This laboratory is devoted to studying hydrogen embrittlement of structural materials used for constructions, automobiles, nuclear materials and so forth, which is caused by a small amount of absorbed hydrogen. We are investigating the role of hydrogen on mechanical property and hydrogen uptake caused by corrosion. For safety and reliability, we are also working on the proposal of evaluation methods for hydrogen embrittlement property and on the design of environmentally robust materials.
We investigate the effect of hydrogen concentration in metals, metallurgical microstructure and hydrogen uptake from the environment on hydrogen embrittlement by means of mechanical tests of hydrogen-charged specimens, thermal desorption analysis, monitoring of hydrogen desorption due to stress/strain-induced phase transformation, hydrogen visualization techniques and electrochemical techniques. Furthermore, we aim at developing a novel structure control method utilizing the effect of hydrogen in metals.
