Fatigue Crack Growth Rates in Six Pipeline Steels

This study presents fatigue data for six different pipeline steels, with strengths ranging from Grade B to X100. A fatigue crack growth test for full thickness pipeline samples was developed using a Middle Tension (MT) type specimen. The six steels showed similar fatigue crack growth rate (da/dN) behavior. There were only minor differences among the steels for the threshold values and most of the stable crack growth regime. Larger differences were observed in the final stages of crack growth and fatigue failure. The effect of compressive residual stresses at the outer surface of the pipeline was also examined. A Failure Assessment Diagram technique was used to evaluate the potential failures modes of the six pipeline steels, containing, as an example, an internal surface, semi-elliptic, axially oriented flaw. Mixed-mode failure was predicted for all of the steels.