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Received: August 16, 2018; Revised: August 23, 2018; Accepted: August 23, 2018
Abstract: In order to suppress CO2 emission and protect passengers in case of vehicle collision, continuous efforts are being made to increase the application ratio and tensile strength of advanced high strength steels used in the manufacturing of automotive body. Simultaneously, hydrogen embrittlement which was not a concern in the past has currently become a major issue due to microstructure that is sensitive to hydrogen uptake. The sensitivity increases with residual stress and hydrogen uptake content. Many automotive OEM companies and mill makers are setting specifications to control hydrogen embrittlement. The factors which lead to hydrogen embrittlement are material sensitivity, residual stress, and hydrogen concentration; researches are in progress to develop countermeasures. To reduce material sensitivity, mill makers add high energy trap elements or microstructure refinement elements. Automotive OEM companies design the car parts not to concentrate local stress. And they manage the levels to not to exceed critical hydrogen concentration. In this article, we have reviewed hydrogen embrittlement evaluation methods and corresponding solutions that are being studied in automobile manufacturing industries and mill makers.