Low hydrogen annealing

Wasserstoffarmglühen is a partial process of the heat treatment of steel, which is used for reduction or elimination of hydrogen embrittlement in the steel parts.

Wasserstoffarmglühen the workpieces are maintained at temperatures between 200 ° C and 300 ° C for several hours. In this escape the incorporated hydrogen atoms in the structure, which make the material brittle due to effusion of the components.

The Wasserstoffarmglühen is performed mainly immediately after welding or plating of the components.

This process is known as tempering or annealing. Galvanized parts should not normally be annealed above 220 ° C, otherwise important for the corrosion protection of zinc layer receives cracks and voids of several micrometers and thus the corrosion protection is no longer sufficient. Hydrogen is the smallest atom, for this reason it has already low temperature, high diffusion rate. It is thus possible to cast at a temperature of up to 300 ° C, the hydrogen in the steel, without changing it metallurgically.