Effect of strength matching on the reliability of welded pipe with circumferential surface crack

For different strength matching, the reliability index and failure probability of welded pressure pipe with circumferential surface crack were calculated using three dimensional stochastic finite element method. This method has overcome the shortcomings of conservative results in safety assessment with deterministic fracture mechanics method. The effects of external moment and the depth of the circumferential surface crack (a) on the reliability of pressure pipe were also calculated and discussed. The calculation results indicate that the strength matching has certain effect on the reliability of the welded pressure pipe with circumferential surface crack. The failure probability of welded pressure pipe with high strength matching is lower than that with low strength matching at the same conditions. The effects of strength matching on the failure probability and reliability index increased by adding external moment (M) and the depth of the circumferential surface crack (a).

A new step-cooling process for strength and toughness matching control of vanadium-containing railway wheels:effect of intragranular ferrite

To improve the competitive relationship between strength and toughness,the effect of low undercooling in austenite(γ)on the microstructure and mechanical properties of commercial vanadium-containing wheel steels was studied using an optical microscope(OM),a scanning electron microscope(SEM),a transmission electron microscope(TEM),and mechanical property tests.The results show that when the wheel steel is slightly cooled to an appropriate temperature above A c3 point for a short time after it has been austenitized at an elevated temperature,the solid-solved vanadium is pre-precipitated in the form of V(C,N)second phase semicoherent with the matrix in the originalγgrain.This phase hardly participates in matrix strengthening.Due to the small mismatch between V(C,N)and ferrite(α),during the subsequent-cooling phase transformation stage,the pre-precipitated second phase becomes theαnucleation point,causing granular and ellipsoidal intragranular ferrite(IGF,with an average size of 4-6μm)to nucleate in the originalγ.The IGF production and strength loss increases with the increasing undercooling degree.Based on this,Masteel Co.,Ltd.has developed a new heat-treatment step-cooling process that can promote the formation of IGF,considerably improving the level and uniformity of fracture toughness on the premise that the strength and hardness of the wheel are almost unchanged.

Effects of strength matching and crack depth on the fracture parameters for welded joints

Fracture parameters of welded joints with different strength matching and crack depth in weld metal are investigated by using the methods of elastoplastic finite element analysis and three point bend specimen test. The results show that for shallow crack, the plastic zone turns large in loading process, and the fracture toughness turns high. The extent of the plastic zone of overmatched joint is larger than that of undermatched joint because it will extends to parent metal from the weld metal in loading process for the same CTOD value. The plastic zone of undermatched joint is restricted within the weld, and the size of that is small. Overmatched joint shows the fracture behaviour of shallow crack may more easily than the undermatched joint, while the two sorts of joint specimens have the same crack depth. Therefore, the fracture-resistant capability of overmatched weld is better than that of undermatched weld. when the toughness of weld metals is similar for both overmatched and undermatched joints.