Strength and Bauschinger Effect in TMCP Line Pipe Steels

I.Yu. Pyshmintsev1, D.A. Pumpyanskyi2, L.G. Marchenko2, V.I. Stolyarov2

(1. Russian Research Institute for the Tube and Pipe Industries, Russia; 2. TMK, Russia)
Abstract: Loss of strength in TMCP microalloyed low carbon linepipe steels with ferrite-pearlite microstructure due to Bauschinger
effect (up to 70-80MPa of yield stress reduction) has been studied. Mechanical behavior of the steels has been investigated using
tests of full-section flattened specimens taken from both 15,7 or 18,7mm plates and 1420mm spiral welded pipe with specified
minimum yield stress of 461 MPa. The dependence of the microstructure and yielding behavior on position in wall section has been
studied using sub-size 3 mm thickness specimens machined from sub-surface and central parts. Change of tensile curves of surface
and internal layers during forming, flattening and protective polymer coating have been studied using sub-size samples subjected to
three or four-point bending, flattening and annealing. The studies have revealed strong dependence of properties on test methods and
the difference in yielding can be decreased significantly by low temperature annealing.
Key words: TMCP high strength steel, Bauschinger effect, forming, testing, annealing, simulations

1 Introduction
Increase in yield stress enables increase in operating
pressure and, thus in gas pipeline capacity without
weight growth which initiates a developing high
strength steels. Past decades of the studies pointed out
significant differences in results of yield stress
measurements for these steels using transverse round
bar and flattened full-section specimens. The reasons
of the difference are usually associated with work
hardening, Bauschinger effect and residual stresses.
While an opinion adopted in the 70th concerning
deficiency of softening during pipe forming using new
high strength (API 70 and higher) steels with
considerable amount of bainite or martensite in the
structure now needs to be corrected[1-5]. Nowadays
discussion of issues of yield stress measurement for
pipe steels is of special interest. The purpose of this
article is to generalize the known data and
experimental results of the effect during forming and
tests of high strength spiral welded pipes.

2 Loss of Strength due to Forming

There are three known methods to determine strength
properties in hoop direction by tension of specimens:
flattened full-section, round bar and ring. There were
found significant differences in the results of
measuring the yield stress by these methods for high
strength steels[1,2,5].
Stress and strain gradients form in the wall section

during pipe forming. Flattening the specimen for a

tensile strength test introduces additional tensioncompression cycle into external and internal fibers of
metal. As a result the material layer-by-layer acquires
different properties. It is fundamental that the bending
provides a heterogeneous deformation in section that
determines the presence of high residual stresses.
Historically loss of linepipe strength had become a
problem during application of control rolled high
strength steels, in which about a half of the yield stress
increment due to grain refinement, substructure and
precipitations was lost during pipe making. Nowadays
it is well known[6] that the type and place of sampling
have a governing influence on results of yield stress
measurement. The wall thickness to diameter ratio t/D
and strain hardening rate during cold expansion
influence on the effect value and its sign. The general
tendency is the softening growth in new higher
strength steels that is stipulated by higher value of
residual stresses. Nevertheless the value of the effect
at equal strength is determined as well by the type of
microstructure (specific value of each of the
strengthening mechanisms resulted in strain hardening
behaviour). The published data prove[7] that the
thermal cycle of polymeric coating of pipes may lead
to significant or even full relief of softening in high
strength materials due to strain age-hardening and
other effects.
The problem of strengthening has a great practical

importance both relatively widely used low pearlitic

steels of X60-X70 type and advanced higher strength
materials. The research was aimed at peculiarities of
the effect relating to technology of manufacturing
1420 mm spiral welded pipes.

Experimental

Industrial low-carbon control rolled plate steels and

spiral welded 1420 mm diameter pipes of 15.7 and
18.7 mm wall thickness were used in this study. The
range of the chemical composition of used heats for
each wall thickness is specified in Table 1.
Table 1 Chemical composition of steels
t,
mm

Content of elements. wt %

C
Mn
SiNb
100 100
100 1000
15,7 5-6 150-157 26-29 49-60

V
Ti
Mo
N
1000 1000 1000 1000
71-72 3-9 186-226 7-8

18,7 6-9

69-73

155-156 19-23

50-52

8-16

220-220

6-9

S-0,0030,005%; P-0,0070,016%; Al 0,0280,041%

Flattened full-section specimens for tension tests were

machined from plates in transverse and longitudinal
directions. The specimens of the same type were cut
out of pipes along and across the axle that
corresponded the diagonal direction in the plates. The
simulation of pipe forming and testing on strength
properties were carried out by bending and flattening
full-section
specimens
up
to
deformation
corresponding to the pipe forming process.
The influence of the microstructure type and the level
of strength properties on the effect for different layers
of the plates were studied using flattened microspecimens with 3x10 mm cross section cut out of
pipes and original plates at different depth down from
the surface. The orientation of micro-specimens was
similar to full-section specimens. The simulation of
the forming - testing cycle was carried out using a
three-point or four-point bend of the specimens.
The strain of external fibers of micro-specimens
during three-point bend varied in the value of the
residual deflection from 0.5 to 2.2% and was
calculated by the formula:

6 ft
100%
l2
,

where f is residual deflection; t is specimen thickness;

l is distance between supports.
At four-point bend the radius R was calculated using
deflection and the strain was determined:

t
100%
2R
.

4 Results and Discussion

The research showed the occurrence of three
microstructure zones in wall thickness. The 100 mkm
thick surface layer has a very fine grain structure (3-5
mkm) of ferrite. Deeper on the depth up to 2-2.5 mm
microstructure with various grain ferrite 3 to 20 mkm
and some amount of pearlite was observed. The
biggest grains are elongated in the rolling direction.
Acicular and low-temperature products were not
observed in the structure. The medium size grain is
higher in the biggest central area of the plate and
grains are sized 8-30 mkm. Separate bands and
elongated islands of pearlite are observed here in
which elongated pearlite particles are separated by
needle like ferrite which is diagonally oriented
relatively rolling direction. Thus, plates have a natural
gradient of microstructure and properties that provides
as well for the difference in the stress-strain properties
and hardening response.
Figure 1 gives the results of yield stress measures as
well as the tensile strength in the plates 18.7 mm thick
and pipes using full-section transverse specimens. The
results of it were compared with the plate mill
certificate data. The difference of results of all the
three data groups is obvious. The dependence of
properties on the direction is more clearly observed in
pipes. The yield stress and tensile strength measured
at the longitudinal specimens from pipes are
noticeably higher than at the transverse ones that is
probably caused by the differences in the treatment.
Tensile curve analysis showed (Fig.2), that due to
anisotropy the yield stress measured on the transverse
specimens from plate are, as a rule, higher by 25-30
MPa than in longitudinal direction. The yield stress
for diagonal direction has an intermediate value what
corresponds to the known data[8]. Yielding plateau on
the curves for specimens from pipes was not observed
and yield stress measured for residual strain of 0.2% is

T.S.
600

660

L
D

640
620
600
580
560
540
560

600

640

680

Yield stress (in plate), MPa

560
600

/
transverce
/
longitudial
plate mill/ pipe mill

Y.S.

Yield stress (after bending), MPa

Stress ( for plate specimens) P

640

680
Yield stress (after bending), MPa

reduced by 40-70 MPa relatively to plates. The

softening effect is lower for the diagonal pipe
specimens.

520

480

480

520

560

600

640

Stress (for transverce pipe specimen), P

L
D

560

520

480

440
440

480

520

560

600

Yield stress (in plate), MPa

Fig.1. Stresses measured using 18.7 mm full-section

specimens

Fig.3 Yield stress in the plate and pipe at simulation of

forming and testing of full-section specimens from sheets 1
(a) 2(b) 15.7 mm thick.

Engineering stress, P

550

1
2
3

500

450

400

350

0,2%
300

Engineering strain

Fig.2 Typical tensile curves for full section flat specimens

of 18.7 mm thick plate (1,2) and pipe (3,4). 1-transverse, 2longitudinal, 3along the direction of sheet rolling (diagonal
in pipe); 4-transverse (in pipe).

The study of the yield stress change during treatment

simulation on the full-section flat specimens indicated
different behavior of 15.7 mm steel in sheets 1 and 2
(fig.3). Despite the far lower yield stress owning to
features of microstructure the sheet 2 softens more

intensely, resulting in substantial strength reduction by

60-90 MPa.
Figure 4 shows typical tensile curves at small strains
for micro-specimens cut off the pipes at different
depth from surface. Difference in deformational
behavior of these layers is evident. The surface layer
has the maximum yield strength at the presence of the
plateau at a stress of 600 MPa. The intermediate layer
has showed lower yield stress. Central area has the
lowest yield stress, and the yield plateau is minimal
though transition to plastic yield is clear. Microspecimens cut from the pipes (without bending)
indicates the behavior different from those observed
on transverse full-size specimens of pipes.
Tensile curves of micro-specimens cut from pipes and
sheets differ slightly. One can suppose that absence of
apparent softening during measuring on flat microspecimens can be caused by the absence of unbending
prior to testing, lower fiber strains and change of
residual stress during machining both in relation to
full section specimen and initial pipe.

1,5 mm from surface

Engineering stress, MPa

600
middle

500

400

300

Engineering strain, %

Fig.4 Tensile curves parts for micro-specimens, cut from

pipes in diagonal direction.

Table 2 The effect of deformation and annealing on

microspecimens yield stress, MPa

Pipe

Figure 5 shows the correlation of the strength

properties, measured with use of full-size specimens
and micro-specimens cut from various pipe layers and
18.7 mm plate. The simulation of the cycle formingtesting prior to testing was carried out using threepoint bending up to plastic yield of outer fibers 1-2%.
It is apparent that strength, measured with use of
micro-specimens cut from central and pre-surface
layers, is in good correspondence with properties
measured at full section. The use of micro-specimens

680

Plate

Specimen

Surface

allows to quite accurately simulate the cycle

forming-testing, as a result the effect of 20-25 MPa
is observed, that is close to practice.
It is to be noted that softening effect was observed
in pipes before coating. The simulation of thermal
cycle of polymer coating by annealing showed that as
a result coating the restoration of yield stress with
formation of the plateau can be found for all
microstructures. The increment of yield stress after
annealing can reach 40-60 MPa.
Tensile curves for various layers after bendingunbending cycle with strain of 1,5-2%, is similar to
full size specimens. After the cycle the yield peak
disappears and the yield stress decreases. From the
data in Table 2, one can be seen that the softening
depends on the yield stress and maximum was found
in the surface layers with highest yield stress.
The annealing corresponding to the thermal cycle of
coating considerably changes strain hardening
behaviour at small strains. As result the upper yield
stress and yield plateau can be found on the curves.

Plate

700

1
2
3
1
2
3

Y.S.
615
550
520
600
555
525

Upon bending unbending

before annealing
After annealing
200 , 10 min
Y.S.(0,2)
Y.S.
Y.S.Y.S.(0,2)
Y.S.Y.S.
565
50
600
15
531
19
555
-5
525
-5
550
0
521
79
590
10
495
60
554
1
500
25
525
0

Stress for sub-size specimen, MPa

660

620

600

580

Y.S.
560

1
plate before bending
plate after bending
pipe before bending

540
520
500
500

5 Conclusions

T.S.

640

2
3
520

540

560

580

600

620

640

Stress for full size specimen, MPa

Fig.5. Correlation of tension in the initial state and upon

forming simulation with the use of three point-bending of
micro-specimens, 1 surface, 2- pre-surface, 3 - central

One can consider that the traditional evaluation of

reliability of high grade steel pipes by yield stress
value, measured with the use of flat full section
transverse specimens is conditional. It is proved by
yield stress measurement with the use of microspecimens cut off various microstructural zones in the
pipe wall section which demonstrates no considerable
metal softening. It is experimentally showed that the
observed softening upon deformation cycle
bending-unbending is practically fully relieved after
even short annealing at 200, corresponding to the
cycle of polymer coating.
The strength measured with the use of relatively small
flat or round bar specimens to the greater extent

reflects the real pipe strength rater than flattened fullsize specimens. The use of flattened full-size
specimens for high strength steels can lead to reduced
measurement result, and as a consequence, to increase
of pipelines weight and cost. To a certain extent the
observed yield stress reduction, resulting in
decrease of its ration to tensile strength, can be
considered positive in terms of criteria based on
pipeline strain limit. However this effect shall be
considered mainly as a measurement result rather than
physical phenomenon.

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