Sheet metal components are widely used in several industrial sectors. Automotive OEMs, among others, take advantage of high-strength sheet metals to reach an improved performance and a balance among resistance, low-weight parts and cost reduction.
The application of new high grade materials involves on the counterside some risks as cracks, stretching and thinning that can take place during part manufacturing, but also a silent and potentially dangerous phenomenon that is connected with atomic hydrogen absorption in steel lattice, the hydrogen induced delayed fracture.
Process and part controls are more and more needed to assure part quality during manufacturing. In particular, as hydrogen embrittlement is unpredictable and potentially more probable as steel grade increases, it is fundamental to monitor hydrogen absorption.
In this scenario, FormPlanet project aims at offering novel services and non-destructive test methods to reduce production defects and scraps, as well as prevent failures. A reliable procedure, involving an easy non-destructive test method for diffusible online measurements on coils and sheet metal parts has been developed within FormPlanet project and will be available for the Open Innovation Test Bed (OITB) to be created as a new entity at the end of 2021.
Hydrogen absorption monitoring is becoming fundamental to assess part safety. FormPlanet Test Bed will offer the possibility to measure diffusible hydrogen directly online during part manufacturing thanks to HELIOS method
In order to disseminate the project findings and results, but also to facilitate the use of innovative developed solutions in the future activities of the sheet metal market, the creation of a CEN (European Committee for Standardization) workshop dedicated to HELIOS 4 HOT PROBE method was started. A CEN Workshop Agreement (CWA) is an agreement developed and approved in a CEN Workshop, open to the direct participation of anyone with an interest in the development of the agreement. The CWA development of the diffusible online measurements method has been launched thanks to the support of the Spanish Association for Standardisation (UNE) and after consulting the relative technical committee CEN/TC 262 that demonstrated its interest. It will hopefully lay fundation for a reference standard method that will cover the lack of regulations in the field of on site diffusible hydrogen measurements.
It will hopefully lay foundation for a reference standard
Linda Bacchi
Master degree in mechanical engineering at the University of Pisa. She started working on Hydrogen Embrittlement during her graduation thesis, investigating the effect of tempering temperature on the hydrogen embrittlement susceptibility of supermartensitic stainless steels. Part of Letomec R&D team, her main research interests are HELIOS platform for hydrogen-steel interaction study (Letomec srl patent), material characterisation and mechanical testing.
