Narasimha-Rao Venkata Bangaru

Influence of cooling rate on the microstructure and retained austenite in an intercritically annealed vanadium containing HSLA steel

The influence of cooling rate from the intercritical αγ region on the microstructure of a vanadium bearing HSLA steel was investigated by transmission electron microscopy. Oil quenching produced an essentially ferrite-martensite dual phase structure with ∼4 vol pct of fine particle and thin film retained austenite. In contrast, the slower air cooling resulted in a larger amount (∼10 vol pct) of retained austenite in addition to the ferrite and martensite phases. A major portion of the retained austenite in the air cooled specimen was of the blocky morphology (1 to 6 μm , with the remainder eing the submicron variety, similar to that of the oil quenched specimen. In conformance with the terminology of earlier studies, “retained” ferrite and “transformed” ferrite were observed in the air cooled steel while oil quenching completely suppressed the transformed ferrite. Retained ferrite, the cleaner of the two in terms of precipitate content, is the high temperature ferrite that coexists with the austenite at the intercritical temperature and which is retained on cooling. The transformed ferrite, on the other hand, forms from the decomposition of the austenite and contains banded carbonitrides (row precipitation) much like the initial microstructure of the HSLA steel.

Evaluation of Hydrogen Cracking Susceptibility in X120 Girth Welds

To reduce the cost of long distance gas transmission, high strength pipeline steels are being developed. Implementation of high strength pipeline materials requires the avoidance of hydrogen cracking during field girth welding. A study of hydrogen cracking in X120 girth welds has been conducted. Cracking resistance of both the weld metal and heat affected zone (HAZ) were investigated. The laboratory tests included the controlled thermal severity (CTS) test, the WIC test and the Y-groove test. In addition, multi-pass plate welds and full pipe welds were completed and examined for the presence of hydrogen cracks. The suitability of each test method for predicting cracking in X120 girth welds is determined. The morphology of hydrogen cracks in X120 girth welds is described, and the conditions necessary to prevent hydrogen cracking are identified. Following the laboratory studies, construction of X120 pipelines without cracking was demonstrated through a 1.6 km field trial.Copyright