Proceedings of the Joint Seminar; Hydrogen Management in Steel Weldments, Melbourne, Australia, 23rd October 1996.

Abstract : Despite 50 years of research into the prevention of hydrogen induced cracking in weldments, this form of cracking is still the most serious problem facing the steel fabrication industry today. Increased performance for defence platforms requires stronger lighter structures which have largely been obtained using high strength steels. As the strength is increased, so is the risk of hydrogen induced cracking after welding. To address this issue, the management of hydrogen, and the elimination of hydrogen induced cracking during the welding of high strength structural steels, has been made the focus of an international research program between American and Australian defence scientists. As part of this collaborative program, a public seminar was held at the Carlton Crest Hotel in Melbourne on October 23, 1997. The seminar brought together experts in the field of hydrogen cracking from industry, academia, research institutions and defence agencies, to establish the state-of-the-science, to review the progress of the collaborative research project and to address the feasibility of alternative approaches for hydrogen and preheat management. Seminar papers covered a range of topics from safe hydrogen management practice for today, to the science based development of low-hydrogen consumables for the future. Accordingly, this collection of papers provides a unique opportunity for the reader to become aware of the current directions of hydrogen management in high strength steel weldments.