DETERMINATION OF CRITICAL HYDROGEN CURVES FROM SLOW BEND TESTS

Recent trends in the pipeline industry are towards the use of high strength steels. As steel strength increases, the delayed hydrogen cracking propensity in the welds also increases. As welding is often completed during winter months, the cold temperatures must be considered in determining joining procedures that will avoid delayed hydrogen cracking. The Graville/BMT Fleet Technology Limited hydrogen diffusion and cracking models have been used successfully in the past to predict delayed cracking and to demonstrate how changes implemented in the welding procedure can minimize the risk of cracking. The two capabilities, hydrogen diffusion and cracking assessment, can be applied to the case of X100 pipe as well, provided the hydrogen diffusivity and the hydrogen cracking susceptibility curves are established for the materials of interest. These two parameters, the hydrogen diffusivity and the hydrogen cracking susceptibility curves are developed to examine the hydrogen cracking susceptibility of SMAW and GMAW welds in X100 pipe, and are the focus of the paper.Copyright © 2004 by ASME