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Investigation of running ductile fracture in gas transmission pipelines and the derivation of reliable crack arrest prediction methods belong to major topics in pipeline research. The yet available crack arrest criterion, known as the Battelle Two-Curve Method (BTCM), leads to reliable predictions up to grade X70 line pipe steels for which it has been validated. This includes specific limits in terms of mechanical properties, pressure and geometry. The application of this criterion to modern pipeline steels, i.e. especially grades X80 and beyond in combination with larger diameters and high pressure, has led to mispredictions of the BTCM. Hence, in order to ensure safe design of pipelines, new methods are required based on in depth knowledge and appropriate characterization of material resistance. This paper presents a procedure for the assessment of dynamic ductile fracture resistance based on combined experimental and numerical investigations. The procedure involves quasi-static and dynamic drop- weight tear testing (DWTT) on modified specimens with pre-fatigued crack for grades X65, X80 and X100 materials, and the application of cohesive zone (CZ) and Gurson-Tveergard-Needleman (GTN) models to describe ductile material damage. The damage model parameters are calibrated on basis of DWTT results and subsequently used to simulate dynamic crack propagation in a pipeline. The influence of material properties (strain hardening, toughness), pipe geometry, usage factor and decompression behaviour on ductile fracture propagation behaviour is studied and evaluated. The results will contribute to an enhanced understanding of major parameters controlling ductile fracture propagation and will help to establish a reliable procedure for safe design of new high-capacity pipelines with regard to crack arrest.
Assessment of collapse resistance of UOE pipes – comparison of full-scale and ring collapse tests
(2014)
The present paper deals with the influence of heat affected zone (henceforth HAZ) on the fracture performance of longitudinal welded linepipes in dependence on constraint level. It has been shown that toughness values of HAZ obtained from standard fracture mechanics tests lead to uneconomic linepipe design for two reasons. The first reason is that laboratory specimens with higher constraint level generally exhibit lower fracture resistance compared to flawed linepipes. The second one has to do with a higher probability of cleavage failure occurrence in the laboratory specimen than in the linepipes due to larger areas of lower toughness (so called local brittle zones (LBZ)) intersected by crack front. In recent years numerous studies have been initiated with the objective to quantify the constraint level and thus to allow for less conservative linepipe safety assessment by applying constraint corrected toughness values. However, the main focus of these studies has hitherto been on the homogeneous materials, failing to account for the possible effects of different microstructures within the heterogeneous HAZ. This paper seeks to close this gap by reporting on results from tests on fracture mechanics specimens of a high strength X80 steel, i.e. SENB and SENT specimens as well as results from ring expansion tests. Both, deep and shallow cracks are inserted in the fracture mechanics specimens and rings targeting the fusion line (FL). By varying the initial crack size and sample type, different constraint levels are achieved and subsequently quantified using numerical methods. Besides constraint observations, post metallographic analyses are performed to identify exact HAZ microstructure involved at the crack tip. Finally, the influence of HAZ properties, flaw size and geometry on the failure behaviour of the linepipes has been demonstrated and assessed. Based on the combination of the results from constraint studies and the post metallographic analyses, the methodology is proposed which enables simple quantitative prediction of toughness values for safe and economic design of linepipes with flaws located in HAZ.
Analysis of dynamic ductile fracture propagation in pipeline steels: a damage-T IS A WELL-ESTABLISHED fact that the successful application of new generation of high-strength steel grades for long-distance gas transmission depends strongly on full understanding and appropriate characterization of fracture resistance. A damage mechanics approach has found to be a very promising tool in supporting the experimental characterization of ductile fracture propagation. The major advantage of this approach lies in the consideration of the influence of local stress and strain variables on the damage evolution and thus its capability to describe the fracture resistance of the pipelines with different stress triaxiality level by using the same set of parameters. However, the wider application of this approach has been limited due to the issues such as reliable determination of input parameters and required material properties, mesh size dependence, etc..
The objective of this paper is to characterize dynamic ductile fracture resistance of X65 and X80 pipeline materials and to demonstrate the potential of damage mechanics approach for the simulation of dynamic fracture propagation by using two damage models: (1) Cohesive Zone (CZ) model and (2) Gurson-Tvergaard-Needleman (GTN) model. In the first step, results from quasi-static and dynamic tensile tests are used to describe plasticity in terms of flow curves. The calibration of input parameters for both models is performed by using the load-deformation curves from quasi-static tests on non-standard drop-weight tear (DWT) specimens with pre-fatigued crack. b. In the next step, estimated damage model parameters are verified by means of the dynamic tests on the pressed and Chevron notch DWT specimens. Different amounts of crack growth are established by varying the drop height. The experimental fracture resistance is quantified in terms of J-integral at specific crack length. The numerical results are evaluated with respect to global load-deformation and fracture resistance behavior. Furthermore, damage simulations are applied for quantification of local stress conditions in order to identify the major factors controlling the crack propagation. The results reported here serve as a basis for better understanding of fracture performance in dependences of geometry and material properties.
The performance of engineering design of high-strength steel pipelines has revealed the necessity to revise current design procedures. Therefore, an improved and detailed comprehension of fracture mechanisms and development of failure prediction tools are required in order to derive new design criteria. In last decades the most successful failure prediction tools for steel structures subjected to various type of loading can be encountered in the field of damage mechanics. This paper aims to describe ductile fracture behavior of high-strength steel pipelines by applying three different damage models, Gurson-Tvergaard-Needelman (GTN), Fracture Locus Curve (FLC) and Cohesive Zone (CZ). These models are evaluated regarding their capability to estimate ductile crack propagation in laboratory specimens and linepipe components without adjusting the calibrated parameters. It can be shown that appropriate parameter sets can be identified to reproduce load-deformation and fracture resistance curves accurately. The strain rate effect on the fracture behavior is examined by dynamic tests on the BDWT specimens. Finally, the shortcomings of the applied models are pointed out with the reference to possible extensions and modifications.
Experiments and fracture modeling of high-strength pipelines for high and low stress triaxiality
(2012)
This paper provides results from a comprehensive study on mechanical characterization of high-strength pipeline steel, grade X100 using experimental and numerical methods. The material was characterized for anisotropic plasticity, fracture initiation for various states of stress, (pre-cracked) fracture toughness and uncracked ductility. The experimental program included tests on flat butterfly-shaped, central hole, notched and circular disk specimens for low stress triaxiality levels; as well as tests on round notched bar specimens and SENT fracture mechanics tests, for high values of stress triaxiality. This program covered a wide range of stress conditions and demonstrated its effect on the material resistance. Parallel to the experimental study, detailed numerical investigations were carried out to simulate all different experimental tests. Using an inverse method, a 3-parameter calibration was performed on the Modified Mohr-Coulomb (MMC) fracture model. Subsequently, the predictive capabilities of the MMC were evaluated by the comparison to the fracture toughness tests results, used extensively in the pipeline industry. The capabilities of the MIT fracture model have been demonstrated on an example of high strength offshore steel, X100. The outcome of this study was not only to provide, the overall characterization of the fracture behavior of this material as an example, but also to present the methodology on how to use the MMC model as a practical tool in pipeline design.
This paper focuses on the characterization of the fracture performance of X100 material in transition temperature region using both experimental and numerical methods. The ductile fracture has been analyzed using tests on round notched bar specimens and standard fracture mechanics tests performed at room temperature. In previous publications the damage model Gurson-Tvergaard-Needleman (GTN) has been applied and verified by existing experimental data to describe ductile fracture behavior. The brittle fracture and the fracture in temperature transition region have been studied by means of deep and shallow notched SENB specimens at two different temperatures T=- 80°C and -40°C. Besides elastic-plastic analyses to quantify constraint levels for different initial crack configurations at the onset of cleavage fracture, the brittle failure has been described using modified Beremin model. The influence of the stable crack growth on the cleavage failure probability in temperature transition region has been captured by coupling the ductile fracture model (GTN) with the modified Beremin model. Finally, examples have been presented for the practical application of the numerical results on the fracture assessment of the flawed high-strength pipelines.