Microalloyed steels have evolved in terms of their chemical composition, processing, and metallurgical characteristics since the beginning of the 20th century in the function of fabrication costs and mechanical properties required to obtain high-performance materials needed to accommodate for the growing demands of gas and hydrocarbons transport. As a result of this, microalloyed steels present a good combination of high strength and ductility obtained through the addition of microalloying elements, thermomechanical processing, and controlled cooling, processes capable of producing complex microstructures that improve the mechanical properties of steels. These controlled microstructures can be severely affected and result in catastrophic failures, due to the atomic hydrogen diffusion that occurs during the corrosion process of pipeline steel. Recently, a martensite-bainite microstructure with acicular ferrite has been chosen as a viable candidate to be used in environments with the presence of hydrogen. The aim of this review is to summarize the main changes of chemical composition, processing techniques, and the evolution of the mechanical properties throughout recent history on the use of microalloying in high strength low alloy steels, as well as the effects of hydrogen in newly created pipelines, examining the causes behind the mechanisms of hydrogen embrittlement in these steels.
This paper evaluates the stress corrosion cracking (SCC) effect in gasohol E-10 and E-85 of X-70 experimental Ni-microalloyed steel, with different aging treatments (4-12 h at 600°C). The tension tests show that for all treatment periods, the samples tensile strength and elongation increase, with the largest increment exhibited by the samples undergoing 4 and 6 h of aging treatment. Microstructural analysis showed that the microstructure remains unchanged, the increase in tensile strength in the steel is directly related to the precipitation kinetics. The slow strain rate test (SSRT) shows that the steel under all conditions presents no susceptibility to SCC, thus reducing the area ranging from 83% to 90%, with predominantly ductile fractures. The results of the polarisation tests showed no signs of pitting corrosion, as well as a low corrosion rate for both media under study.
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