Abstract
A marine structural material was well known to have high tensile strength, good weldability and proper corrosion resistance. Cu-containing high strength low alloy(HSLA) steel was recently developed for their purposes mentioned above. And the steel is free about preheating for welding, therefore it is reported that shipbuilding cost by using it can be saved more or less. However the marine structural materials like Cu-containing HSLA steel are being generally adopted with cathodic protection method in severe corrosive environment like natural sea water but the high strength steel may give rise to Hydrogen Embrittlement due to over protection at high cathodic current density for cathodic protection. In this study Cu-containing HSLA steel using well for marine atructure was investigated about the susceptibility of Hydrogen Embrittlement as functions of tensile strength, strain ratio, fracture time, and fracture mode, etc. and an optimum cathodic protection potential by slow strain rate test(SSRT) method as well as corrosion properties in natural sea water. And its corrosion resistance was superior to SS400 steel, but Hydrogen Embrittlement susceptibility of Cu-containing HSLA steel was higer than that of SS400 steel. However Hydrogen Embrittlement of its steel by SSRT method was showed with pheonomena such as decreasing of fracture time, strain ratio and fracture mode of QC(quasi-cleavage). Eventually it is suggested that an optimum cathodic protection potential not presenting Hydrogen Embrittlement of Cu-containing of HSLA steel by SSRT method was from-770mv(SCE) to - 900mV(SCE)under natural sea water.
