Improvement of resistance to hydrogen induced cracking in electric resistance welded pipes fabricated with slit coils

The optimization of electric resistance welding (ERW) conditions was studied to improve the resistance to hydrogen induced cracking (HIC) at the bondline in small diameter API X60 ERW pipes fabricated with slit coils. The results show that HIC is initiated preferentially at the elongated Si, Mn and Al-rich oxide inclusions, normally known as a penetrator on the bondline. However, no evidence was found of any centerline segregation effect. The HIC ratio increases with the fraction of penetrators at the bondline, regardless of the degrees of center segregation. Furthermore, for a satisfactory level of HIC resistance, the fraction of penetrators must be less than 0.03 % and most of the penetrators should be circular-shaped. The design of experimental (DOE) method was used to determine the optimum ERW condition for minimization of the penetrator ratio. Finally, guideline is suggested for the optimum ERW condition for achieving excellent HIC resistance.