The effect of reinforcement, fibre, and matrix on the forming behaviour of continuous fibre reinforced thermoplastic composites

Forming simulations are a cost-effective solution to mitigate process-induced defects. The models developed to simulate the forming process require material property data for the dominant deformation mechanisms: intra-ply shear, bending, and inter-ply friction. These mechanisms are considered independent, and material property data has to be derived from experimental data for each mechanism separately. However, it is known that the material response to the deformation mechanisms is correlated, as the choice of matrix, fibre, and reinforcement influences the response to all mechanisms. Over the past years a large variety of thermoplastic composites have been characterised, covering a broad field of applications in automotive and aerospace industry. This makes it possible to start correlating the forming behaviour of thermoplastic composites. In this study, the effect of the constituents of a composite on the forming behaviour is analysed. To this end, a Bayesian cross-classified multilevel model with varying intercepts was applied, and the effects found by the model were analysed. Correlations were found between the effect of the constituents and their properties. The study confirms that the matrix material is an important indicator for the forming behaviour.

Material Properties and Flaw Characteristics of Vintage Girth Welds

Vintage pipelines, which in the context of this paper refer to pipelines built before approximately 1970, account for a large portion of the energy pipeline systems in North America. Integrity assessment of these pipelines can sometimes present challenges due to incomplete records and lack of material property data. When material properties for the welds of interest are not available, conservative estimates based on past experience are typically used for the unknown material property values. Such estimates can be overly conservative, potentially leading to unnecessary remedial actions. This paper is a summary of PRCI-funded work aimed at characterizing material properties and flaw characteristics of vintage girth welds. The data obtained in this work can be utilized to understand and predict the behavior of vintage pipelines, which is covered in a companion paper [1]. The material property data generated in this work include (i) pipe base metal tensile properties in both the hoop (transverse) and the longitudinal (axial) directions, (ii) deposited weld metal tensile properties, (iii) macrohardness traverses, (iv) microhardness maps, and (v) Charpy impact transition curves of specimens with notches in the heat-affected zone (HAZ) and weld centerline (WCL). These data provide essential information for tensile strength, strength mismatch, and impact toughness. In addition to the basic material property data, instrumented cross-weld tensile (ICWT) tests were conducted on CWT specimens with no flaws, natural flaws, and artificially machined planar flaws. The ICWT tests provide an indication of the welds’ stress and strain capacity without and with flaws. For welds with even-matching or over-matching weld strengths, the CWT specimens usually failed outside of the weld region, even for specimens with natural flaws reported by non-destructive examination. Having over-matching weld strength can compensate for the negative impact of weld flaws. All tested girth welds were inspected using radiography and/or phased array ultrasonic testing. The inspection results are compared with the flaws exposed through destructive testing. The ability of these inspection methods to detect and size flaws in vintage girth welds is evaluated.

Assessment of Coke Drum Materials Based on ASME Material Property Data

Delayed coking as a part of heavy oil upgrading is characterized with severe thermal–mechanical operating conditions. Coke drums operating under such conditions require proper design and material selection in order to sustain the high stresses caused by the thermal–mechanical loading. This paper has the objective to explore alternative material selections for coke drum applications based on material property data provided in ASME Boiler & Pressure Vessel Code, Section II—Materials. The materials were compared based on the stress levels obtained by using finite element analyses (FEA) for two critical loading scenarios in the coke drum operation cycle, i.e., the heating up and quenching stages. The results show that closer matching in the coefficients of thermal expansion (CTE) between clad and base materials reduce significantly the stress in the clad during heating up stage. Among other material properties, the results show that the variation in Young's modulus values of base materials plays an important role in the variation of maximum stress in the coke drum shell during the bending of the shell caused by quenching water. Among the considered 11 pairs of clad and base material combinations, the combination of SA302-C as the base material and nickel alloy N06625 as the cladding material is recommended for delayed coke drum application.

Alternative Selections of Delayed Coke Drum Materials Based on ASME Material Property Data

Severe cyclic thermo-mechanical operating conditions during delayed coking can cause damages in the form of bulging and cracking in coke drums. As a result, the industry has to perform costly repairs and maintenance shutdowns. Therefore, it is important to understand the damage and failure mechanisms of the coke drums and to achieve more reliable coke drum design solutions. This paper explores alternative selections of clad and base material combinations for coke drum applications based on material property data provided in ASME Boiler & Pressure Vessel Code, Section II - Materials. Finite element analyses are carried out by simulating two critical loading scenarios in the coke drum operation cycle, i.e. the heating up and quenching stages. The analysis results show that the major achievement in lowering the stress level in the clad layer is due to matching of the coefficients of thermal expansion between clad and base materials. In addition, the finite element analyses indicate that the differences in Young’s modulus values play an important role in the variation of maximum stress in the coke drum shell during the quenching stage. Among eleven pairs of the clad and base material combinations studied, the combination of SA302-C as the base and nickel alloy N06625 as the cladding material is recommended.