Abstract: Within the range of 77 to 295 K,the strength and plastieity of 18Ni maraging steel increase with decreasing temperature and decrease with increasing hydrogen content.The susceptibility to hydrogen embrittlement of the maraged specimens is superior to solid solution ones.The dislocations after plastically deforming will tangle into dislocation cells which reduce thermselves in size as the temperature decreases,and coarsen as the hydrogen content in- creases.No cryogenie deformation twin was found.The tensile fracture surfaces of the solu- tion and maraged specimens containing 5.90 ppm hydrogen under 295 to 223 K are revealed as quasi-cleavage and intergranular features respectively and as transgranular ones under other experimental conditions.The influence of hydrogen on the mechanical behaviour of steel and the mechanism of hydrogen induced deformation and fracture are discussed. Research Assistant, Institute of Metal Research,Academia Sinica, Shenyang 110015,China

Key words: maraging steel, fracture, hydrogen embrittlement, cryogenic property