Hydrogen induced cracking of X80 pipeline steel

The hydrogen-induced cracking （HIC） behavior of X80 pipeline steel was studied by means of electrochemical charging, hydrogen permeation tests, tension test, and scanning electron microscopy （SEM）. The experimental results indicate that the increase of charging time and charging current density or the decrease of the solution pH value leads to an increase of the hydrogen content in X80 steel, which plays a key role in the initiation and propagation of HIC. It is found that the majority of macro-inclusions within the as-used X80 steel do not constitute a direct threat to HIC except aluminum oxides, which directly or indirectly lead to HIC. The hydrogen trap density at room temperature is estimated to be pretty high, and this is an essential reason why the steel is sensitive to HIC. After hydrogen charging, the elongation loss rate and area reduction of X80 steel decline obviously, taking a noticeable sign of hydrogen-induced plasticity damages. It is demonstrated that the losses of these plastic parameters have a linear relation to the fracture size due to hydrogen.

Calculation Model of Equivalent Strength for Induced Crack Based on Double-K Fracture Theory and Its Optimizing Setting in RCC Arch Dam

By means of fracture testing on roller-compacted concrete （RCC） three-point bending beams with two different specimen sizes, the P-CMOD complete curve for RCC was gained. Furthermore, by applying double-K fracture theory, KiniⅠC,KunⅠC, as well as the critical effective crack length and the critical crack tip opening displacement, were evaluated. Based on the double-K fracture parameters above, the calculation model of equivalent strength for induced crack was established, thus the calculation method on its initiation, stable propagation and unstable fracture was ascertained. Moreover, the finite element simulation analysis of stress field in ShaPai arch dam and the on-site observational splaying points of induced crack at different altitudes validated the reliability of the model. Finally, crack inducer′s optimal setting in RCC arch dam was studied. It improves the design level of induced crack in RCC arch dam and satisfies the necessity of engineering practice.

Analytic model of non-uniform corrosion induced cracking of reinforced concrete structure

In order to perfectly reflect the dynamic corrosion of reinforced concrete (RC) cover in practical engineering,an analytic model of non-uniform corrosion induced cracking was presented based on the elastic-plastic fracture mechanics theory.Comparisons with the published experimental data show that the predictions given by the present model are in good agreement with the results both for natural exposed experiments and short-time indoor tests (the best difference is about 2.7%).Also it obviously provides much better precision than those models under the assumption of uniform corrosion (the maximal improved precision is about 48%).Therefore,it is pointed out that the so-called uniform corrosion models to describe the cover cracking of RC should be adopted cautiously.Finally,the influences of thickness of local rusty layer around the reinforcing steel bar on the critical corrosion-induced crack indexes were investigated.It is found that the thickness of local rusty layer has great effect on the critical mass loss of reinforcing steel,threshold expansion pressure,and time to cover cracking.For local rusty layer thickness with a size of a=0.5 mm,the time to cover cracking will increase by about one times when a/b (a,semi-minor axis;b,semi-major axis) changes from 0.1 to 1 mm.

TEM Study on Hydrogen-Induced Cracking of Fe_3Al Alloy

Hydrogen-induced cracking (HIC) of Fe3Al alloy was studied by in situ transmission electron microscope (TEM). Electron transparent specimens were mounted onto a constant displacement device. Stress was applied to the specimen by using a bolt through the device. The results showed that hydrogen enhanced the dislocation emission and motion in Fe3Al alloy. A dislocation free zone (DFZ) was formed following the dislocation emission. Microcrack initiated in the DFZ or at the main crack tip when the emission reached a critical extension. Hydrogen played an important role in the process of brittle fracture of Fe3Al alloy.

Relationship between Critical Hydrogen Concentration and Applied Stress for Hydrogen Induced Cracking in 0.2 wt—%C Annealed Plain Steel

1.IntroductionSo far there are few people who studythe relationship between the criticalhydrogen concentration and the stress forhvdrogen induced cracking (CCHIC)quantitatively.Several researchers have cal-culated the CCHIC of steels under no stressby means of H permeation method,but no

Hydrogen-induced Cracking of Weld Metal of Austenitic Stainless Steels

For 308L and 347L weld metals of austenitc stainless steels (ASS), hydrogen induced cracking (HIC) occurred during dynamically charging under constant load. The threshold stress intensity for HIC, Km, decreased linearly with the logarithm of the concentration of diffusible hydrogen C0 in the weld metals and the rolled plate of type 304L ASS, i.e., KIH=85.2-10.71nC0 (308L), KIH=76.1-9.31n C0(347L), and KIH=91.7-10.11nC0(304L). The fracture mode for HIC in the three type of ASS changed from ductile to brittle with the decrease in the applied stress intensity KI or/and the increase in C0. The boundary line between ductile and brittle fracture surfaces was KI-54+25exp(-C0/153)=0.

INFLUENCE OF GRAIN SIZE ON STRENGTH AND HYDROGEN INDUCED CRACKING OF DUPLEX STAINLESS STEELS

The relation between grain size and strength of the duplex stainless steels and influence of grain size on properties of hydrogen induced cracking in these steels have been investigated. The Hall-Petch relation between grain size and strength of the steels is also followed.The susceptibility to hydrogen induced cracking of the steels increases with increasing grain size.

(Ⅰ+Ⅱ)MIXED MODE HYDROGEN INDUCED CRACKING

Hydrogen induced cracking(HIC)of 0.3% C,1% Cr,1% Mn,1% Si high strength steel has been studied under simple mode Ⅰ,mode Ⅱ and(Ⅰ+Ⅱ)mixed mode loading conditions.Af- ter being hydrogen-charged in IN H_2SO_4 solution,the material behaved hydrogen embrittlement in all the cases studied.The threshold K_(ⅡH)/K_(ⅡX) of HIC under mode Ⅱ load- ing was 0.27,which was nearly the same as that K(ⅠH)/K_(ⅠX)=0.29 under mode Ⅰ loading. While the thresholds of-HIC under(Ⅰ+Ⅱ)mixed mode loading were 0.36,0.41 and 0.37 cor- responding to the K_Ⅱ/K_Ⅰ ratio of 0.27,0.4 and O.81.The results show that simple mode Ⅰ or mode Ⅱ loading is more susceptible to hydrogen embrittlement than(Ⅰ+Ⅱ)mixed mode. For explaining the experimental results,the effects of triaxial stress as well as plastic deformation ahead of crack tip has been discussed.

Proton irradiation-induced cracking and microstructural defects in UN and (U,Zr)N composite fuels

Proton irradiation with a primary ion energy of 2 MeV was used to simulate radiation damage in UN and(U,Zr)N fuel pellets.The pellets,nominally at room temperature,were irradiated to peak levels of 0.1,1,10 dpa and 100.0 dpa resulting in a peak hydrogen concentration of at most 90 at.%.Microstructure and mechanical properties of the samples were investigated and compared before and after irradiation.The irradiation induced an increase in hardness,whereas a decrease in Young’s modulus was observed for both samples.Microstructural characterization revealed irradiation-induced cracking,initiated in the bulk of the material,where the peak damage was deposited,propagating towards the surface.Additionally,transmission electron microscopy was used to study irradiation defects.Dislocation loops and fringes were identified and observed to increase in density with increasing dose levels.The high density of irradiation defects and hydrogen implanted are proposed as the main cause of swelling and consequent sample cracking,leading simultaneously to increased hardening and a decrease in Young's modulus.

Stress Oriented Hydrogen Induced Cracking of Linepipe Steel

The stress oriented hydrogen induced cracking (SOHIC) is a typical hydrogen embrittlement phenomenon occurring in the linepipe steels exposed to sour environment containing H 2 S gas.However,even recently,the cracking mechanism of SOHIC has not been clarified because of lacking in the empirical data on the actual failure mode of SOHIC cracking.The factors affecting SOHIC are discussed in terms of metallurgy of high strength linepipe steel and hydrogen electrochemistry.The cracking mechanisms of SOHIC are examined by comparing them with the empirical failure mode of SOHIC which is developed by observation of the actual fracture sites of the hydrogen induced blister cracking (HIBC) and secondary cracks.Finally,the correlation between SOHIC and HIC is discussed.

Effect of Microstructure on Hydrogen Induced Cracking Behavior of a High Deformability Pipeline Steel

The hydrogen induced cracking （HIC） behavior of a high deformability pipeline steel was investigated with three different dual-phase microstructures, ferrite and bainite （F＋B）, ferrite and martensite/austenite islands （F＋M/A） and ferrite and martensite （F＋M）, respectively. The HIC test was conducted in hydrogen sulfide （H2S）-saturated solution. The results showed that the steels with F＋B and F＋M/A dual-phase microstructures had both higher deformability and better HIC resistance, whereas the harder martensite phase in F＋M microstructure was responsible for the worst HIC resistance. The band-like hard phase in dual-phase mi- crostructure was believed to lead to increasing susceptibility to HIC.

Relationship between microstructure and hydrogen induced cracking behavior in a low alloy pipeline steel

Hydrogen induced cracking（HIC） behaviors of a high strength pipeline steel with three different microstructures, granular bainite ＆ lath bainite（GB ＋ LB）, granular bainite ＆ acicular ferrite（GB ＋ AF）, and quasi-polygonal ferrite（QF）, were studied by using corrosion experiment based on standard NACE TM0284. The HIC experiment was conducted in hydrogen sulfide（H_2S）-saturated solution. The experimental results show that the steel with GB ＋ AF and QF microstructure present excellent corrosion resistance to HIC, whereas the phases of bainite lath and martensite/austenite in LB ＋ GB microstructure are responsible for poor corrosion resistance. Compared with ferrite phase, the bainite microstructure exhibits higher strength and crack susceptibility of HIC. The AF ＋ GB microstructure is believed to have the best combination of mechanical properties and resistance to HIC among the designed steels.

Influence of Microstructures on Polarization Resistance and Hydrogen-Induced Cracking of a Micro-Alloyed Steel Submitted to Different Cooling Rates

The effect of different microstructures on the polarization resistance (Rp) and the hydrogen-induced cracking (HIC) of a micro-alloyed steel austenitized and submitted to different cooling rates was studied.Samples 19.1 x 6 x 2 mm,containing the whole thickness of the plate were extracted from a 20 mm plate and heat treated on a quenching dilatometer,were submitted to Rp and HIC corrosion tests.Both Rp and HIC tests followed as close as possible ASTM G59 and NACE standard TM0284-2003,in this case,modified only with regard to the size of the samples.Steel samples transformed from austenite by a slow cooling (cooling rate of 0.5℃.s-1) showed higher susceptibility to hydrogen-induced cracking,with large cracks in the middle of the sample propagating along segregation bands,corresponding to the centerline of the plate thickness.For cooling rates of 10℃.s-1,only small cracks were found in the matrix and micro cracks nucleated at non-metallic inclusions.For higher cooling rates (40℃.s-1) very few small cracks were detected,linked to non-metallic inclusions.This result suggests that structures formed by polygonal structures and segregation bands (were eutectoid microconstituents predominate) have higher susceptibility to HIC.Structures predominantly formed by acicular ferrite make it difficult to propagate the cracks among non-oriented and interlaced acicular ferrite crystals.Smaller segregation bands containing eutectoid products also help inhibit cracking and crack propagation;segregation bands can function as pipelines for hydrogen diffusion and offer a path of stress concentration for the propagation of cracks,frequently associated to non-metallic inclusions.Polarization resistance essays performed on the steel in theas received condition,prior to any heat treatment,showed larger differences between the regions of the plate,with a considerably lower Rp in the centerline.The austenitization heat treatments followed by cooling rates of 0.5 e 10℃.s-1 made more uniform the corrosion resistance along the thickness of the plate.The effects of heat treatments on the corrosion resistance are probably related to the microconstituent formed,allied to the chemical homogenization of the impurities concentrated on the centerline of the plate.

Effect of crystallographic orientation on crack growth behaviour of HSLA steel

In this work,the crack growth behaviours of high strength low alloy(HSLA)steel E690 with three crystallographic orientations(the rolling direction,normal direction,and transverse direction)were investigated and compared from the view of the mechano-electrochemical ef-fect at the crack tip.The results show that the crack growth of the HSLA steel is controlled by the corrosion fracture at the crack tip.The vari-ation of crystallographic orientation in E690 steel plate has no influence on the crack tip electrochemical reaction and crack growth mechanism,but changes the crack growth rate.When the stress loading direction is parallel to the rolling direction and the fracture layer is parallel to the transverse-normal plane,the crack growth rate is the slowest with a value of 0.0185 mm·h^(-1).When the load direction and the fracture layer are parallel to the normal direction and the rolling-transverse plane,respectively,the crack growth rate is the highest with a value of 0.0309 mm·h^(-1).This phenomenon is ascribed to the different microstructural and mechanical properties in the rolling direction,normal direction,and transverse direction of E690 steel plate.

Sulfide Stress Cracking Assessment of Carbon Steel Welding with High Content of H<SUB>2</SUB>S and CO<SUB>2</SUB>at High Temperature: A Case Study

In the oil and gas industry, it has been established that for pipelines fabricated with carbon steels, their limitation is related to H2S and CO2 environments, which is 7 to 10 psia of partial pressure of CO2. Therefore, in carbon steel cracking is shown, after 7 or 10 psia of partial pressure of CO2. The experimental work was performed under static conditions in autoclaves within a pH of 3 to 3.8;partial pressures of 16 - 96 psi for H2S and 15 - 53 psi for CO2, in the temperature range of 25°C - 150°C. It was observed that the average yielding stress used in Sulfide Stress Cracking (SSC) tests decreases with temperature increment. Hydrogen Induced Cracking (HIC) evaluations showed that X52 steel, under conditions, was not susceptible to HIC. Results of SSC did not show indications of cracking after exposure to sour solutions, except for the specimen exposed to high H2S and CO2 content (96 psi of H2S and 53 psi of CO2 of the partial pressure) and high temperature (150°C). Microcracks located between the upper and lower weld beads were also observed. However, the highest average corrosion rate was 0.27 mm/year (10.6 mpy), which occurred in samples exposed to 96 psi of H2S and 53 psi of CO2 at 150°C. Likewise, the highest localized corrosion (severe pitting attack) was obtained at the same environment with a corrosion rate of 4.2 mm/year (167 mpy). The oil and gas industry could use carbon steels pipelines in partial pressure higher than 10 psia.

TRANSFORMATION OF RETAINED AUSTENITE IN CARBURIZED CASE DURING FATIGUE CRACK GROWTH

The morphology of the retained austenite in the carburized case of 20CrNiMo steel and its transformation during fatigue crack propagation through the case were investigated by using X-ray and TEM analysis.In the carburized case both film and block shaped retained austenite were found.Due to the crystallographic orientation relationship at the interface,the fatigue crack is inclined to pass through the block shaped retained austenite and thereby stim- ulates its strain-induced martensitie transformation.During the process of the fatigue frac- ture,most of the retained austenite structures on the crack path are transformed into the martensite,and the untranaformed parts on the fracture surface remain less than 6%.The transformation of the retained austenite,which is restrieted mainly within the plastic zone,oc- curs only during the proeess of fracture,and is independent of the magnitudes of the external stress,stress ratio and cyclic number.The volume expansion accompanying the transforma- tion creates an additional residual displacement of about 0.44μm on fracture surfaces,which is equivalent to the magnitude of the plasticity-induced residual displacement.The phase transformation induced fatigue crack closure is believed to be an important factor affecting the fatigue crack behaviors in the high carbon laver of the carburized case.

Fractal Dimensions of Hydrogen Induced Brittle Fracture of Titanium Aluminide

The relationship between the stress intensity factor K_1~* required for brittle crack initiation and propa- gation and the fractal dimension D_F of the fracture surface was derived,i.e, InK_1~*=(1/2)In2γE'+(1/2)In(d_f/L_0)(1-D_F) The real surface energy can be calculated based on the measured linear relation of the InK_1~* vs D_F, The equation is not only suitable for the overload fracture but also for the delayed fracture,e.g. hydrogen induced cracking (HIC) and stress corrosion cracking (SCC).The experiment results showed that the hydrogen induced delayed cracking occurred in the Ti-24AI-11 Nb alloy during dy- namic charging,and the threshold stress intensity factor was very low,i.e..K_(IH)/K_(IC)= 0.43.The ex- perimental relationship between the stress intensity factor K_1~* and D_F was consistent with the theo- retical equation.

INTERPHASE STRESS CORROSION CRACKING OF ALLOY Ti－24Al－11Nb IN METHANOL SOLUTION

For alloy Ti-24Al-11Nb,stress corrosion cracking(SCC) in methanol solution and hydrogen induced cracking(HIC) during dynamic charging at room temperature have been studied.Experiment has shown that the normalised threshold stress intensities of SCC failure for various microstructures are KISCC/KC =0.53 0.69 and the threshold value for SCC arresting KISCC/ KIC=0.61-0.79.The threshold values of HIC during dynamic charging are close to that of SCC,but da/dt or fracture time of HIC is one to three orders of magnitude smaller or longer than that of SCC,respectively.The.fracture surface for HIC is also different from that for SCC.For the Ti-24Al-Nb alloy-methanol systein,a kind of inierphase SCC has been found For the microstructures resulting from furnace cooling,SCC initiated and propagated preferentially along theα2/βinterphase boundaries,displaying the microstructure on the fracture surface of SCC.However,there is no interphase SCC for the microstructure resulting from air cooling.

Vision-based fatigue crack detection using global motion compensation and video feature tracking

Fatigue cracks that develop in civil infrastructure such as steel bridges due to repetitive loads pose a major threat to structural integrity.Despite being the most common practice for fatigue crack detection,human visual inspection is known to be labor intensive,time-consuming,and prone to error.In this study,a computer vision-based fatigue crack detection approach using a short video recorded under live loads by a moving consumer-grade camera is presented.The method detects fatigue crack by tracking surface motion and identifies the differential motion pattern caused by opening and closing of the fatigue crack.However,the global motion introduced by a moving camera in the recorded video is typically far greater than the actual motion associated with fatigue crack opening/closing,leading to false detection results.To overcome the challenge,global motion compensation(GMC)techniques are introduced to compensate for camera-induced movement.In particular,hierarchical model-based motion estimation is adopted for 2D videos with simple geometry and a new method is developed by extending the bundled camera paths approach for 3D videos with complex geometry.The proposed methodology is validated using two laboratory test setups for both in-plane and out-of-plane fatigue cracks.The results confirm the importance of motion compensation for both 2D and 3D videos and demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed GMC methods as well as the subsequent crack detection algorithm.

The Behavior of Rare Earths in Steel

This review paper outlines recent progress in the application of rare earth metals (RE) in steel to improve the mechanical properties of steel. It includes: the physical chemistry of RE in steel; comparison of the application of RE and Ca in steel; the ways of adding RE into steel and nozzle blockage; the solid solubi- lity limit of RE in Fe and the amount of RE soluble in steel; the segregation of RE on grain boundaries of steel and its reaction with other elements; the effect of RE on the structure and mechanical properties of steels; the reaction of RE with H in steel.