How to Assure Fracture-Propagation Control for Seamless Gas Pipelines?

Fracture propagation control in gas transmission gas pipelines belongs to the major design requirements for safe operation at high internal pressures. However, the current tests such as Drop-Weight-Tear Test (DWTT) and full-scale West-Jefferson (WJ) test reach the limits of their applicability with respect to transition temperature evaluation for seamless quenched and tempered small diameter pipes reflecting nowadays alloying concepts related to mechanical properties. Hereby, different geometry and material effects are evident which might lead to misinterpretation and unreliability of testing results. This paper aims to discuss open issues addressed in the literature and in own experimental findings with respect to reliability and transferability of testing methods, fracture parameters and their representativeness of seamless quenched and tempered pipeline behavior. By applying damage mechanics approach, it is possible to quantify the prevailing stress state and thus to understand the mechanisms controlling specific fracture appearance (ductile or brittle). Furthermore, studies were performed with objective to quantify the effect of different parameters (geometry, material and loading) on the fracture performance of the pipeline. The results from these investigations will serve as a basis for a safe pipeline design against propagating fracture.