Advances in Mechanical Engineering, ISSN: 2160-0619

Volume 2, Number 3, September, 2012

Acoustic Emission Study of Corrosion Fatigue and Fatigue for API 5L

X70 Gas Pipeline Steel
Z.H. Hanafia, N. Jamaludinb, S. Abdullahc, M.F.M Yusofd and M.S.M Zaine
Department of Mechanics & Materials Engineering,
Faculty of Engineering and Build Environment, National University of Malaysia,
43600 UKM, Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia.
zuraidi@mohr.gov.mya, nordin@eng.ukm.myb, shahrum@eng.ukm.myc, fadhlan@ump.edu.myd,
naimkn@gmail.come
doi.10.5729/ame.vol2.issue3.65
Keywords: Acoustic emission, Corrosion fatigue, Fatigue, API 5L X70.

Abstract. Acoustic emission is a very important test among non-destructive tests, and it has been
applied for the detection of failures in various types of equipment in the petroleum industry, such as
pressure vessels, tanks and pipelines. In this study, the effect of pre-existing uniform corrosion on the
corrosion fatigue specimen and smooth specimen on fatigue behaviour of API 5L X70 steel pipeline
in long life range was investigated by using acoustic emission in fatigue test. The presence of
pre-existing uniform corrosion specimen, produces by 4 month immersion in sulphuric acid, H2SO4
(concentration 0.2 ml H2SO4 in 5000 ml deionized water ). Fully reverse (R = -1) constant amplitude
fatigue test were done in corrosion fatigue and smooth specimen in different stress amplitudes. It was
found that, effect of pre-existing uniform corrosion significantly reduced the fatigue life of the steel
pipeline. The correlations of accumulative AE counts for corrosion fatigue higher than fatigue test
because of the mechanisms of possible AE sources due to corrosion.
1. Introduction
Acoustic Emission (AE) is the phenomena where transient elastic waves are generated by rapid
release of energy from localized source within a material [1,2]. There are several studies, which
demonstrate the potential usefulness of AE as a technique to detect initiation and growth of cracks
induced by stress corrosion cracking (SCC), corrosion fatigue or hydrogen embrittlement. AE can be
reliable AE measurements and continuous monitoring under cyclic loading at various stress ratios,
including fully reversed cycling [3].
Fatigue is defined as the tendency of a metal of fracture under repeated cyclic stressing [4]. In
general, the fatigue life of plain specimen is controlled mainly by the initiation and propagation lives
of a small surface crack and there is large scatter in fatigue data. However corrosion fatigue is a term
used to describe the phenomenon of cracking (including both initiation and growth) in materials
under the combined actions of a fluctuating stress and a corrosive environment [5]. Corrosion fatigue
cracks start to grow from these corrosion pits and cause the final failure of the specimen [6].
The European Gas pipeline Incidence data Group (EGIG) has maintained and expanded the
European Gas pipeline incident database, which related to steel pipeline with design pressure > 15
bar, excluding associated equipment (e.g. valve, compressors). The major cause of incidents remains
external interference (50% of all incidents), followed by construction defects or material failure
(17%) and corrosion (15%) [7].

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The main objective is to study of AE behaviour during corrosion fatigue and fatigue of API 5L
X70 steel which was widely used as oil and gas pipe material. The comparison will made between
corrosion fatigue and fatigue in S-N curve.
2. Experimental procedures
2.1 Material
The specimens of steel pipeline API 5L X70 which were manufactured by the Japan Nippon was used
according to the API 5L. The specimens were machined from real pipeline with diameter 914 mm and
wall thickness 12 mm. The chemical compositions and mechanical properties of specimens are listed
in Table 1 and Table 2 were taken at the end of pipe portion in longitudinal direction.
Table 1. The chemical composition of API 5L X70 steel (all in wt.%)
C

Si

Mn

Cr

Mo

Ni

Ti

Cu

Fe

0.142

0.400

1.576

0.025

0.6

0.017

0.0187

0.003

0.007

0.0475

0.0142

Bal.

Table 2. Mechanical properties of API 5L X70 steel

Youngs modulus,
E (Gpa)

Ultimate tensile strength,

U (Mpa)

Yield strength / 0.2%

proof Stress, Y (Mpa)

Percentage elongation at
(%)
fracture,

207

643.97

567.38

37.65

Tested data presented in this table are the averaged value of duplicated tests.
3. Fatigue specimen
The fatigue specimens of a plate type with a gauge length of 16 mm were prepared and tested
according to the ASTM Specification E 466-07 [8]. Fig.1 shows the dimensions of the specimen.
Before testing, fifteen specimens have been well polished as per the recommendations of ASTM
E466. Seven specimens were used for fatigue, while eight specimens were used for corrosion fatigue.
Fig. 2(a) shows the fatigue specimen.

Figure 1. Dimension of a fatigue specimen

(a)

(b)

Figure 2. (a) fatigue specimen, (b) corrosion fatigue specimen

4. Corrosion fatigue specimen

Before preparing corroded fatigue test specimen, corrosion rate of API 5L X70 steel in sulphuric acid
(H2SO4) were measured. The system for the electrochemistry measurement consisted of a potentiostat
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(WonATech). Experiments were carried out in sulphuric acid with concentration of 0.2 ml in 5000
ml deionized water. Commercial instruments have an inbuilt Stern-Geary factor that allows readings
to be made directly result is 0.835 mm/year. The results indicate that the presence of pre-existing
uniform corrosion takes 4 month by immersion in sulphuric acid. The Electrochemical reactions were
performed on uniform corrosion tests, as shown in Fig. 3.
The corrosion of pipeline steel in an acid environment proceeds according to the overall reaction:
M + 2H+ M2+ + H2. This reaction involves ion transfer between the anode and cathode.
Electrochemical reactions in steel consist of oxidation and reduction. The oxidation occurs at the
anode: M M2+ + 2e- ; the reduction at the cathode: 2H+ + 2e- H2. Bubbles of hydrogen are formed
as a corrosion product.

Figure 3. Electrochemical reactions occurring during corrosion of Metal in H2SO4

The samples after removing from the respective corrosive environment were cleaned, dried and in
some cases corroded flakes were removed in order to enhance the detection quality of the AE during
tests. Fig. 2(b) shows the corrosion fatigue specimen.
5. Acoustic emission and fatigue testing procedure
Fatigue tests were performed with a 25 kN INSTRON 8874 close-loop servohydraulic machine under
load control with a sinusoidal wave form; stress ratios, R= (
was set at -1 and frequency
of 2 Hz at room temperature. During fatigue test, acoustic emission signal were collected using wide
band piezoelectric sensor with frequency range from 10 kHz to 1 MHz and sampling rate of 5 MHz.
Before commencing the fatigue test, wide band piezoelectric sensor was mounted on the surface of
specimen using vacuum grease and calibrated by pencil lead break testing (ASTM E976-05) and
shows the experimental setup in Fig. 4. Threshold level of 47.5 dB was selected after load applied to
dummy specimen in pre-testing. Signals was amplified by preamplifier with 34 dB gain and analyzed
by AMSY-5 from Vallen System.
Sensor
Pre Amplifier
Corrosion Fatigue /
Fatigue Specimen

AE Vallen Analyzer
Figure 4. The experimental setups of corrosion fatigue and fatigue test with AE Vallen system

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6. Result and discussion

Correlation between load and number of cycle is shown in Fig. 5, respectively. In the comparison
between corrosion fatigue and fatigue test, it shown that the curve line of corrosion fatigue is lover
than the curve line of fatigue in S-N curve. From the literature, it is clear that number of cycle of
corrosion fatigue less than fatigue at the same load because of thinning or metal loss to decreases of
cross section area.

Fatigue
Corrosion Fatigue

Figure 5. The S-N Curve

Fig. 6 shows the relationship between accumulative AE counts and number of cycle. In the
comparison between corrosion fatigue and fatigue test, it shown that the line of corrosion fatigue is
upper than the line of fatigue. Analysis of accumulative AE counts had been used to determine the
most direct reflection of microstructural variation in material [5]. In this result, it shows that the
accumulative AE counts for corrosion fatigue higher than fatigue test at the same point of load cycle
in fatigue test. It is because of the mechanisms of possible AE sources due to corrosion in material
such as dissolution of metal, H2 gas evolution, break down of oxide films in surface, deformation such
as slip and twinning in the vicinity of a crack and transformation oxidation in metal [9].
Fatigue
Corrosion Fatigue

Figure 6. No. of cycle vs. accumulative AE counts

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The patterns of the correlations of accumulative AE counts detected from corrosion were utilized
to distinguish and describe the corrosion mechanism. From the results of the corrosion fatigue and
fatigue test, the accumulative AE counts are possible proportional the number of cycle.
7. Conclusion
AE behaviour during corrosion fatigue (pre-existing uniform corrosion) and fatigue of API 5L X70
pipeline steel had been discussed. In the comparison between corrosion fatigue and fatigue test, it
shown that the curve of corrosion fatigue lesses than fatigue in S-N curve. It is clear that number of
cycle of corrosion fatigue less than fatigue because of metal loss by corrosion process to decreases of
cross section area. The accumulative AE counts for corrosion fatigue higher than fatigue test at the
same point of load in fatigue test because of the mechanisms of possible AE sources due to corrosion
such as dissolution of metal, break down of oxide films in surface, deformation (slip and twinning)
and transformation oxidation in metal. From the results of the corrosion fatigue and fatigue test, the
accumulative AE counts are possible proportional the number of cycle.
8. Acknowledgement
The authors would like to give an attributes to Petronas Gas Berhad (PGB), Maintenance and
Corrosion Section in Segamat, Malaysia for contribute time and ideas, sharing the knowledge and
preparing the specimens for our research.
References
[1] Vallen, H., Acoustic emission testing: fundamentals, equipment, application, Castell Publication
Inc. 2006.
[2] P. Kalyanasundaram, C. K. Mudhophadyay, and S. V. Subra Rao , Practical acoustic emission,
first ed, Alpha Science International Ltd., United Kingdom 2007.
[3] A. Berkovits and D. Fang, Engineering fracture mechanics, vol. 51:3, pp. 401-406, 1995.
[4] Mars G. Fontana, Corrosion engineering, third edition, McGraw-Hill 1986.
[5] Wei, R. P. and Shim, G., Fracture mechanics and corrosion fatigue, Corrosion Fatigue:mechanics,
Metallurgy, Electrochemistry, and Engineering, ASTM STP 801, edited by T.W. Crooker and
B.N.leis, American Society for Testing and Material, 1983.
[6] H.Hu, Physics letters A. 261, p. 217-225, 1999.
[7] J. Capelle, J. Gilgert, I. Dmytrakh, and G. pluvinage, vol. 33, pp.7630-7641, 2008.
[8] ASTM Standard E466, American society for testing and materials: annual book of standards, vol.
03.01, pp. 543-547, 1992.
[9] V. Baranov, E. Kudryavtsev, G. Sarychev, and V. Shcavelin, Acoustic emission in friction, first
ed, Elsevier, United Kingdom, 2007.

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