Strain Aging Effects in High Strength Line Pipe Materials

Author(s):  
Da-Ming Duan ◽  
Joe Zhou ◽  
Brian Rothwell ◽  
David Horsley ◽  
Nick Pussegoda

Strain aging behavior can occur in almost all steels, including micro-alloyed steels used in high-strength pipelines. The direct effects of strain aging on mechanical properties can include increased hardness, yield strength and tensile strength, and reduced ductility and toughness. Strain aging may take place in processes where the pipe material experiences thermal cycles, such as coating, welding and in-service heating, and may occur with or without additional plastic strain. The changes of material mechanical properties could seriously challenge the design principles and methodologies, so that these aging effects need to be taken into account. This is especially important for pipelines expected to see deformation-controlled loading conditions. This is not only because the difference in strain aging effects between a weld and the parent material can easily change the strength overmatch condition of the weld, leading to unpredictable girth weld flaw tolerance, but also because the return of Lu¨ders behavior on the stress-strain curves of these materials significantly reduces the pipe buckling load resistance. In addition, any change in fracture resistance due to strain aging may impact the fracture control design practice, particularly if the pipe material may be expected to experience plastic deformation during service. In this paper, a brief review of strain aging behavior in steels is presented, with an emphasis on the effects on the mechanical properties and toughness of three high-strength line pipe steels. Material strain aging mechanical test procedures of three high grade pipes will be described and the test results will be discussed.

Author(s):  
Yasuhiro Shinohara ◽  
Eiji Tsuru ◽  
Takuya Hara ◽  
Hitoshi Asahi ◽  
Yoshio Terada ◽  
...  

For line pipe to which a strain-based design is applied, control of mechanical properties such as yield to tensile strength (Y/T) ratio, yield strength (YS) and flow stress at a low strain is required. These mechanical properties generally change during thermal coating treatment. A high strength UOE line pipe that is less susceptible to strain aging has recently been developed. In UOE pipes, mechanical properties change along the circumferential direction. However, the strength distribution has received little attention. Furthermore, the extent to which the change in strength along the circumferential direction affects the strain limits in strain-based design application is unclear. In this paper, firstly, the pipe forming strain variation and mechanical properties distribution along the circumferential direction of the X80 UOE line pipe suitable to the application of strain-based design are presented. Secondly, change in the properties distribution after thermal coating application is examined. Finally, the effect of strength distribution on the strain limits in strain-based design is discussed.


2013 ◽  
Vol 762 ◽  
pp. 551-555 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marek Stanislaw Węglowski ◽  
Marian Zeman ◽  
Miroslaw Lomozik

In the present study, the investigation of weldability of new ultra-high strength - Weldox 1300 steel has been presented. The thermal simulated samples were used to investigate the effect of welding cooling time t8/5 on the microstructure and mechanical properties of the heat affected zone (HAZ). In the frame of these investigation the microstructure was studied by the light (LM) and transmission electron microscopies (TEM). It has been shown that the microstructure of the Weldox 1300 steel is composed of tempered martensite, and inside the laths the minor precipitations mainly V(CN) and molybdenum carbide Mo2C were observed. Mechanical properties of parent material were analysed by the tensile, impact and hardness tests. In details the influence of cooling time in the range of 2,5 - 300 s. on hardness, impact toughness and microstructure of simulated HAZ was studied by using welding thermal simulation test. The results show that the impact toughness and hardness decrease with the increase of t8/5 under the condition of a single thermal cycle in simulated HAZ. The continuous cooling transformation diagrams (CCT-W for welding conditions) of Weldox 1300 steel for welding purposes was also elaborated. The steel Weldox 1300 for cooling time in the range of 2,5 - 4 s showed martensite microstructure, for time from 4 s to 60 s mixture of martensite and bainite, and for longer cooling time mixture of ferrite, bainite and martensite. The results indicated that the weldability of Weldox 1300 steel is limited and to avoid the cold cracking the preheating procedure or medium net linear heat input should be used.


Author(s):  
Diana Toma ◽  
Silke Harksen ◽  
Dorothee Niklasch ◽  
Denise Mahn ◽  
Ashraf Koka

The general trend in oil and gas industry gives a clear direction towards the need for high strength grades up to X100. The exploration in extreme regions and under severe conditions, e.g. in ultra deep water regions also considering High Temperature/High Pressure Fields or arctic areas, becomes more and more important with respect to the still growing demand of the world for natural resources. Further, the application of high strength materials enables the possibility of structure weight reduction which benefits to materials and cost reduction and increase of efficiency in the pipe line installation process. To address these topics, the development of such high strength steel grades with optimum combination of high tensile properties, excellent toughness properties and sour service resistivity for seamless quenched and tempered pipes are in the focus of the materials development and improvement of Vallourec. This paper will present the efforts put into the materials development for line pipe applications up to grade X100 for seamless pipes manufactured by Pilger Mill. The steel concept developed by Vallourec over the last years [1,2] was modified and adapted according to the technical requirements of the Pilger rolling process. Pipes with OD≥20″ and wall thickness up to 30 mm were rolled and subsequent quenched and tempered. The supportive application of thermodynamic and kinetic simulation techniques as additional tool for the material development was used. Results of mechanical characterization by tensile and toughness testing, as well as microstructure examination by light-optical microscopy will be shown. Advanced investigation techniques as scanning electron microcopy and electron backscatter diffraction are applied to characterize the pipe material up to the crystallographic level. The presented results will demonstrate not only the effect of a well-balanced alloying concept appointing micro-alloying, but also the high sophisticated and precise thermal treatment of these pipe products. The presented alloying concept enables the production grade X90 to X100 with wall thickness up to 30 mm and is further extending the product portfolio of Vallourec for riser systems for deepwater and ultra-deep water application [1, 3, 4].


2021 ◽  
Vol 315 ◽  
pp. 37-42
Author(s):  
Hai Long Liao ◽  
Li Hua Zhan ◽  
Yuan Gao ◽  
Xue Ying Chen ◽  
Ming Hui Huang

2195 Al-Li alloy is famous for high strength, excellent fatigue strength and good stress corrosion resistance, which is widely used in the manufacture of high-performance aerospace components. The aim of this study is to validate how the stress relaxation aging behavior effect on the mechanical properties of 2195 Al-Li alloy. Through mechanical property test, the research was found that the performance after stress relaxation aging is higher than artificial aging (AA). In addition, the analysis of scanning electron microscopy SEM and TEM revealed that dislocations should be introduced by the stress relaxation aging process, which is more conducive to the precipitation of the T1 phase and strengthened the material with prolong ageing time. The results show that stress relaxation aging can significantly promote the precipitation of the T1. Therefore, this paper sheds new light on how SRA can improve mechanical properties and that SRA make better improve the distribution of precipitates in the grain boundary.


2020 ◽  
Vol 34 (07n09) ◽  
pp. 2040014
Author(s):  
Yun-Hae Kim ◽  
Kyo-Moon Lee ◽  
Seong-Jae Park ◽  
Kyung-In Jo ◽  
Soo-Jeong Park

Prepreg technology generates air pockets at the interface of laminates under heating and pressurization. The air pockets cause defects in the through-thickness direction. This includes poor adhesion between layers, which degrades material properties. Therefore, in this study, cryogenic mechanical properties were compared to obtain uniform properties by using prepreg laminated and resin film infused glass fiber reinforced plastic (GFRP) composites (“PP-only” and “RF-only”, respectively) while maintaining the constituent contents of the fiber and polymer. Moreover, stepped repair was applied to extend the life of composites. The results demonstrated that the stiffness of the composites improved, and the brittleness increased in cryogenic environments. In the case of PP-only, numerous voids were observed inside the polymer, which showed higher bending strength than RF-only; however, it exhibited significantly lower interfacial bonding strength. When applied to secondary bonding of stepped repair, RF-only as repair layers showed high strength recovery rate in homogeneous materials, and not in heterogeneous materials. In contrast, the high strength PP-only as a parent material and RF-only as repair layers showed relatively good interfacial bonding strength due to primary damage in the PP of a parent material. Hence, the RF-only can be considered useful as a repair material.


Author(s):  
Karl Christoph Meiwes ◽  
Susanne Höhler ◽  
Marion Erdelen-Peppler ◽  
Holger Brauer

During reel-laying repeated plastic strains are introduced into a pipeline which may affect strength properties and deformation capacity of the line pipe material. Conventionally the effect on the material is simulated by small-scale reeling simulation tests. For these, coupons are extracted from pipes that are loaded in tension and compression and thermally aged, if required. Afterwards, specimens for mechanical testing are machined from these coupons and tested according to the corresponding standards. Today customers often demand additional full-scale reeling simulation tests to assure that the structural pipe behavior meets the strain demands as well. Realistic deformations have to be introduced into a full-size pipe, followed by aging, sampling and mechanical testing comparable to small-scale reeling. In this report the fitness for use of a four-point-bending test rig for full-scale reeling simulation tests is demonstrated. Two high-frequency-induction (HFI) welded pipes of grade X65M (OD = 323.9 mm, WT = 15.9 mm) from Salzgitter Mannesmann Line Pipe GmbH (MLP) are bent with alternate loading. To investigate the influences of thermal aging from polymer-coating process one test pipe had been heat treated beforehand, in the same manner as if being PE-coated. After the tests mechanical test samples were machined out of the plastically strained pipes. A comparison of results from mechanical testing of material exposed to small- and full-scale reeling simulation is given. The results allow an evaluation of the pipe behavior as regards reeling ability and plastic deformation capacity.


Author(s):  
Akihide Nagao ◽  
Nobuyuki Ishikawa ◽  
Toshio Takano

Cr-Mo and Ni-Cr-Mo high-strength low-alloy steels are candidate materials for the storage of high-pressure hydrogen gas. Forging materials of these steels have been used for such an environment, while there has been a strong demand for a higher performance material with high resistance to hydrogen embrittlement at lower cost. Thus, mechanical properties of Cr-Mo and Ni-Cr-Mo steels made of quenched and tempered seamless pipes in high-pressure hydrogen gas up to 105 MPa were examined in this study. The mechanical properties were deteriorated in the presence of hydrogen that appeared in reduction in local elongation, decrease in fracture toughness and accelerated fatigue-crack growth rate, although the presence of hydrogen did not affect yield and ultimate tensile strengths and made little difference to the fatigue endurance limit. It is proposed that pressure vessels for the storage of gaseous hydrogen made of these seamless line pipe steels can be designed.


Author(s):  
Yong-Yi Wang ◽  
Ming Liu ◽  
James Gianetto ◽  
Bill Tyson

Pipelines in certain regions are expected to survive high longitudinal strains induced by seismic activities, slope instability, frost heave, and mine subsidence. Material properties, of both pipes and girth welds, are critical contributing factors to a pipeline’s strain capacity. These factors are examined in this paper with particular focus on the modern high strength pipes (grade X70 and above) usually made from microalloyed control-rolled TMCP steels. The examination of the tensile properties of pipes includes some of the most basic parameters such as yield strength, strength variation within a pipe, and newly emerging issues of strength and strain hardening dependence on temperature. The girth weld tensile properties, particularly yield strength, are shown to be dependent on the location of the test specimen. There are strong indications from the tested welds that strain hardening of the welds is dependent on test temperature. The effects of strain aging on pipe and girth weld properties are reviewed. This line of reasoning is extended to possible strain aging effects during field construction, although experimental evidence is lacking at this moment. The paper concludes with considerations of practical implementation of the findings presented in the early part of the paper. Recommendations are made to effectively deal with some of the challenging issues related to the specification and measurement of tensile properties for strain-based design.


Author(s):  
K. A. Widenmaier ◽  
A. B. Rothwell

The use of high strength, high design-factor pipe to transport natural gas requires the careful design and selection of pipeline materials. A primary material concern is the characterization and control of ductile fracture initiation and arrest. Impact toughness in the form of Charpy V-notch energies or drop-weight tear tests is usually specified in the design and purchase of line pipe in order to prevent large-scale fracture. While minimum values are prescribed in various codes, they may not offer sufficient protection in pipelines with high pressure, cold temperature, rich gas designs. The implications of the crack driving force arising from the gas decompression versus the resisting force of the pipe material and backfill are examined. The use and limitations of the Battelle two-curve method as the standard model are compared with new developments utilizing crack-tip opening angle and other techniques. The methodology and reasoning used to specify the material properties for line pipe are described and the inherent limits and risks are discussed. The applicability of Charpy energy to predict ductile arrest in high strength pipes (X80 and above) is examined.


Author(s):  
Yasuhiro Shinohara ◽  
Takuya Hara ◽  
Eiji Tsuru ◽  
Hitoshi Asahi ◽  
Yoshio Terada ◽  
...  

In strain-based design, the overmatch condition in the girth weld portion primarily must be maintained. The pipes may also be required to have a low yield to tensile (Y/T) ratio and a high uniform elongation (U.EL) in the longitudinal direction to achieve a high compressive buckling strain. However, change in the mechanical properties by heating during coating treatment has not been paid attention so much. Furthermore, how much the mechanical properties change is affected by production conditions is unclear. This study aims to clarify firstly the relation between the mechanical properties (Y/T ratio, U.EL etc.) and the microstructure and secondly the change in mechanical properties by thermal coating treatment. The Y/T ratio and U.EL are affected by the volume fraction of ferrite and the secondary phase, which are changed by thermomechanical control processing (TMCP) conditions. For example, use of dual phase microstructure is very effective for decreasing the Y/T ratio and increasing the U.EL as the pipe. On the other hand, yield strength (YS) rises and the U.EL does not change after coating. The increase in the YS after coating is influenced by the microstructure and TMCP conditions. Resultantly, dependence of the Y/T ratio on the microstructure and TMCP conditions is reduced for line pipes after thermal coating treatment.


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