On onsagers principle, dislocation motion and hydrogen embrittlement

Onsager's reciprocal relationships from the linear theory of irreversible thermodynamics are applied to hydrogen - dislocation interactions. Existing experimental evidence shows that dislocation motion causes localized hydrogen accumulation; thus, from the Onsager principle, localized hydrogen accumulations will affect dislocation motion and therefore the properties of metals and alloys exposed to hydrogen environments.