Grade 23 and/or 29 titanium alloy pipe and forgings are typically butt-welded together in the fabrication of offshore riser components such as tapered stress joints (TSJs) for top-tensioned risers and as hang-offs for dynamic catenary risers. Although Grade 29 titanium base metal in a relevant wrought/forged product form has already been evaluated in regards to sustained-load cracking (SLC) resistance, minimal data is available to ensure that the SLC resistance of typical GTA butt-welded joints in these thicker-wall titanium alloy components will also meet design requirements. As part of a TSJ production weld qualification, conservative fracture-mechanics based SLC tests were conducted at room temperature on lG-position machine GTA butt-welded Grade 23 titanium pipe utilizing Grade 29 titanium filler metal. Test results revealed no significant SLC susceptibility in the weld and a minor effect in HAZ metal, producing K_(SLC) values similar to K_Q values. These values safely meet typical TSJ fracture mechanics requirements, and are consistent with published SLC information on this alloy system.
展开▼
