Measurements of Fatigue Crack Growth Rates of the Heat-Affected Zones of Welds of Pipeline Steels

Pipelines are widely accepted to be the most economical method for transporting large volumes of hydrogen, needed to fuel hydrogen-powered vehicles. Some work has been previously conducted on the fatigue crack growth rates of base metals of pipeline materials currently in use for hydrogen transport and on pipeline materials that may be used in the future. However, welds and their heat-affected zones are oftentimes the source and pathway for crack initiation and growth. The heat-affected zones of welds can exhibit low resistance to crack propagation relative to the base metal or the weld itself. Microstructural irregularities such as chemical segregation or grain-size coarsening can lead to this low resistance. Therefore, in order to have adequate information for pipeline design, the microstructures of the heat-affected zones must be characterized, and their mechanical properties must be measured in a hydrogen environment. With that in mind, data on the fatigue crack growth rate is a critical need. We present data on the fatigue crack growth rate of the heat-affected zones for two girth welds and one seam weld from two API 5L X52 pipes. The materials were tested in hydrogen gas pressurized to 5.5 MPa and 34 MPa at a cyclic loading rate of 1 Hz, and an R ratio of 0.5.