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Development of Line Pipe Steel with Improved Low Temperature Toughness and YS/UTS Ratio
S K Hegde, Madhusudana R, D Satish Kumar, Vinoo D S, S Manjini, A K Karande, P K Ghorui, D Mazumdar and J P N Lal

Transportation of oil and natural gas through pipes to longer distances requires special type of materials. High operating pressures and economical transport brings the need of high strength line pipe steel. Gas transportation may lead to some service leakages and condensation/ freezing of gas under low temperature condition. This makes the low temperature properties of line pipe grades more stringent. Line pipe steels requires high uniform elongation, low temperature toughness and a low yield strength to tensile strength ratio (YS / UTS) of 0.85 max. It is needed to prevent ductile fracture by plastic deformation of the pipe line in low temperature conditions. With a view to meet these characteristics a development work was undertaken to produce hot rolled coil of high strength line pipe API X65 with excellent low temperature toughness and API X60 with low YS / UTS ratio. The HR steel coils were produced through BOF-ARS-LHF-CCM-HSM route. API X65 was designed with primary requirement of excellent fracture toughness at low temperature. Changes in chemistry and rolling parameters were done to achieve the desired mechanical properties. Best possible aim chemistry was devised by selecting suitable elements/chemistry which could be the most cost effective. To achieve low temperature toughness carbon was reduced below 0.10 %. Phosphorous level was maintained low to avoid pearlitic segregation. Micro alloying was optimized, especially the vanadium content was reduced due to its high and fluctuating prices. Low temperature impact properties were measured at 0C, -20 C, -40 C and -54 C. The results obtained showed improvement over the earlier compositions. Development of API X60 with the intention of low YS / UTS ratio was designed with the combination of niobium & titanium micro-alloying without vanadium. Ti was increased for improved surface quality. The loss in tensile strength due to lower level of carbon was compensated through low alloying with nickel and chromium. Higher Nb with controlled cooling has an effect on improving the low temperature toughness, YS and UTS. Lower YS/UTS ratio is possible in a dual-phase structure composed of a hard phase and a soft phase. High tensile strength and lower YS/UTS ratio was obtained by appropriately controlling the volume fractions and hardness of the phases. Investigations of the process parameters of API grade rolling at hot strip mill backed up by theoretical considerations and thermo-mechanical simulation studies helped to identify the process parameters responsible for lowering the YS/UTS ratio. Lower YS/UTS ratio was achieved by meticulously optimizing the rolling parameters, mainly finishing and coiling temperatures. Higher finishing temperatures (890 10 oC) and lower coiling temperature (590 10 oC) were maintained and found to be optimum for achieving desired mechanical properties. Properties achieved were uniform in both longitudinal and transverse directions. The microstructure obtained was band free, uniform and fine grain size of ASTM no 10-11 throughout the cross section. Both these grades were successfully rolled and supplied to the customer. HR coils performance at the customers end w.r.t the chemical and physical properties requirement before and after pipe making were satisfactory to the API 5L specification.

Proceedings of 44th National Metallurgists Day 60th Annual Technical Meeting 2006, Jamshedpur, India, 15-16 Nov, 2006, pp 71