Influence of electroplating stages on hydrogen pickup in SAE 1005 steel.

Abstract

Hydrogen embrittlement is a common, dangerous, but poorly understood cause of failure in metals and alloys. In coated samples, coatings act as a barrier to hydrogen damage resulting in a decrease in the corrosion rate and consequently reducing hydrogen embrittlement. In order to obtain an effective barrier against the hydrogen income the layer must be continuous, impermeable and stable in the environment so adequate variable control must be followed. Knowledge about absorption/desorption energies of hydrogen from traps as a function of temperature help to design proper thermal treatments to eliminate it. This paper represents a survey about variables involved at each electroplating stage and hydrogen income into steel wires, analyzed through optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and thermal analysis.