James A. Gianetto

Fracture Toughness Evaluation of High Strength Steel Pipe

Stress fields and constraint parameters (Q and A2 ) of circumferentially-cracked high strength pipe in displacement-controlled tension are compared with those of small-scale single-edge notched samples tested in tension (SE(T)) and bending (SE(B)). The factors affecting transferability of fracture toughness (J-resistance) data from small-scale laboratory tests to cracked high strength pipe are discussed. The crack-tip stress field is of similar form for a circumferential crack in a pipe and a SE(T) test specimen, while for a SE(B) specimen there is a significant gradient in the crack-tip stress field. Hence, the fracture toughness can be characterized by only two parameters (J and Q or J and A2 ) for tension-loaded pipe and SE(T) tests, but for SE(B) tests one more parameter is needed to describe the bending term. It is concluded that the constraint in a SE(T) test with ratio of span between load points to width H/W = 10 provides a reasonable match to that for a circumferential crack in a pipe subjected to tensile loading.© 2008 ASME

Evaluation of Fracture Toughness of X100 Pipe Steel Using SE(B) and Clamped SE(T) Single Specimens

J-resistance testing using a single-specimen unloading compliance technique has been performed on single-edge-notched tension (SE(T)) specimens of X100 pipe steel base material at room temperature and at −20°C, using a procedure developed at CANMET. J-resistance testing using single-edge-notched bend (SE(B)) specimens according to ASTM E1820 was also conducted for comparison. The specimens included two nominal through-thickness pre-crack aspect ratios (a/W = 0.25 and 0.5). The results show that shallow-cracked (a/W∼0.25) bend and tension specimens produce higher resistance curves than deeply-cracked (a/W∼0.5) specimens; ductile propagation was observed at both temperatures. Resistance curves are slightly higher at −20°C than at room temperature for both bending and tension, especially for shallow-cracked specimens. Crack length predicted from unloading compliance of crack mouth opening displacement for the SE(T) specimens was validated by optical measurement of initial crack length (ao ) and final crack extension (Δa>1.0 mm) after heat-tinting, as per ASTM E1820. Predicted crack growths show acceptable agreement with measured values in all cases. The effect of side-groove depth on the resistance curve and straightness of the crack front was briefly investigated. For both bending and tension, resistance curves for 10% (total) side-grooved specimens were close to those from plain-sided specimens when other testing conditions, such as precrack and testing temperature, were the same, whereas 20% (total) side-grooved specimens showed lower toughness. It was occasionally observed that the crack grew faster at the side for 20% side-grooved bend and tension specimens, resulting in a crack front of concave curvature. For 10% side-grooved specimens a rather straight crack front or slightly faster crack growth in the middle of the specimen (convex curvature) was observed.Copyright

Low-Constraint Toughness Testing: Results of a Round Robin on a Draft SE(T) Test Procedure

Assessment of the effect of girth weld flaws on pipeline integrity requires knowledge of a number of factors: pipe geometry, applied loads, flaw size, and pipe mechanical properties. Of the latter, strength and toughness are the primary factors. Toughness has conventionally been measured using specimens tested in bending to maximize constraint. While this gives a conservative estimate of toughness, it would be better to use a test that would reveal the toughness in constraint conditions typical of girth weld flaws: namely, relatively shallow flaws loaded in tension. Consequently, there is a trend to evaluate toughness using pre-cracked single-edge-cracked tension (i.e. SE(T)) specimens, and one procedure has already been standardized. However, this procedure requires the use of multiple specimens to generate a resistance curve. With the objective of devising a more economical test, a single-specimen procedure has been developed at CANMET. The viability of this procedure has been assessed by means of a round robin involving test and research laboratories from around the world. In this presentation, the results of the round robin will be presented and discussed.Copyright

Effect of Side Grooves on Compliance, J-Integral and Constraint of a Clamped SE(T) Specimen

The effect of side grooves on crack mouth opening displacement (CMOD) compliance, distribution of J-integral and crack-tip constraint parameters Q and A2 along the thickness of a clamped single-edge-notched tension (SE(T)) specimen were studied by finite element analysis (FEA). Focus was on the effect of depth of side grooves on J-integral and constraint parameters Q and A2 for shallow and deep cracks. The 3-D results were compared with those of SE(T) specimens in plane strain. The results show that the effective thickness equation used in ASTM E 1820 to evaluate compliance of side-grooved SE(B) and C(T) specimens can be used for clamped SE(T) specimens with reasonable accuracy. The results also suggest that the depth of the side grooves affects the distribution of the J-integral: the highest J-integral is at the center of the thickness for a SE(T) specimen with side grooves equal to or less than 10% of total thickness, and near the root of the side grooves for side grooves greater than 10% for a deeply-cracked specimen when the applied load P≥PY . The FEA results also show that the depth of side grooves affects the distribution of the constraint parameters: the crack-tip constraint is highest at the center of the thickness for a specimen with 0% side grooves (plain-sided), and near the root of the side grooves for side grooves equal to or greater than 10%. It was also found from FEA that the crack-tip constraint of a SE(T) specimen with 20% side grooves with shallow (a/W = 0.2) or deep (a/W = 0.5) crack is higher than that of a SE(T) specimen with the same crack depth in plane strain. As a result, the J-resistance of a SE(T) specimen with 20% side grooves may be lower than that of the same specimen in plane strain.Copyright

Tensile and Toughness Properties of Pipeline Girth Welds

The primary objective of this study was to develop a better understanding of all-weld metal tensile testing using both round and strip tensile specimens in order to establish the variation of weld metal strength with respect to test specimen through-thickness position as well as the location around the circumference of a given girth weld. Results from a series of high strength pipeline girth welds have shown that there can be considerable differences in measured engineering 0.2 % offset and 0.5 % extension yield strengths using round and strip tensile specimens. To determine whether or not the specimen type influenced the observed stress-strain behaviour a series of tests were conducted on high strength X70, X80 and X100 line pipe steels and two double joint welds produced in X70 line pipe using a double-submerged-arc welding process. These results confirmed that the same form of stress-strain curve is obtained with both round and strip tensile specimens, although with the narrowest strip specimen slightly higher strengths were observed for the X70 and X100 line pipe steels. For the double joint welds the discontinuous stress-strain curves were observed for both the round and modified strip specimens. Tests conducted on the rolled X100 mechanized girth welds established that the round bar tensile specimens exhibited higher strength than the strip specimens. In addition, the trends for the split-strip specimens, which consistently exhibit lower strength for the specimen towards the OD and higher for the mid-thickness positioned specimen has also been confirmed. This further substantiates the through-thickness strength variation that has been observed in other X100 narrow gap welds. A second objective of this study was to provide an evaluation of the weld metal toughness and to characterize the weld metal microstructure for the series of mechanized girth welds examined.

Assessment of Properties and Microstructure of X100 Pipeline Girth Welds

Over the last few years, interest in the development and construction of large diameter, high pressure pipelines from the Mackenzie Delta in northern Canada and Alaska’s North Slope has steadily increased as a result of the projected decline in recoverable natural gas from existing reserves in western Canada. The success of such enormous pipeline projects, which will require utilisation of a strain-based design approach, is largely based on successful application of high strength line pipe steels, such as X80 and X100. To fully realise the economic benefits of high strength steels, welding processes and procedures must be developed to ensure that the requirements for high strength and good low temperature toughness are confidently obtainable in field girth welds used in the construction of such pipelines. This study aims to provide a better understanding of the factors that control weld metal strength and toughness for a series of mechanised X100 girth welds produced using a range of narrow-gap gas-metal arc welding procedures. The attainment of high yield strength (≥ 810 MPa) is considered to be an important target to ensure overmatching strength relative to the longitudinal property distribution of X100 line pipe steel. Some factors that have been considered in this evaluation include influences of gas-metal arc welding process variants (single and multi-wire) and changes in welding procedure specifications, including joint preparation. Key components of this work relate to the reliable measurement of weld metal strength variation through-thickness and as a function of position around the circumference of a given girth weld.

Fracture Toughness Testing of Pipeline Girth Welds

The guidelines and recommendations for fracture toughness testing of pipeline girth welds outlined in CSA Z662-03, Annex K are reviewed in this work. In Annex K of CSA Z662-03, the specimen type and notch location have been grouped into four categories and the CTOD tests are to be carried out in accordance with either BSI Standard 7448 or ASTM Standard E 1290. In the present study, CTOD tests have been conducted on a manual shielded-metal-arc weld (SMAW) that was prepared in a high strength X80 pipeline steel. The experimental results obtained by applying the two testing standards are compared. The focus was to identify the differences between these two standards that may significantly affect the test results, such as the requirements for straightness of the fatigue crack, and the equations and parameters used for evaluation of CTOD. Some additional factors affecting the testing, such as selection of test specimen location and procedures for targeting specific weldment microstructures as well as the application of local compression, are also discussed. The variation of strength and toughness with clock position around the circumference of the girth welds has also been studied.Copyright

Fracture Toughness Characterization of High-pressure Pipe Girth Welds Using Single-edge Notched Tension [SE(T)] Specimens

The safety and reliability of large-diameter pipelines for the transport of fluid hydrocarbons is being improved by the development of high-strength steels, advanced weld technologies, and strain-based design (SBD) methodologies. In SBD, a limit is imposed on the applied strains rather than the applied stresses. For high-pressure pipelines, SBD requires an assured strength overmatch for the weld metal as compared to the base material, in order to avoid strain localization in the weldment during service. Achieving the required level of strength overmatch, as well as acceptable ductility and low-temperature fracture toughness, is a challenge as the pipe strength increases. Published studies show that low constraint geometries such as single-edge tension [SE(T)] or shallow-notched single-edge bend [SE(B)] specimens represent a better match to the constraint conditions of surface-breaking circumferential cracks in large-diameter pipelines during service (Shen, G., Bouchard, R., Gianetto, J. A., and Tyson, W. R., “Fracture Toughness Evaluation of High Strength Steel Pipe,” Proceedings of PVP2008, ASME Pressure Vessel and Piping Division Conference, Chicago, IL, July 27–31, ASME, New York, 2008). However, the SE(T) geometry is not included in any of the most widely used elastic-plastic fracture mechanics (EPFM) test standards. A procedure has been developed for performing and analyzing SE(T) toughness tests using a single-specimen technique that includes formulas for calculating the J-integral and crack-tip opening displacement, as well as for estimating crack size using rotation-corrected elastic unloading compliance. Here, crack-resistance curves and critical toughness values obtained from shallow-crack SE(T) specimens (a0/W ≈ 0.25) are compared to shallow-crack (a0/W ≈ 0.25) SE(B) specimens. We believe that the SE(T) methodology is mature enough to be considered for inclusion in future revisions of EPFM standards such as ASTM E1820 and ISO 12135, although additional work is needed to establish validity limits for SE(T) specimens.

Considerations of Linepipe and Girth Weld Tensile Properties for Strain-Based Design of Pipelines

Pipelines in certain regions are expected to survive high longitudinal strains induced by seismic activities, slope instability, frost heave, and mine subsidence. Material properties, of both pipes and girth welds, are critical contributing factors to a pipeline’s strain capacity. These factors are examined in this paper with particular focus on the modern high strength pipes (grade X70 and above) usually made from microalloyed control-rolled TMCP steels. The examination of the tensile properties of pipes includes some of the most basic parameters such as yield strength, strength variation within a pipe, and newly emerging issues of strength and strain hardening dependence on temperature. The girth weld tensile properties, particularly yield strength, are shown to be dependent on the location of the test specimen. There are strong indications from the tested welds that strain hardening of the welds is dependent on test temperature. The effects of strain aging on pipe and girth weld properties are reviewed. This line of reasoning is extended to possible strain aging effects during field construction, although experimental evidence is lacking at this moment. The paper concludes with considerations of practical implementation of the findings presented in the early part of the paper. Recommendations are made to effectively deal with some of the challenging issues related to the specification and measurement of tensile properties for strain-based design.Copyright

Structure and Properties of X80 and X100 Pipeline Girth Welds

This study aims to provide an understanding of the factors that control weld metal strength and toughness of mechanized field girth welds produced in X80 and X100 line pipe steels using a range of pipeline gas metal arc welding procedures. In the investigation of X80 welds, a series of experimental single and dual torch gas metal arc welds were prepared with three C-Mn-Si wires, which contained additions of Ti, Ni-Ti and Ni-Mo-Ti. The weld metal microstructures, tensile properties, notch toughness, and fracture resistance were evaluated. The results indicate that high weld metal yield strength and good toughness can be achieved. The X80 single torch welds exhibited higher yield strength but lower toughness compared to the corresponding dual torch welds. For the development and evaluation of welding procedures for mainline girth welding of X100 pipe, two narrow gap mechanized gas metal arc welding procedures were evaluated with emphasis placed on measurement of the tensile properties. The results show that dramatically different properties (strength and toughness) can be found as a result of differences in energy input, interpass temperature and weld width or offset distance. Additionally, the preliminary tensile testing, which utilized both standard round bar and modified strip tensile specimens, illustrates the potential variation that can occur when assessing all-weld-metal tensile properties of narrow gap pipeline girth welds.Copyright