Amount of hydrogen absorbed into 316L austenitic stainless steel and its correlation with properties of oxide film, dissolved oxygen concentration and low-cycle fatigue behaviors of this material in borated and lithiated high temperature water

It was found that the low-cycle fatigue (LCF) life of 316L austenitic stainless steel (ASS) in high temperature water had a negative correlation with the amount of hydrogen absorbed into the material per cycle of the LCF test. Effects of dissolved oxygen (DO) on reducing the amount of hydrogen absorbed into the materials started to appear even though only 7 ppb DO was added to the water. Instead of oxide film properties and the corrosion rate, the DO concentrations of the bulk water and the water inside the cracks were considered the key factors affecting the amount of hydrogen absorbed.