Crystallographic Texture Control Helps Improve Pipeline Steel Resistance to Hydrogen-Induced Cracking

Low-carbon steel specimens, all within API (American Petroleum Institute) specifications, were produced following different thermomechanical paths. After austenization, the samples were rolled and recrystallized. The rolling process was carried out using different reduction-in-thickness degrees and finishing temperatures. The investigated steels showed similar microstructural features but differed considerably in their crystallographic textures and grain boundary distributions. After cathodic hydrogen charging, hydrogen-induced cracking (HIC) was detected in the hot-rolled recrystallized steels, whereas the cold and warm-rolled recrystallized steels proved resistant to this damage. Among the investigated specimens, the HIC-stricken show either the strongest {001}ND texture fiber, the smallest fraction of low-angle grain boundaries, or the weakest {111}ND (γ) texture fiber ({hkl}ND representing crystallographic orientations with {hkl} planes parallel to the steel rolling plane). In contrast, the HIC-resistant steels show the weakest {001}ND texture fiber, the largest fraction of low-angle grain boundaries, and the strongest γ fiber. These results support the hypothesis of this and previous works, that crystallographic texture control, through warm rolling schedules, helps improve pipeline steel resistance to hydrogen-induced cracking.