Crack growth in a welded microalloyed steel under sulfide stress cracking conditions
- UNAM, Cuernavaca (Mexico). Inst. de Fisica
- Univ. of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI (United States)
In this work, the hydrogen sulfide stress-corrosion cracking (SSC) susceptibility of a welded API X-80 pipeline was investigated. For this purpose, steel welding was carried out normal to the rolling direction using a 60{degree} single V-joint design. After welding, compact modified-wedge opening loading (M-WOL) fracture mechanics specimens were machined and loaded to an applied stress intensity factor, K{sub 1}, of 27 to 53 MPa {radical}m. This was followed by specimen exposure to H{sub 2}S saturated synthetic seawater. Each of the M-WOL specimens contained the typical microstructures developed during welding, such as the weld metal (WM), base metal (BM), and heat affected zone (HAZ). No attempt was made to establish a unique K{sub ISCC} for crack arrest because its significance was not clear. Qualitatively, the experimental outcome indicated that in mode I loading under a K{sub 1} of 40.3 MPa {radical}m only the base metal region underwent SSC. Apparently, active anodic dissolution of the crack tip started the growth process, but it was followed by a transition to hydrogen induced cracking. At an applied K{sub 1} of 55 MPa {radical}m and under similar exposure times, crack growth in the base metal was discontinuous and tended to follow the grain boundaries. Moreover, the HAZ exhibited the least SSC susceptibility as inferred from the relatively short crack propagation lengths (0.829 mm). In this case, it was found that the crack lengths of up to 4.2 mm developed. In this case, the presence of a relatively coarse dendritic structure coupled with interdendritic segregation provided a weak path for crack propagation.
- OSTI ID:
- 320819
- Journal Information:
- Journal of Materials Engineering and Performance, Journal Name: Journal of Materials Engineering and Performance Journal Issue: 6 Vol. 7; ISSN 1059-9495; ISSN JMEPEG
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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