Enhanced susceptibility of high-strength fastener nuts to hydrogen-induced stress corrosion cracking

Abstract High-strength HV-fastener sets of dimensions M48 and M64 with property class 10.9 were employed in offshore wind turbine frameworks. The M64 were used in coupling flanges within monopiles. The M48 were employed in another offshore wind farm and encountered natural weathering. In both installations, time-delayed fractures of the nuts were observed. Owing to the presence of macroscopically visible corrosion products, hydrogen-induced stress corrosion cracking (Hi-SCC) was established as the probable cause of failure. However, a nut fracture in a properly pre-tensioned bolt assembly is atypical since the stresses in the bolt threads are higher than those in the nuts. Based on the Hi-SCC theory, the fracture should occur at the most stressed component, which is the bolt. During the root cause analysis, extensive examinations were conducted to determine the cause of the nut fractures. The focus was on investigating whether the nut material was more prone to Hi-SCC than the bolt material. The examination program included scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDS) analysis of the fracture surfaces, optical microscopy of microspecimens, mechanical tests, and stress rupture tests of hydrogen-charged specimens. While the results suggest that the tested nuts comply with the requirements of the applicable standards regarding material properties, they also reveal that the nut material is, despite its lower tensile strength, significantly more susceptible to Hi-SCC than the bolt material. Therefore, a direct relationship between material susceptibility to Hi-SCC and the tensile strength, as standards and guidelines imply, is not given.