Full Scale Fatigue Performance of Pre-Strained SCR Girth Welds: Comparison of Different Reeling Frames

The current work aims to point out the influence of plastic strain history, due to reel-lay installation, on the fatigue resistance of welded SMLS (seamless) steel pipes used for fabrication of Steel Catenary Risers (SCRs) for oil and gas development. A C-Mn steel X65 pipe 10.75″ (273.1 mm) outside diameter (OD) and 25.4 mm wall thickness (WT) was chosen for this program. The Welding Procedure designed for girth welds manufacturing involved the use of Lincoln STT-GMAW™ (Surface Tension Transfer–Gas Metal Arc Welding) process for the root pass and SAW (Submerged Arc Welding) process with twin wire configuration for the fill and cap passes. This welding procedure presents a special post-weld finishing treatment, which consists in flapping the inner and outer weld overfills to produce a flush profile between weld metal and outer/inner pipe surfaces. The experimental approach was focused on quantifying the effect of accumulated plastic deformation using two different reeling frames simulating the same laying vessel: the Technip’s Apache. In this program, two reeling trials were performed at Heriot Watt University, Edinburgh, U.K., and two other trials at Stress Engineering Services, Houston, U.S.A. Then, the strained specimens were full scale fatigue tested at TenarisTamsa R&D facilities. Those results have been compared with fatigue results obtained on unstrained specimens. Post-tests fractographic investigations were systematically performed on all samples to identify the causes for fatigue initiation. The results were statistically analyzed to determine which standard fatigue design curves best represent the measured S-N fatigue endurance. Finally, the results were also compared with the available literature.