Residual Stresses Redistribution in Girth Weld Pipe After Reduction of the Wall Thickness

Girth welded pipes, such as those located offshore on platforms in the North Sea, are subjected to highly corrosive environment. The need to consider welding residual stresses in the assessment of the fitness for service and damages to these pipes when investigating local corrosion damages across a welded region is therefore important for the operators of the platforms and the manufacturers of the pipes. This paper presents a review of work carried out to ascertain the welding residual stresses present within a thin-walled girth welded pipe mock-up made from steel API 5LX Grade 52 before and after reduction of the wall thickness. The mock-up was manufactured to replicate typical pipes used to convey gas, oil and water through the platforms. The mock-up was of diameter 30” and of thickness 19mm. The incremental deep hole drilling (iDHD), contour, hole drilling, XRD, and ultrasonic technique were applied to characterise the residual stresses in the weld and heat affected zone of the specimen. The residual stresses were then measured during the manufacture of a groove located on the weld at the ID and were compared to an FE prediction. Ultrasonic measurements were then carried out on the outer surface of the pipe and show a significant increase in the residual stress and could be used to monitor the changes in the residual stress caused by internal corrosion.