HIC and SSC Behavior of High-Strength Pipeline Steels

In this study,hydrogen-induced cracking（HIC） and sulfide stress corrosion cracking（SSC） behaviors of highstrength pipeline steels in four different strength grades（X70,X80,X90 and X100） with the microstructure of acicular ferrite were estimated.The results showed that both of X70 and X80 steels exhibited better HIC resistance,and their susceptibility to HIC increased with the strength grade.HIC parameters,including cracking length ratio,cracking thickness ratio（CTR） and cracking sensitivity ratio,were all increased,and among these,the CTR increased most,with the increase in the strength grade.HIC was found to initiate and grow along the hard boundaries such as large size martensite/austenite（M/A） islands and bainitic ferrite.In addition,the density of hydrogen-induced blister on the steel surface was increased with the decrease in p H value for the same-grade pipeline steels.SSC susceptibilities of X80,X90 and X90-C were revealed to subsequently decrease,which was related to the large size M/A islands.

Flow characteristics and hot workability of a typical low-alloy high-strength steel during multi-pass deformation

Heavy components of low-alloy high-strength(LAHS) steels are generally formed by multi-pass forging. It is necessary to explore the flow characteristics and hot workability of LAHS steels during the multi-pass forging process, which is beneficial to the formulation of actual processing parameters. In the study, the multi-pass hot compression experiments of a typical LAHS steel are carried out at a wide range of deformation temperatures and strain rates. It is found that the work hardening rate of the experimental material depends on deformation parameters and deformation passes, which is ascribed to the impacts of static and dynamic softening behaviors. A new model is established to describe the flow characteristics at various deformation passes. Compared to the classical Arrhenius model and modified Zerilli and Armstrong model, the newly proposed model shows higher prediction accuracy with a confidence level of 0.98565. Furthermore, the connection between power dissipation efficiency(PDE) and deformation parameters is revealed by analyzing the microstructures. The PDE cannot be utilized to reflect the efficiency of energy dissipation for microstructure evolution during the entire deformation process, but only to assess the efficiency of energy dissipation for microstructure evolution in a specific deformation parameter state.As a result, an integrated processing map is proposed to better study the hot workability of the LAHS steel, which considers the effects of instability factor(IF), PDE, and distribution and size of grains. The optimized processing parameters for the multi-pass deformation process are the deformation parameters of 1223–1318 K and 0.01–0.08 s^(-1). Complete dynamic recrystallization occurs within the optimized processing parameters with an average grain size of 18.36–42.3 μm. This study will guide the optimization of the forging process of heavy components.

Recent progress in visualization and digitization of coherent transformation structures and application in high-strength steel

High-strength steels are mainly composed of medium-or low-temperature microstructures,such as bainite or martensite,with coherent transformation characteristics.This type of microstructure has a high density of dislocations and fine crystallographic structural units,which ease the coordinated matching of high strength,toughness,and plasticity.Meanwhile,given its excellent welding perform-ance,high-strength steel has been widely used in major engineering constructions,such as pipelines,ships,and bridges.However,visual-ization and digitization of the effective units of these coherent transformation structures using traditional methods(optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy)is difficult due to their complex morphology.Moreover,the establishment of quantitative relationships with macroscopic mechanical properties and key process parameters presents additional difficulty.This article reviews the latest progress in microstructural visualization and digitization of high-strength steel,with a focus on the application of crystallographic methods in the development of high-strength steel plates and welding.We obtained the crystallographic data(Euler angle)of the transformed microstruc-tures through electron back-scattering diffraction and combined them with the calculation of inverse transformation from bainite or martensite to austenite to determine the reconstruction of high-temperature parent austenite and orientation relationship(OR)during con-tinuous cooling transformation.Furthermore,visualization of crystallographic packets,blocks,and variants based on actual OR and digit-ization of various grain boundaries can be effectively completed to establish quantitative relationships with alloy composition and key process parameters,thereby providing reverse design guidance for the development of high-strength steel.

Microstructure and toughness of thick-gauge pipeline steel joint via double-sided friction stir welding combined with preheating

Fusion welding easily causes microstructural coarsening in the heat-affected zone(HAZ) of a thick-gauge pipeline steel joint. This is most significant in the inter-critically coarse-grained HAZ(ICCGHAZ), which considerably deteriorates the toughness of the joint. In the present work, 11-mm thick pipeline steel was joined by preheating and double-sided friction stir welding(FSW). A comparative study on the microstructure and toughness in the ICCGHAZs for FSW and gas metal arc welding(GMAW) was performed. The toughness in the ICCGHAZ for FSW was improved significantly than that in the ICCGHAZ for GMAW. Generally, the nugget zone(NZ) has a coarse microstructure in the FSW steel joint formed at the highest peak temperature. However, in the current study, the microstructure in the one-pass NZ was remarkably refined owing to the static recrystallization of ferrite. An excellent toughness was achieved in the NZ of the pipeline steel joint that employed FSW.

Microstructural refinement mechanism and its effect on toughness in the nugget zone of high-strength pipeline steel by friction stir welding

High-strength pipeline steel was subjected to friction stir welding(FSW)at rotation rates of 400-700 rpm,and the grain refinement mechanism of the nugget zone(NZ)was determined.The thermomechanical process during FSW in the NZ was simulated by multi-pass thermal compression,thereby achieving the austenitic non-recrystallization temperature(T_(nr)).The austenitic non-recrystallization in the NZ at the lowest rotation rate of 400 rpm caused a significant grain refinement.Furthermore,the reduced rotation rate also resulted in the formation of a high ratio of island-like martensite-austenite(M-A)constituent.The toughness of the NZs was enhanced as the rotation rate decreased,which is attributed to the fine effective grains and homogeneously distributed fine M-A constituents dramatically inhibiting crack initiation and propagation.

Effect of traveling-wave magnetic field on dendrite growth of high-strength steel slab: Industrial trials and numerical simulation

The dendrite growth behavior of high-strength steel during slab continuous casting with a traveling-wave magnetic field was studied in this paper. The morphology of the solidification structure and composition distribution were analyzed. Results showed that the columnar crystals could deflect and break when the traveling-wave magnetic field had low current intensity. With the increase in current intensity, the secondary dendrite arm spacing and solute permeability decreased, and the columnar crystal transformed into an equiaxed crystal. The electromagnetic force caused by the traveling-wave magnetic field changed the temperature gradient and velocity magnitude and promoted the breaking and fusing of dendrites. Dendrite compactness and composition uniformity were arranged in descending order as follows:columnar-toequiaxed transition (high current intensity), columnar crystal zone (low current intensity), columnar-to-equiaxed transition (low current intensity), and equiaxed crystal zone (high current intensity). Verified numerical simulation results combined with the boundary layer theory of solidification front and dendrite breaking–fusing model revealed the dendrite deflection mechanism and growth process. When thermal stress is not considered, and no narrow segment can be found in the dendrite, the velocity magnitude on the solidification front of liquid steel can reach up to 0.041 m/s before the dendrites break.

Effect of H_2S concentration on the corrosion behavior of pipeline steel under the coexistence of H_2S and CO_2

The effect of H2S concentration on H2S/CO2 corrosion of API-X60 steel was studied by scanning electron microscopy, a weight-loss method, potentiodynamic polarization tests, and the electrochemical impedance spectroscopy technique. It is found that the cor-rosion process of the steel in an environment where H2S and CO2 coexist at different H2S concentrations is related to the morphological structure and stability of the corrosion product film. With the addition of a small amount of H2S, the size of the anode reaction region is de-creased due to constant adsorption and separation of more FeS sediment or more FeHS＋ions on the surface of the steel. Meanwhile, the dou-ble-layer capacitance is diminished with increasing anion adsorption capacity. Therefore, the corrosion process is inhibited. The general cor-rosion rate of the steel rapidly decreases after the addition of a small amount of H2S under the coexistence of H2S and CO2. With a further increase in H2S concentration, certain parts of the corrosion product film become loose and even fall off. Thus, the protection provided by the corrosion product film worsens, and the corrosion rate tends to increase.

Effect of hydrogen on the stress corrosion cracking behavior of X80 pipeline steel in Ku'erle soil simulated solution

Hydrogen was a key factor resulting in stress corrosion cracking （SCC） of X80 pipeline steel in Ku＇erle soil simulated solution. In this article, the effect of hydrogen on the SCC susceptibility of X80 steel was investigated further by slow strain rate tensile test, the surface fractures were observed using scanning electron microscopy （SEM）, and the fracture mechanism of SCC was discussed. The results indicate that hydrogen increases the SCC susceptibility. The SEM micrographs of hydrogen precharged samples presents a brittle quasi-cleavage feature, and pits facilitate the transgranular crack initiation. In the electrochemical impedance spectroscopy （EIS） measurement, the decreased polarization resistance and the pitting resistance of samples with hydrogen indicate that hydrogen increases the dissolution rate and deteriorates the pitting corrosion resistance. The potentiodynamic polarization curves present that hydrogen also accelerates the dissolution rate of the crack tip.

Inclusion variations and calcium treatment optimization in pipeline steel production

SiCa line and SiCaBaFe alloy were injected into liquid pipeline steel at the end of LF refining as calcium treatment,and samples were taken from the ladles,mould,and slabs.Analysis of Ca content and inclusions shows that Ca content in steel decreases obviously in the following process after calcium treatment;the compositions,morphology,and sizes of inclusions also vary much in the production;primary inclusions in the ladles prior to calcium treatment are mainly Al2O3 inclusions,but they turn to fine irregular CaS-CaO-Al2O3 compound inclusions after the treatment,then become fine globular CaO-Al2O3 inclusions in the mould,and finally change to a few larger irregular CaS-CaO-Al2O3 complex inclusions in the slabs.Thermodynamic study reveals that inclusion variations are related with the preferential reactions among Ca,Al2O3,and S and the precipitation of S in CaO-Al2O3 inclusions with high sulfur capacity.New evaluation standards for calcium treatment in high-grade pipeline steel were put forward according to the inclusion variations and requirements of pipeline steel on inclusion controlling,and the calcium process was studied and optimized.

STUDY OF THE X70 PIPELINE STEEL CORRODING IN 3.0wt% NaCl SOLUTION USING ELECTROCHEMICAL IMPEDANCE SPECTROSCOPY TECHNIQUE

The corrosion process of the X70 pipeline steel in 3.0wt% NaCl solution were studied using polarization method, and the chronological characteristics during the entire polarization plot were investigated in detail using EIS technique. In the active region of X70 steel, such as 20mV potential bias applied on open circuit potential (OCP), the impedance spectra was comprised of three parts: a high-frequency capacitive loop, a middle-frequency capacitive loop and a low-frequency inductive component. When positive polarization potential increased, the capacitive loops at high and middle frequency range merged, and the inductive component at low frequency shrunk. At high positive polarization potential bias (500-800mV vs. OCP), the high-frequency capacitive loop and the low-frequency inductive loop exhibited as disheveled points due to the synergism of the inhomogeneity of the corroding material and the localized corrosion. The results were fitted utilizing the equivalent circuits to simulate the impedance spectra and to interpret the electrochemical features shown during the experiments.

Effects of precipitates and inclusions on the fracture toughness of hot rolling X70 pipeline steel plates

In order to investigate the fracture toughness, crack tip opening displacement （CTOD） experiments were conducted on two X70 pipeline steel plates with different rolling processes. Atter the experiments, optical microscopy （OM）, scanning electron microscopy （SEM） and transmission electron microscopy （TEM） were employed to observe the microstructure and fracture morphology. The effects of precipi- tates on the fracture toughness and the crack initiation mechanism induced by inclusions were analyzed. The CTOD result shows that the steel with a lower finishing cooling temperature has a higher fracture toughness. Inchisiom with different shapes and two kinds of precipi- tates with different sizes were observed. It can be concluded that precipitates with different sizes have different effects and mechanisms on the fracture toughness. Distinguished fi＇om the earlier researches, inclusions enriched in silicon can be also served as the crack initiation.

Experimental study on 830 MPa grade pipeline steel containing chromium

The diversity of microstructure and properties of 830 MPa grade pipeline steel containing chromium was investigated by optical microscope and transmission electron microscopy. The main microstructures were multiple configurations, containing lath bainite and granule bainitc. Mechanical properties test results showed that the yield strength and tensile strength improved with increasing chromium content. The toughness and elongation decreased at the same time, so temper process was introduced. Appling proper temper parameters, the values of toughness and elongation were improved dramatically, and the strength decreased slightly.

Influences of microstructure and texture on crack propagation path of X70 acicular ferrite pipeline steel

The aspects of two pipeline steels with different technologies were investigated by using transmission electron microscopy （TEM） and electron back-scattered diffraction （EBSD）. The microstructure presents a typical acicular ferrite characteristic with fine particles of martensite/austenite （M/A） constituent, which distributes in grains and at grain boundaries. The bulk textures of the pipeline steel plate are {112}〈110〉 and 〈111〉 fibers, respectively, and the {112}〈110〉 component is the favorable texture benefiting for drop weight tear test. Moreover, low angle boundaries and low coincidence site lattice boundaries are inactive and more resistant to fracture than high energy random boundaries.

Passivation process of X80 pipeline steel in bicarbonate solutions

The passivation process of X80 pipeline steel in bicarbonate solutions was investigated using potentiodynamic, dynamic electro-chemical impedance spectroscopy （DEIS）, and Mott-Schottky measurements. The results show that the shape of polarization curves changes with concentration. The critical ＇passive＇ concentration is 0.009 mol/L for X80 pipeline steel in bicarbonate solutions. No anodic current peak exists in solutions when the concentration is lower than 0.009 mol/L, whereas there are one and two anodic current peaks when the concentration ranges from 0.009 to 0.05 mol/L and is higher than 0.1 mol/L, respectively. DEIS measurements show that there exist active dissolution range, transition range, pre-passive range, passive layer formation range, passive range, and trans-passive range for X80 pipeline steel in the 0.1 mol/L solutions. The results of DEIS measurements are in complete agreement with the potentiodynamic diagram. An equivalent circuit containing three sub-layers is used to explain the Nyquist plots in the passive range. Analyses are well made for explaining the corresponding fitted capacitance and impedance. The Mott-Schottky plots show that the passive film of X80 pipeline steel is an n-type semiconductor, and capacitance measurements are in good accordance with the results of DEIS experiment.

Microstructure and Property of Coarse Grain HAZ X80 Pipeline Steel

The coarse grain HAZ microstructure and property of X80 pipeline steel with different carbon content was investigated. The weld thermal simulation test was carried out on Gleeble 1500 thermal mechanical test machine. The Charpy tests were completed at --20 ℃ for evaluating the toughness of coarse grain heat affected zone （CGHAZ）. The microstructure was examined by optical microscope （OM） and transmission electron microscopy （TEM）, and the austenite constituent was quantified by X-ray diffraction. The results showed that the ultra-low carbon can improve the toughness of CGHAZ by suppressing the formation of carbide, decreasing the martensite austenite （M-A） constituent and increasing the residual austenite in the M A.

Stress corrosion cracking of X80 pipeline steel exposed to high pH solutions with different concentrations of bicarbonate

Susceptibilities to stress corrosion cracking （SCC） of X80 pipeline steel in high pH solutions with various concentrations of HC03 at a passive potential of-0.2 V vs. SCE were investigated by slow strain rate tensile （SSRT） test. The SCC mechanism and the effect of HC03 were discussed with the aid of electrochemical techniques. It is indicated that X80 steel shows enhunced susceptibility to SCC with the concentration of HCO3 increasing from 0.15 to 1.00 mol/L, and the susceptibility can be evaluated in terms of current density at -0.2 V vs. SCE. The SCC behavior is controlled by the dissolution-based mechanism in these circumstances. Increasing the concentration of HCO3 not only increases the risk of rupture of passive films but also promotes the anodic dissolution of crack tips. Besides, little susceptibility to SCC is found in dilute solution containing 0.05 mol/L HCO3 for X80 steel. This can be attributed to the inhibited repassivation of passive films, manifesting as a more intensive dissolution in the non-crack tip areas than at the crack tips.

Precipitation behaviors of X80 acicular ferrite pipeline steel

The precipitation behaviors of X80 acicular ferrite pipeline steel were investigated by using transmission electron microscopy （TEM） and energy dispersive spectroscopy （EDS）. The results show that dendritic precipitates in the as-cast steel slabs precipitate mainly in grain boundaries, and these dendritic precipitates dissolve and re-precipitate to two kinds of carbonitrides： Ti- and Nb-rich （Ti, Nb）（C, N） carbonitrides during reheating. Four types of precipitates mainly exist in the hot rolled plate： Ti-rich carbonitrides resulted from the dendritic carbonitrides undissolved during the reheating process; Ti-rich carbonitrides re-precipitated along austenite grain boundaries during the re-heating process; NbC carbides mainly heterogeneously nucleated on the small pre-existing Nb-rich carbonitrides in the hot rolling process; and NbC carbides precipitated on dislocations during hot rolling.

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.

Effects of welding wire composition and welding process on the weld metal toughness of submerged arc welded pipeline steel

The effects of alloying elements in welding wires and submerged arc welding process on the microstructures and low-temperature impact toughness of weld metals have been investigated. The results indicate that the optimal contents of alloying elements in welding wires can improve the low-temperature impact toughness of weld metals because the proeutectoid ferrite and bainite formations can be suppressed, and the fraction of acicular ferrite increases. However, the contents of alloying elements need to vary along with the welding heat input. With the increase in welding heat input, the contents of alloying elements in welding wires need to be increased accordingly. The microstructures mainly consisting of acicular ferrite can be obtained in weld metals after four-wire submerged arc welding using the wires with a low carbon content and appropriate contents of Mn, Mo, Ti-B, Cu, Ni, and RE, resulting in the high low-temperature impact toughness of weld metals.

Precipitation behaviors of X70 acicular ferrite pipeline steel

The morphology, structure, and chemical composition of precipitates in the final microstructure of Nb-V-Ti microalloyed X70 acicular ferrite pipeline steel were investigated using transmission electron microscopy （TEM） and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy （EDS）. Precipitates observed by TEM can be classified into two groups. The large precipitates are complex compounds that comprise square-shaped TiN precipitate as core with fine Nb-containing precipitate nucleated on pre-existing TiN precipitate as caps on one or more faces at high temperature. In contrast, the fine and spherical Nb carbides and/or carbonitrides precipitate heterogeneously on dislocations and sub-boundaries at low temperature. From the analysis in terms of thermodynamics, EDS and chemical cornposition of the steel, NbC precipitation is considered to be the predominant precipitation behavior in the tested steel under the processing conditions of this research.