Experimental study of the weld microstructure properties in assembling of natural gas transmission pipelines

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The coexistence of high levels of strength and toughness is necessary for the microalloyed steels used in natural gas pipelines. The welding thermal cycle can significantly change the microstructures and therefore the mechanical properties of the girth welded pipelines. Thus, the experimental investigation on the welded material properties is required for assessing the structural integrity of the pipelines. In this article, the metallurgical characteristics of the multi-pass girth welds on API X70 steel pipes with 56 in outside diameter and 0.780 in wall thickness were determined for the first time using chemical analysis and standard metallography. The chemical analysis showed different chemical compositions in different weld passes. The amount of carbon in the weldment increased in comparison with the base metal, although the microalloy elements in the weld gap decreased by increasing the pass number. The metallographic investigation by optical microscope demonstrated the different microstructures in different sub-zones of the welded joint. The images obtained from scanning electron microscope also presented the dendritic and acicular structures in the root and cap passes, respectively. The observed hard phases in the weldment, such as martensite, had direct effects on the mechanical properties of the weldment and heat-affected zone.