Grain refined carbon steel forgings and wrought materials (thoroughly worked
ASME Impact Test
Requirement
The ASME Impact Test Requirement article provides you information about
impact test requirement in pressure vessel design and construction.
Suggest you have pressure vessel under design process and construction
has not started yet.
Based ASME impact test requirement you need to make assessment to see
either your pressure vessel is exempted from impact testing or you need to
carry out the test.
There are 4 steps for impact test exemption assessment, you need to
precede these steps, and you might be exempted in first, second or third
steps and might not be exempted even in step 4;
So if you are in step 4 and you have not exempted then you need to carry out
the test. This article explains you this assessment process.
Basic Concept:
You may know carbon steels and low alloy steels exhibit a drastic change in
their room temperature ductility, at sub-zero service temperatures. Different
types of materials exhibit different types of transition behavior.
We can see there is a sudden, phenomenal drop in their notch-toughness
properties below the "transition" range of temperature, which should be a
matter of concern for us.
Body centered cubic or Ferritic alloys exhibit a significant transition in
behavior when impact tested over a range of temperatures. Above transition
temperature range, impact specimens fracture in a "ductile" manner,
absorbing relatively large amounts of energy.
At lower temperatures, i.e. below the transition temperature range, the impact
test specimens are found to fracture in a brittle (cleavage) manner, absorbing
less energy.
And within the transition temperature range, the fracture is a mixture of ductile
and brittle nature.
A material would be invulnerable to a sudden drop in notch-toughness at the
lowest specified service (or design) temperature, if only be proved by
conducting Charpy V-notch Impact tests on representative test samples, at
reference (the lowest service) temperature.
and normalized) generally exhibit good notch toughness.
ASME Code Section VIII Div 1 exemption rules for ASME
Impact Test Requirement:
There are specific rules in ASME Code for exemption from ASME Impact
Test Requirement; this test is very expensive so pressure vessel
manufactures are trying to be exempted for this costly test.
You need to follow following clauses to make exemption assessment for
ASME impact test requirement:
UG-20(f) →UCS-66(a) → UCS-66(b) →UCS-68(c)
First you have to keep your pressure vessel design data available and then
refer to UG-20 (f), if you are exempted from this clause you do not need
precede anymore.
But if you are not exempted by UG-20 (f), you have to proceed to UCS-66(a),
again if you are exempted no need for more assessment.
But if not, you have to proceed to UCS-66(b), if you are exempted now, no
need for more assessment otherwise you have to proceed to UCS-68(c)
again if you are still not exempted; you have to carry out impact testing.
It means for some cases we might be exempted from ASME impact test
requirement in first stage in UG-20 (f), in others in UCS-66(a) or UCS-66(b) or
UCS-68(c) or might not be exempted and prepare yourself for doing this
costly test.
This test would be more costly out of US because of Laboratory Accreditation
requirement. Accredited Laboratory based US accreditation system is not too
much in Europe, Middle East and other locations.
UG-20(f)
We start with UG-20(f) for ASME impact test requirement, if your MOC
(Material of Construction) is categorized in P-No. 1 or 2 (Refer to ASME Code
Section IX for P-No Definition) and your MOC thickness has limited value
defined in this clause, then you might be exempted from impact testing.
But you need to refer to Fig UCS-66 in ASME Code Section VIII Div. 1 and
see your MOC is listed in which A, B, C or D curves, all ASME carbon steel
and low alloy steel material distributed in these 4 groups (Curves) of
materials.
You need to know the materials listed in curve D has the best toughness
property and better than materials listed in curve C, in similar way materials
listed in curve C has better toughness property to materials listed in curve B
and materials listed in Curve B has better than materials listed in Curve A .
See Following Fig UCS-66(a):
When you determined your MOC curve, then you has to review UG-20(f) and
see for possibility for exemption from ASME impact test requirement, there
are some other condition in this clause which you should consider for
exemption;
For instance the vessel should be hydrostatically tested after completion and
also thermal and mechanical loading not be design controlling factor.
For example if your MOC is normalized SA 516 Gr.70 with 0.75 inch
thickness you will be exempted from ASME impact test requirement;
Your MOC is listed in curve D and up to 1 inch, impact testing is not required,
of course you should assure you will be carry out hydrostatic test as well as
mentioned loadings are not design controlling factor in your considered
pressure vessel.
UCS-66(a)
So assume in above example your MOC thickness is 1.125 inch instead 1
inch, you will not be exempted by UG-20(f) and you have to refer to UCS-
66(a);
But for assessment, based this clause, you need to know your pressure
vessel MDMT (Minimum Design Metal Temperature), assume it is -20 degree
F, so you should now go to Fig. UCS-66 and locate 1.125 inch in horizontal
axis and draw a vertical line;
In similar way locate -20 degree F in vertical axes and draw a horizontal line,
these two lines will cross each other;
see above Figure, the lines identified in red
If the cross point fall above the curve D (because your MOC is listed in curve
D) you are exempted otherwise not, so for current example you are above the
curve D so you are exempted from impact testing.
To simplify your assessment for ASME impact test requirement the Fig-66
has been converted to the table (table UCS-66), so for any MOC with specific
thickness you can go to this table and see what is the minimum permissible
temperature without impact testing.
See following UCS-66(a) Table:
In above example (normalized SA 516 Gr.70, Curve D, 1.125 inch thickness),
minimum permissible Temperature without impact test is -26 degree F, it
means if in above example your MDMT changes from -20 degree F to -27
degree F, then you cannot be exempted from ASME impact test requirement
by UCS-66(a) and you have to proceed to UCS-66(b)
UCS-66(b)
Let us explain this clause with above example your MDMT from above is -27
degree F, nominal thickness is 1.125 inch, normalized SA 516 Gr.70 listed in
curve D and you are not exempted by UCS-66(a)
So you are here to continue your assessment to find a chance for exemption,
you have to refer to Fig UCS-66.1 and calculate following formula;
Ratio= tr E / (tn –c)
tr is required design thickness for all applicable loading we assume for
above example it is 0.95 inch,
E is your joint efficiency and we assume for this vessel it is 1, it means
your vessel is RT2,
tn is your nominal thinness which in this example from above it is 1.125
inches,
and C is corrosion allowance and we assume it is 0.125 inches, so let
calculate:
Ratio = 0.95x1/(1.125 – 0.125) Ratio= 0.95
See following Fig UCS-66(b):
Then go to the Figure UCS-66(b) and in vertical axes locate Ratio and draw a
horizontal line then locate the cross point with graph and draw a vertical line
to cross horizontal axis;
You will be reach to value of 8 in the horizontal axes, this 8, is your 8 degree
F bonus from table UCS-66 which you can reduce 8 degree F minimum
permissible temperature in table without impact testing.
In above example your MDMT is -27 degree F and in UCS 66 table the
minimum permissible temperature without impact testing designated -26
degree F so with this clause you can reduce it to -36 degree F(-26 -8 = -34),
your MDMT is -27 degree F so you are exempted from impact testing with
this clause.
UCS-68(c)
Let we change one variable in above example; we assume you need to have
-45 degree F for your MDMT, other variable are the same it means
normalized SA 516 Gr.70 listed in curve D, thickness 1.125, so you can see
you are not exempted by UCS-66(b);
Because minimum permissible temperature is -36 degree F but your MDMT is
-45 degree F, so UCS-68(c) might be helpful;
It says if post weld heat treatment is not code requirement and your P-No is 1
and you carry out post weld heat treatment a 30 degree F bonus will be
granted to you to reduce minimum permissible temperature in table UCS-66.
So when post weld heat treatment is code requirement?
It is code requirement when your service is lethal and when your thickness for
P-No. 1 is greater than 1.5 inch;
So for our example our service is not lethal and our P-No. is 1 and thickness
is 1.125 and it is less than 1.5 inch therefore post weld heat treatment is not
code requirement.
It means if you carry out post heat treatment a 30 degree F bonus will be
granted by this clause, it means for this example our minimum permissible
temperature would be -36-30=-66 degree F and your MDMT is -45 degree F
so you are exempted from impact testing.
Now the worst case; in above you assume you need to have -70 degree F for
your MDMT; you can see with this new condition you cannot be exempted
even by UCS-68(c) and you have to carry out impact testing.