Hydrogen effects on the mechanical behaviour and deformation mechanisms of inclined twin boundaries

Abstract It has been observed that coherent twin boundaries (CTBs) are resistant to hydrogen embrittlement (HE). However, little is known about the role of inclined twin boundaries in the H-related deformation and failure. Here we comprehensively investigate H segregation and its influence on the mechanical behaviour and deformation mechanisms of inclined Σ3 twin boundaries at inclination 0°≤Φ ≤ 90° using molecular dynamics simulations. Our results demonstrate that for Φ = 0° CTB and Φ = 90° symmetric incoherent twin boundary (SITB), the presence of H reduces the yield stress required for dislocation nucleation under uniaxial tension, while for inclined twin boundaries (0°