Quick and reliable hydrogen embrittlement testing

High Strength Steel landing gear and aircraft components, processed during overhaul at Hill AFB, are required to receive corrosion preventative electroplating plating which introduces hydrogen into the HSS through electrolysis. Consequently, a 23 hour minimum HE relief bake at 375ï‚°F+/-25ï‚°F is mandatory after application of the plating. In order to certify that the plating process is compliant with technical requirements of ASTM F519, HE test coupons are plated and HE relief baked, just like the HSS aircraft components, and tested periodically for HE in a sustained load test frame for 200 hours(8.5 days). Results from this testing provides an assurance that there was no HE damage in the plated parts 8.5 days earlier in the process. If there is a failure in the HE test, all parts processed over the past week and a half are under suspicion for HE and must be quarantined and held until additional testing is accomplished. Consequently, during this SBIR Phase I project, ES3 proposes to complete the research necessary to demonstrate feasibility of developing additional HE testing methods, such as Incremental Step Load (ASTM F1940) and Slow Strain Rate Load (ASTM G129) which would be faster and give result in less than 30 hours.