Investigation of hydrogen-deformation interactions in β-21S titanium alloy using thermal desorption spectroscopy

The focus of this paper is the investigation of the combined influence of hydrogen and pre-plastic deformation on hydrogen's absorption/desorption behavior, the microstructure and microhardness of a single-phased β-21S alloy. In this study, thermal desorption analyses (TDS) evaluation of various desorption and trapping parameters provide further insight on the relationships between hydrogen absorption/desorption processes and deformation, and their mutual influence on the microstructure and the microhardness of β-21S alloy. TDS spectra were supported by other experimental techniques, such as X-ray diffraction, scanning and transmission electron microscopy, hydrogen quantity analyses and microhardness tests. Pre-plastic deformation, performed before the electrochemical hydrogenation of the alloy, increased significantly the hydrogen absorption capacity. Its influence was also evident on the notably expanded lattice parameter of β-21S alloy after hydrogenation. However, no hydride precipitation was observed. An interesting softening effect of the pre-deformed hydrogenated alloy was revealed by microhardness tests. TDS demonstrated the significant effect of pre-plastic deformation on the hydrogen evolution process. Hydrogen desorption temperature and the activation energy for hydrogen release increased, additional trap states were observed and the amount of desorbed hydrogen decreased.