Abstract

crack of operational origin in the welded joint of the main gas pipeline is analyzed. The reasons for its nucleation and impact on technological microdefects that were formed earlier during the welding are found. Micromechanisms and stages of nucleation and propagation of the crack are investigated.

Abstract

General regularities in the failure kinetics of steel of main gas pipelines (17GS) are established using the method of complete stress-strain curves, meanwhile in-service degradation of metals is taken into account. The influence of material degradation on material properties under static tensioning is considered using two independent approaches: the phenomenological model of damage accumulation in metals, and the fractographic analysis method. The accumulation of in-service damage is found to increase a degree of material opening and lead to partial “embrittlement” of the steel matrix due to the microdefects accumulation in the vicinity of metal cracking caused by hydrogenation.