Analysis of Mechanical Properties of Welded Joint Metal from TPP Steam Piping after Its Operational Degradation and Hydrogenation.

In this paper, the mechanical properties of various zones of the welded joints of a heat-resistant steel 15Kh1M1F in different states (in the initial state, after an operation on the main steam piping of a thermal power plant (TPP) for 23 years) were determined, and the fracture surfaces were analyzed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images. The effect of hydrogen electrolytic charging on mechanical behavior and fracture mechanism was also studied. The long-term operation of welds resulted in a higher degradation degree of the weld metal compared to the base one, indicated by the deterioration of mechanical properties: decrease in hardness, strength characteristics, and reduction in area, which was accompanied by an atypical increase in elongation at fracture.

Peculiarities of Fatigue Crack Growth in Steel 17H1S after Long-Term Operations on a Gas Pipeline.

This work presents the results of metallographic studies and the tensile, impact, and fatigue crack growth (FCG) resistance tests of 17H1S main gas pipeline steel in the as-received (AR) state and after a long-term operation (LTO). A significant number of non-metallic inclusions forming chains stretched along the direction of pipe rolling were found in the microstructure of the LTO steel. The lowest values of elongation at break and impact toughness of the steel were determined for the lower part of the pipe close to its inner surface.

Assessment of Operational Degradation of Pipeline Steels.

This paper summarizes a series of the authors' research in the field of assessing the operational degradation of oil and gas transit pipeline steels. Both mechanical and electrochemical properties of steels are deteriorated after operation, as is their resistance to environmentally-assisted cracking. The characteristics of resistance to brittle fracture and stress corrosion cracking decrease most intensively, which is associated with a development of in-bulk dissipated microdamages of the material.

Study of the Fatigue Crack Growth in Long-Term Operated Mild Steel under Mixed-Mode (I + II, I + III) Loading Conditions.

The paper presents an analysis of mixed-mode fatigue crack growth in bridge steel after 100-years operating time. Experiments were carried out under mode I + II configuration on Compact Tension Shear (CTS) specimens and mode I + III on rectangular specimens with lateral stress concentrator under bending and torsion loading type. Due to the lack of accurate Stress Intensity Factor (SIF) solutions, the crack path was modelled with the finite element method according to its experimental observation.