Probing hydrogen in steels by neutron imaging and mechanical testing

by Dr Carl Dahlberg (KTH royal institute of technology)

Monday 16 Nov 2026, 14:30 → 15:30 Europe/Berlin

PH HS 3 (Physics Department)

Understanding hydrogen embrittlement requires knowledge of where hydrogen accumulates, how it moves, and how it interacts with stress and plastic deformation. Neutron imaging offers a means of probing hydrogen inside steel specimens and following its redistribution. This talk presents work combining white-beam and time-of-flight neutron imaging with mechanical testing and modelling to investigate hydrogen distribution and transport in steels. It will discuss what these experiments can reveal, the challenges of measuring small changes in hydrogen content, and how the results can contribute to understanding hydrogen embrittlement. As a complementary example, time-of-flight imaging of mechanically induced phase transformations will illustrate how neutrons can also reveal microstructural changes within loaded steels.