PRCI NDE-4C Material Verification

Basic steps:

  • Locate and document 2 quadrats of pipe 90 degrees opposed

  • Measure WT and circumference

  • Sand 0.004”-0.010” (Min 320 Grit)

  • Take chemical and carbon readings

  • Take hardness readings

  • Continue the polish to a mirror finish

  • Etch the surface

  • Gather microstructure pictures with microscope

  • Analyze Microstructure with software (Perciv)

  • Input all results into checkmate

  • Complete final report

Information gathered in-field during method:

  1. Metallurgical Characteristics
    • Grain Size
    • Pearlite Volume Fraction
    • Inclusion Volume Fraction – Correlation to Toughness

  2. Chemical Analysis
    • Carbon %
    • Silicon, Sulfur, Manganese, Phosphorous, Silicon, Aluminum, Chromium, Molybdenum, Copper

  3. Hardness, Strength and Toughness Values

  4. Pipe Geometry
    • The smaller the pipe, the more erratic the transverse charpy test results
    • Seam welded pipe-often rolled and hydrostatically expanded to achieve final dimensions (work hardening)

Advantages:

  • Performed well in PRCI round robin study against other methods

  • Lower equipment costs

  • More trained technicians

  • Can perform anomaly investigation and material verification at the same time

  • Can confirm material grade of in-service pre-1980’s pipe

FRONTICS Material Verification

  • Tensile properties software based on the theory of IIT (Instrumented Indentation Technique) - evaluation items: yield strength, tensile strength, work-hardening exponent, elastic modules

  • Possible to measure and analyze in real time by using a laptop

  • Possible to load All-in-one software (Fracture Toughness Test, Hardware Test software)

  • Possible to perform all things such as testing, analyzing, collecting DB and making a report with one software

  • Batch analyzing function for multiple data sets

  • Instantaneous results

  • Can analyze pipe grade of in-service pipe of all vintages

  • In-situ metallography is not required