25th EUROPEAN CONFERENCE ON FRACTURE (ECF25)
The 25th European Conference on Fracture (ECF25) took place in Athens, Greece, from 6 to 11 September 2026, bringing together researchers, engineers and industry professionals from around the world to discuss the latest advances in fatigue, fracture mechanics and structural integrity.
Organized by the Greek Society of Experimental Mechanics of Materials (GSEMM) and the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA) under the auspices of the European Structural Integrity Society (ESIS), ECF25 continues a tradition that has made the ECF series one of the most prestigious international forums in the field since 1976.
The conference featured plenary lectures by leading experts, technical sessions, special symposia on emerging topics such as additive manufacturing, advanced composites and artificial intelligence in fracture mechanics, as well as poster sessions and industry panel discussions. An ESIS Summer School also preceded the conference, offering intensive training on fatigue and fracture modelling and analysis.
ECF25 attracted hundreds of participants from academia, research institutions and industry, providing a unique opportunity for knowledge exchange, networking and collaboration within the global structural integrity community.
Evaluation of metallic coatings as hydrogen permeation barriers
Andrea González De la Cerda, Thomas Glorieux , Esteban Rodoni , Kim Verbeken and Tom Depover (UGent)
The increasing global energy demand has accelerated the development of renewable energy technologies. Despite their advantages, these energy sources are inherently intermittent because they depend on weather conditions, requiring energy carriers to provide a continuous supply. In this context, hydrogen has emerged as a key energy vector for facilitating the transition toward low-carbon energy systems. However, the widespread implementation of hydrogen technologies is limited by hydrogen embrittlement (HE), a degradation mechanism in which hydrogen ingress into metals leads to premature fracture. HE remains a critical challenge for the safe deployment of infrastructure used in hydrogen compression and transportation. Among the various mitigation strategies, hydrogen permeation barriers (HPBs) offer a promising approach by limiting hydrogen uptake in structural materials. Metallic coatings' inherent compatibility with metallic substrates makes them especially attractive as HPBs. This study serves as a proof of concept on the benefits of using zinc and nickel coatings as hydrogen permeation barriers. Nickel-coated 42CrMo4 steel, a substrate used in compressor applications, is compared to a bare counterpart. Electroplated nickel was produced under controlled conditions and characterised using optical and electron microscopy. Industrially zinc-coated steels are compared with decoated samples. Hydrogen permeation experiments were performed using the electrochemical permeation technique to assess the barrier performance of the coatings. The results were analysed in relation to the observed microstructural features to identify key parameters governing hydrogen transport. This work contributes to the understanding of microstructure–transport relationships and supports the design of effective metallic HPBs.