Hydrogen embrittlement is a serious concern in construction and manufacturing, with steels and iron being among the most vulnerable materials. Due to their small size, hydrogen atoms are capable of permeating solid metals. They can also be introduced through various manufacturing steps, such as when the metal is molten or during welding, electroplating, or cleaning. In excess, the presence of hydrogen can weaken the metal, making it more prone to cracking and failure. Hydrogen embrittlement tends to cause catastrophic fracture failures, making it vital that it is caught before weakened material is used and put under stress.
Proper precautions can prevent most hydrogen embrittlement, focused mainly on minimizing contact between the metal in question and hydrogen sources during production and post processing. Hydrogen embrittlement can be prevented. Process parameters must be optimized to allow the metal to remain at temperature long enough so that the hydrogen can diffuse out of the metal during a process called low hydrogen annealing. This is usually a lengthy process that requires the proper amount of time and temperature for the hydrogen involved.