Tests on the fatigue crack growth rate were conducted on four pipeline steels, two of grade API 5L-X52 and two API 5L-X70. One X52 material was manufactured in the mid-1960s and the other was manufactured in 2011. The two X70 materials had a similar vintage and chemistry, but the microstructure differs. The fatigue tests were performed in 5.5 and 34 MPa pressurized hydrogen gas, at 1 Hz and (load ratio) R = 0.5. At high pressures of hydrogen and high values of the stress intensity factor range (ΔK) there is no difference in the fatigue crack growth rates (da/dN), regardless of strength or microstructure. At low values of ΔK, however, significant differences in the da/dN are observed. The older X52 material has a ferrite-pearlite microstructure; whereas, the modern X52 has a mixture of polygonal and acicular ferrites. The X70 materials are both predominantly polygonal ferrite, but one has small amounts (∼5%) of upper bainite, and the other has small amounts of pearlite (<2%) and acicular ferrite (∼5%). We discuss the fatigue test results with respect to the different microstructures, with particular emphasis on the low ΔK regime.
Fatigue Crack Growth Threshold of Ni Based Castalloys Using Ultrasonic Fatigue Tests
