague Dr. Oliver Rott, who has since left the
company.

42
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