Effect of water flow and depth on fatigue crack growth rate of underwater wet welded low carbon steel SS400

Underwater wet welding (UWW) is widely used in repair of offshore constructions and underwater pipelines by the shielded metal arc welding (SMAW) method. They are subjected the dynamic load due to sea water flow. In this condition, they can experience the fatigue failure. This study was aimed to determine the effect of water flow speed (0 m/s, 1 m/s, and 2 m/s) and water depth (2.5 m and 5 m) on the crack growth rate of underwater wet welded low carbon steel SS400. Underwater wet welding processes were conducted using E6013 electrode (RB26) with a diameter of 4 mm, type of negative electrode polarity and constant electric current and welding speed of 90 A and 1.5 mm/s respectively. In air welding process was also conducted for comparison. Compared to in air welded joint, underwater wet welded joints have more weld defects including porosity, incomplete penetration and irregular surface. Fatigue crack growth rate of underwater wet welded joints will decrease as water depth increases and water flow rate decreases. It is represented by Paris's constant, where specimens in air welding, 2.5 m and 5 m water depth have average Paris's constant of 8.16, 7.54 and 5.56 respectively. The increasing water depth will cause the formation of Acicular Ferrite structure which has high fatigue crack resistance. The higher the water flow rate, the higher the welding defects, thereby reducing the fatigue crack resistance.