HIGH STRENGTH SEAMLESS PIPE WITH OUTSTANDING

BASE METAL AND HAZ TOUGHNESS

TUBES SANS SOUDURE EN ACIER A HAUTE LIMITE
ELASTIQUE AVEC FORTE RESISTANCE AU CHOC
DANS LA ZONE AFFECTEE THERMIQUEMENT
K. Bredenbruch, G. Kloster and M. Ring
Vallourec & Mannesmann Tubes, Germany
K. Msch and M. Pardun
Mannesmann Forschungsinstitut, Germany
ABSTRACT
Offshore oil and gas production is shifting increasingly to deep water projects. Therefore, the
conditions for offshore riser and linepipe projects become more and more severe. As a result, the
requirements for linepipe steels with respect to toughness, particularly heat affected zone
toughness in the weld, are increasing.
This paper presents a seamless linepipe steel developed for sophisticated demands with respect to
material properties like strength, corrosion behaviour and toughness. The steel is used at various
rolling mills of Vallourec & Mannesmann Tubes for seamless pipe in API grades X60 - X70.
Besides the manufacture, corrosion properties, and the achievable mechanical properties, this
paper focuses especially on excellent results of toughness tests even in the CGHAZ of girth
welds produced with heat input representative for the whole range of typical welding processes.
As an additional demand, testing was carried out after strain ageing.
RESUME
La production ptrolire se dirige vers des projets en eau profonde. De ce fait, les conditions
d'utilisation des risers et line-pipes sont de plus en plus restrictives. La rsistance exige sur les
line-pipes, spcialement la zone de soudure affecte thermiquement, est de plus en plus leve.
Ce document montre le dveloppement des tubes d'acier sans soudure pour des demandes
sophistiques et plus spcialement avec des proprits mcaniques comme la rsilience, la
corrosion et la rsistance au choc. Vallourec & Mannesmann Tubes met en uvre les aciers API
grades X60 et X70 dans ses diffrentes tuberies. En plus de la fabrication, des proprits de
corrosion et mcaniques, ce document insiste plus particulirement sur les excellents rsultats
d'essais de rsistance, mme dans les soudures bout bout avec des prchauffages reprsentatifs
de la totalit des procds de soudage. De plus, des essais ont
t effectus aprs vieillissement d la dformation.

INTRODUCTION
The production of oil and natural gas in offshore regions worldwide is being shifted to increasing
water depths. As a consequence the pipes to be used have to meet more stringent requirements.
The increased severity of these requirements can be attributed in particular to the following:
1. Modern pipeline installation techniques, e.g. S-lay, J-lay and Reel-lay;
2. Use of riser pipe under more severe cyclic stresses;
3. Increased safety requirements in pipeline operation, in order to protect the
environment.
This development has a severe effect especially on the requirements for toughness of both base
material and heat-affected zone (HAZ) of the girth welds in the pipe.
Therefore, Vallourec & Mannesmann Tubes has developed a steel for seamless linepipe
especially designed to meet such requirements. With its properties this steel is capable of meeting
the criteria of modern design concepts.
PIPE MANUFACTURE
Table 1 shows a typical heat analysis of the present steel. The steel is continuously cast at the
steelworks HKM (Httenwerke Krupp Mannesmann) and Saint-Saulve. It is fully killed and Catreated. Modern secondary metallurgy and vacuum degassing techniques are used, resulting in
low sulphur and hydrogen contents. The carbon equivalent (CEIIW or CEPCM) is well below the
maximum values specified in the usual standards, such as API-5L, DNV and ISO 3183-2, see
Figure 1. The example of a typical histogram of the CEIIW values, which is shown below this
plot, is based on a typical linepipe order.
Pipes in OD of up to 406.4 mm are produced on plug mills and continuous mandrel mills. Within
this wide span of dimensions, V&M produces pipes and tubes with very tight tolerances
concerning OD, length, and WT.
To achieve the necessary microstructure and hence the necessary mechanical properties, the pipe
is quenched and tempered after rolling. The microstructure of the finished pipe is predominantly
bainitic.
MECHANICAL PROPERTIES AND CORROSION BEHAVIOUR
About 50,000 tonnes of this steel have now been produced for numerous pipe orders from
various customers. In the course of development, particular care was taken to achieve good
toughness properties, especially in the HAZ, for the desired yield strength level of X60 X70.
Table 2 lists the results obtained on 5400 tonnes of grade X65 linepipe (355.6 mm OD x 17.6
mm WT) supplied in accordance with API Specification 5L and customer project specifications.
The low standard deviation, at only 20 MPa, demonstrate the low variability in the individual
mechanical properties that can be achieved with this steel under production conditions.
Depending on the medium to be transported, a pipeline can be subjected to a more or less
aggressive corrosion attack. Therefore, one important goal of the present development was a

good resistance to corrosion under sour gas conditions. This was achieved by a well-balanced
chemical composition in combination with modern, secondary metallurgical practice and an
adequate heat treatment.
Two of the most common tests for investigating the resistance to corrosion under sour gas
conditions are the HIC test (Hydrogen Induced Cracking) and the SSC test (Sulfide Stress
Cracking). The HIC test is normally carried out acc. to the standard NACE TM0284-96. A
rectangular specimen (100 x 20 x WT < 1 mm) is subjected to the NACE solution A (pH 3) for 96
hours. After the test the specimen will be visually investigated for blister on the outer surface.
Furthermore metallographic examinations are conducted in order to check the sample for inner
cracks. The criteria for passing the test is a certain crack area ratio, which is in the optimum case
equal to zero (i.e. no cracks found).
The SSC test is carried out in accordance to the standard NACE TM0177-96. Among the four
different methods specified in this standard, for linepipe application very often the NACE tensile
test (Method A) is required. For this test a round bar specimen is exposed to a standard test solution
with pH 3. Simultaneously, the specimen is subjected to a constant tensile load. For passing the test,
the specimen has to remain 720 hours unbroken in the test solution. In order to characterise a new
material, different specimens are tested under different loads, normally described as % of Actual
Yield Strength (AYS) or Specified Minimum Yield Strength (SMYS).
The good suitability for sour service of the present steel was demonstrated on pipes of different
dimensions rolled on a plug mill and a continuous mandrel mill. The results of the tests are
summarised in Table 4. For all dimensions tested no cracks were found by the HIC test. The
NACE tensile specimens from the pipe measuring 323.9 mm OD x 14.3 mm WT withstood 720
hours unbroken at a load of 90 % AYS which corresponds to a load of 105 % SMYS.
TOUGHNESS OF THE BASE MATERIAL
One of main features of this steel is its excellent toughness in the base material as well as the
HAZ of the welds. This was proved by numerous Charpy V-notch impact tests as well as by
fracture mechanics tests.
Apart from investigating the toughness properties of the base material and the HAZ in the asdelivered state, also specimens were tested which have been subjected to a so called strain
ageing treatment. In offshore pipe laying, the pipe undergoes heavy plastic deformation as a
result of bending stresses. Certain requirements for toughness, however, still have to be fulfilled
also on the as-laid pipe. To verify this, strain ageing studies based on the standard requirements
for offshore pipe were carried out. In these studies, which simulate the effect of the pipe laying
process on toughness properties, Charpy V-notch specimens were subjected to 3% permanent
strain at room temperature, followed by aging at between 250C and 280C for one hour.
The toughness properties of the base material are shown in Figure 2, which plots the scatter band
of the individual impact energy values measured on longitudinal and transverse Charpy V-notch
specimens taken from pipes of different sizes (168.3 mm OD x 18.3 mm WT to 355.6 mm OD x
17.6 mm WT). For a test temperature of -60C, the smallest individual impact energy value
measured was comfortably above 200 J.
The scatter band of the individual impact energy values of Charpy V-notch specimens after a
strain ageing treatment is also shown in Figure 2. As can be seen, the strain ageing results in a

marginal decrease in the upper shelf energy, and a shift of the transition regime to higher
temperatures by only about 20C, so that the minimum individual impact energy value measured
at -40C is still greater than 200 J.
In addition to the Charpy V-notch test programme, fracture mechanics tests were carried out to
determine a quantitative value for the material toughness which can be used for the assessment of
the structural behaviour of whole components (e.g. by safety analyses). Especially for structures
under severe loading conditions like riser pipes the safety analysis is a often used as a necessary
and helpful tool.
In this case CTOD tests acc. to British Standard 7448/91 were carried out on transverse three
point bend specimens (B x 2B) with the notch position longitudinal through thickness. The precracking was done at room temperature.
The results of CTOD measurements on pipes of different sizes are shown in Figure 3. Excellent
CTOD values in excess of 1 mm were measured even at a temperature as low as -40C.
TOUGHNESS OF HAZ IN GIRTH WELDS
Within the scope of qualification of girth welding materials and related processes, the pipe
manufacturer is often required to perform a weldability test to qualify the HAZ, whose properties
strongly depend on heat input during welding and chemical composition of the base material. In
addition, the pipe laying contractor has to demonstrate by means of tests on both weld metal and
HAZ that he is capable of producing high quality girth welds.
Comprehensive tests on pipes of different outer diameter and wall thickness were carried out in
order to study the weldability of the material with respect to demanding applications, e.g. sour
service conditions. Welding procedures typical for manual field welding were chosen. The girth
welds were made in 5G-position (pipe horizontal and fixed) using cellulose coated electrodes. A
heat input of about 10-18 kJ/cm was obtained typical for downhill welding in the field. Extensive
hardness testing of base material, heat affected zone, and deposited weld metal indicated that in
any case the hardness obtained was below 248HV10, which is the maximum allowable hardness
according to NACE requirements (Figure 4). Charpy V-notch impact tests carried out at 0C
with samples notched in the fusion line of the V-bevel showed good toughness properties even
for the critical notch position (Figure 5). Although no test results were available for lower test
temperatures, the toughness requirements given in the EPRG guidelines on the assessment of
defects in transmission pipeline girth welds /1/ of 30J minimum/40J average value at service
temperature seem to be safely fulfilled by this steel. For a second notch position tested which is
2 mm adjacent to the fusion line all Charpy impact energy values determined were above 200J.
Extensive CTOD testing was carried out in order to obtain quantitative material values with
respect to the heat-affected zone toughness. For the CTOD test programme, welds were produced
with different heat inputs in order to reflect the behaviour of welded joints manufactured with all
welding processes commonly used during pipeline construction. Besides low (0.6 - 0.8 kJ/mm)
and very high heat input (2.5 - 3.0 kJ/mm), one weld was made as a typical SMAW weld
(vertical up welding with basic coated low hydrogen electrodes) using a heat input of 1.5 kJ/mm.
Further details of the welding parameters used are given in Table 4.
As for the base material, the CTOD tests for the determination of HAZ toughness were carried
out on three-point bend specimens (B x 2B) with through-thickness crack orientation. To test a

highly critical notch position, the welds were made as single-bevel butt joints, i.e. with one
square edge. For this reason it had been possible to produce a straight fusion line almost
perpendicular to the pipe surface (Figure 6), leading to a much more critical test of the HAZ than
would have been possible with a typical double-bevel weld. In addition to the notch position
coarse grain heat affected zone (fusion line), some standards and specifications also require
testing of the visible boundary area of the etched HAZ, i.e. of heavily tempered and not
transformed base material. Therefore, specimens notched in this area were also included in the
testing programme. Figure 7 shows schematically the two notch positions used for the test
programme.
In order to simulate severe pipe laying conditions, prior to CTOD testing all specimens were
subjected to 3 % permanent strain followed by ageing for one hour at 280C.
The notch position was defined by scribe marks after each specimen was etched at all sides in
order to check the specimen orthogonality. After machining of the notch, the notch radius was
checked by optical measurement. CTOD testing was performed according to BS7448. All tests
were conducted at -20C.
The CTOD test results are summarised in Figures 8 and 9. In all cases, good toughness values
were measured not only on the fusion line but also in the visible HAZ boundary material. For the
latter test location, the minimum CTOD value measured in the test programme was CTODm =
0.80 mm, indicating that this test location (notch position) can be classified as not critical for the
present steel with respect to the overall performance of the weld. CTOD values between 0.37 mm
and 1.12 mm were measured even in the coarse grain HAZ adjacent to the fusion line. All value
obtained were classified as valid toughness values after sectioning of the broken samples and
accompanying post test metallography had shown that the fatigue pre-crack was located correctly
in the target area.
In summary, the fracture mechanics tests showed that the heat affected zone in the present steel
has good toughness in the critical test location of the single-bevel weld. High values as found in
the present test programme cannot be achieved safely with conventional steels of this strength
level. Further, the heat input was found to have no significant effect on the toughness of the
coarse grain HAZ, so this steel can be welded by almost all welding techniques without
detrimental effects on the heat affected zone properties.
CONCLUDING REMARKS
This paper presents a steel developed for use as seamless pipe in API material grades X60 to
X70. In addition to low variability in individual mechanical properties and good resistance to
corrosion under sour gas conditions, this steel is characterised by excellent toughness properties
in the base material and critical HAZ, which are essential in the context of modern pipe laying
techniques. Thus, the present steel is optimally suited for applications where welds have to meet
special requirements in terms of toughness.
REFERENCES
1. Knauf, G. and P. Hopkins:
The EPRG guidelines on the assessment of defects in transmission pipeline girth welds
3R International, 10-11/1996, pp 620-624

Table 1. Chemical composition of a typical heat analysis, weight %

Si
Mn
P
S
Altot.
Cu
Ni
Mo
CEIIW

C
0.09

0.30

1.30

0.015 0.003 0.030

0.15

0.15

0.08

0.34

PCM
0.18

Table 2. Results on an order for linepipe in API X65 (355.6 mm OD x 17.6 mm WT)
Mechanical Properties
Average Value
Standard Deviation
Rt0.5, MPa

503

19.6

Rm, MPa

597

18.2

Rt0.5/Rm, %

85

1.2

A2", %

44

2.1

Charpy V (long.), - 20 C, J

404

Shear area, - 20 C, %

100
28 heats, 160 specimens

Pipe Size

Table 3. Results of HIC and SSC tests

HIC Behaviour 1)
Rt0.5,

(OD x WT),

CLR,

CTR,

CSR,

mm

406.4 x 11.9

168.3 x 18.3
219.1 x 22.2
323.9 x 14.3

0
0
0

0
0
0

0
0
0

SSC
Behaviour 2)

MPa

536

No fracture in
720 h at 90 %
Rt0.5

1) Test to NACE Standard TM0284-96 in Test Solution A (pH=3)

2) NACE Standard Tensile Test Method A, Test Solution A
Table 4. Girth welding parameters
Heat input
Low

Medium

high

Heat input

0.6-0.8 kJ/mm

1.2-1.5 kJ/mm

2.5-3.0 kJ/mm

Process

GMAW

SMAW

SMAW/SAW

Welding Pos.

1G

1G

1G

Consumables (AWS)

ER80S-G

E8018-G

E8018-G/EF1

Preheating Temperature min.

21C (70F)

100C (212F)

150C (300F)

Interpass Temperature max.

21C (70F)

150C (300F)

250C (480F)

0.50

EN 10208-2, ISO 3183-2

DNV, W T < 15 mm

0.48

DNV, 15 < W T < 26 mm

API 5L, WT < 20.3 mm

Carbon Equivalent (IIW), %

0.46
N

Q&T

0.44
0.42
0.40
WT < 30 mm

0.38
0.36
0.34
0.32

X42

0.30
250

X52

300

350

X60

400

X65

450

X70

500

X80

550

600

Specified Minimum Yield Strength, MPa

17

Frequency

20

15

Histogram of CEIIW data on

355.6 mm OD x 17.6 mm WT
grade X65 production pipe
(28 heats)

9
10

0.35

0.36

0.37

CEIIW , %

Figure 1. Carbon equivalent, CEIIW, of the present steel in comparison with requirements
of common specifications, and histogram of CEIIW data of a typical linepipe order.

C h a r p y V -n o tc h im p a c t e n e rg

450
400
350

Q&T

Scatter band of
individual values

300
250
200

s t r a in a g e d

150
100
50
0
-1 2 0

-1 0 0

-8 0

-6 0

-4 0

-2 0

20

T e m p e r a tu r e , C

Figure 2. Scatter band of individual impact energy values at various temperatures

for the quenched and tempered base material before and after strain ageing (3%
permanent strain at RT + 1h at 250C)
1 .8
1 .6

C TOD , mm

1 .4
1 .2
1
0 .8
0 .6
0 .4
0 .2
0
-6 0

-4 0

-2 0

T e m p e r a tu r e , C

Figure 3. Results of CTOD tests on quenched and tempered base material

20

270
Hardness Limit for
sour-service applications
250

Vickers-hardness HV

230

210

190

Base metal

HAZ

Weld metal

170

150

Figure 4. Typical hardness distribution of a girth weld made with cellulosic electrodes
(SMAW)

notch position WM/HAZ 50/50 %

notch position Fl + 2 mm

500

Charpy V-notch impact energy (J)

400

300

200

100

355.6 x 19.05

355.6 x 22.3

406.4 x 15.7

323.9 x 19.05

219.1 x 22.3

pipe dimensions
Figure 5. Charpy impact test results on SMAW girth welds (downhill, pos. 5G,
cellulosic electrodes) of different order-accompanying weldability tests (Test
temperature: 0C)

27 mm

19 mm

Figure 6. Macrograph of a single-bevel girth weld made for CTOD tests

(SMAW weld, heat input of 1.5 kJ/mm)

{|
Notch position { :

Fusion line (CGHAZ)

Notch position | :

Visible HAZ boundary (SCHAZ)

Figure 7. Notch positions in the CTOD specimens (type B x 2B)

1 .8 0
c o n d i ti o n :
3 % c o ld s tra i n e d
+ 1 h r 2 8 0 C a g e d

1 .6 0
1 .4 0

C T O D , mm

1 .2 0
1 .0 0
0 .8 0
0 .6 0
0 .4 0
0 .2 0
0 .0 0
A
lo w h e a t i n p u t

B
m e d ium he a t inp ut

C
hig h he a t inp ut

Figure 8. CTOD values measured at 20C (notch position: fusion line)

1.80
1.60
1.40

CTOD, mm

1.20
1.00
0.80
0.60
0.40

c ondition:
3% c old s trained
+ 1hr 280C aged

0.20
0.00
A
low heat input

B
m edium heat input

C
high heat input

Figure 9. CTOD values measured at 20C (notch position: visible-HAZ boundary)