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ML00119 - Feb.2018donated by: Arthur Henrique Luqui

Thermal Fatigue of a Marine Boiler

Micrographic detail of the edge of the tube exposed to the combustion gases. The crack is filled with oxides and the tube microstructure shows degradation, the pearlite is losing its lamelar morphology and cementite is precipitating at ferritic grain boundaries.

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Micrographic detail of the edge of the exposed to the combustion gases. The is filled with oxides and the shows degradation, the is losing its lamelar morphology and is precipitating at grain boundaries.
M

Material

Low Carbon Steel
  • EN 10028-2 grade P295GH
  • EN 10216-2 grade P265GH
Ds

Description

After 8 years in service with intermittent operation, the auxiliary of a had presented water at the welded position between the smoke (water cooled from outside) and the combustion chamber (tubesheet). The metallurgical analysis revealed the presence of multiple formed at regions of different expansion due to different shapes, during heating and cooling cycles.

C

Chemistry (% in weight)

Tube

0.13C; 0.19Si; 0.49Mn; 0.006P; 0.013S; 0.04Cr; 0.06Ni; 0.02Mo; 0.14Cu.

Plate

0.22C; 0.32Si; 1.08Mn; 0.006P; 0.012S; 0.03Cr; 0.05Ni; 0.01Mo; 0.02Cu.

Weld Metal

0.09C; 0.37Si; 0.91Mn; 0.006P; 0.015S; 0.03Cr; 0.22Ni; 0.03Mo; 0.03Cu.

Associated Images
Multiple thermal fatigue cracks at the welded joint between the smoke tube (vertical, internal diameter 248mm) and the tubesheet (horizontal, plate of 22 mm thickness). This is a view from the combustion chamber. The dye check tests revealed several parallel cracks.
1249
VIEW
ML00119 / Feb.2018
Thermal Fatigue of a Marine Boiler
M - Low Carbon SteelP - Fabrication WeldAp - ShipCd - Thermal Fatigue
Cm - Aspect by NDTDf - Thermal Fatigue Cracks
Macrography of the plate (thickness 22mm, in horizontal position) to tube (thickness 12.5 mm, in vertical position) welded joint. The half V groove was welded from the top (position inside the combustion chamber) in five weld beads, and with a small fillet welded from the water side (ouside of the tube). Average hardness of the plate is 180HV1 (1kg), of the tube is 150HV1 and of the weld is 190HV1. Maximum hardness of the tube HAZ is 165HV1 and plate HAZ is 195HV1.
219
VIEW
ML00119 / Feb.2018
Thermal Fatigue of a Marine Boiler
M - Low Carbon SteelP - Fabrication WeldAp - ShipCd - Thermal Fatigue
Cm - NItal Etched MacroDf - Welded Joint
Micrography of the plate in a longitudinal section, presenting a typical ferritic pearlitic structure, banded. The plate is 22 mm thick.
182
VIEW
ML00119 / Feb.2018
Thermal Fatigue of a Marine Boiler
M - Low Carbon SteelP - Fabrication WeldAp - ShipCd - Thermal Fatigue
Cm - Nital Etched Micrography by OMDf - Banded Structure
Micrography of the plate in a longitudinal section, presenting a typical ferritic pearlitic structure, banded.
165
VIEW
ML00119 / Feb.2018
Thermal Fatigue of a Marine Boiler
M - Low Carbon SteelP - Fabrication WeldAp - ShipCd - Thermal Fatigue
Cm - Nital Etched Micrography by OMDf - Ferrite and Pearlite
Micrographic detail of the ferritic pearlitic structure of the plate in the longitudinal section.
147
VIEW
ML00119 / Feb.2018
Thermal Fatigue of a Marine Boiler
M - Low Carbon SteelP - Fabrication WeldAp - ShipCd - Thermal Fatigue
Cm - Nital Etched Micrography by OMDf - Ferrite and Pearlite
Micrography of the weld metal in the center os the weld. Columnar grains (of the previous austenite) with primary ferrite in the grain boundaries; ferrite with aligned second phases and acicular ferrite, intragranular.
137
VIEW
ML00119 / Feb.2018
Thermal Fatigue of a Marine Boiler
M - Low Carbon SteelP - Fabrication WeldAp - ShipCd - Thermal Fatigue
Cm - Nital Etched Micrography by OMDf - Weld Metal
Micrography of the weld metal in the center os the weld. Columnar grains (of the previous austenite) with primary ferrite in the grain boundaries and acicular ferrite intragranular.
125
VIEW
ML00119 / Feb.2018
Thermal Fatigue of a Marine Boiler
M - Low Carbon SteelP - Fabrication WeldAp - ShipCd - Thermal Fatigue
Cm - Nital Etched Micrography by OMDf - Ferritic Weld Metal
Micrographic detail of the weld metal in the center os the weld. Columnar grains (of the previous austenite) with primary ferrite in the grain boundaries; and details of the ferrite with aligned second phases and acicular ferrite, intragranular.
112
VIEW
ML00119 / Feb.2018
Thermal Fatigue of a Marine Boiler
M - Low Carbon SteelP - Fabrication WeldAp - ShipCd - Thermal Fatigue
Cm - Nital Etched Micrography by OMDf - Ferritic Weld Metal
Low magnification micrography of the tube HAZ, at the fusion line. The weld metal is in the right side of the figure and the tube weld metal is in the left side of the figure.
112
VIEW
ML00119 / Feb.2018
Thermal Fatigue of a Marine Boiler
M - Low Carbon SteelP - Fabrication WeldAp - ShipCd - Thermal Fatigue
Cm - Nital Etched Micrography by OMDf - Heat Affected Zone
Micrography of the tube HAZ in a region of (austenitic) grain coarse, presenting a bainitic structure.
105
VIEW
ML00119 / Feb.2018
Thermal Fatigue of a Marine Boiler
M - Low Carbon SteelP - Fabrication WeldAp - ShipCd - Thermal Fatigue
Cm - Nital Etched Micrography by OMDf - Bainitic HAZ
Micrographic detail of the (previous austenitic) grain coarse HAZ of the tube, showing a bainitic structure.
95
VIEW
ML00119 / Feb.2018
Thermal Fatigue of a Marine Boiler
M - Low Carbon SteelP - Fabrication WeldAp - ShipCd - Thermal Fatigue
Cm - Nital Etched Micrography by OMDf - Bainitic HAZ
Micrography of the tube in a longitudinal section, presenting a typical ferritic pearlitic structure, banded. The tube presents a internal diamater 248 mm and thickness 12.5 mm.
92
VIEW
ML00119 / Feb.2018
Thermal Fatigue of a Marine Boiler
M - Low Carbon SteelP - Fabrication WeldAp - ShipCd - Thermal Fatigue
Cm - Nital Etched Micrography by OMDf - Banded Structure
Micrography of the tube in a longitudinal section, presenting a typical ferritic pearlitic structure, banded.
80
VIEW
ML00119 / Feb.2018
Thermal Fatigue of a Marine Boiler
M - Low Carbon SteelP - Fabrication WeldAp - ShipCd - Thermal Fatigue
Cm - Nital Etched Micrography by OMDf - Ferrite and Pearlite
Micrographic detail of the ferritic pearlitic structure of the tube in the longitudinal section.
86
VIEW
ML00119 / Feb.2018
Thermal Fatigue of a Marine Boiler
M - Low Carbon SteelP - Fabrication WeldAp - ShipCd - Thermal Fatigue
Cm - Nital Etched Micrography by OMDf - Ferrite and Pearlite
Micrography of the section transverse to the weld, presenting one crack at the edge of the tube. This is not the best direction of analysis because the cracks are parallel to the analyzed section. It is possible to see the crack from the surface, large and filled with oxides.
78
VIEW
ML00119 / Feb.2018
Thermal Fatigue of a Marine Boiler
M - Low Carbon SteelP - Fabrication WeldAp - ShipCd - Thermal Fatigue
Cm - Nital Etched Micrography by OMDf - Cracks
Micrographic detail of the crack at the edge of the tube. This is not the best direction of analysis because the cracks are parallel to the analyzed section. It is possible to see the crack from the surface, large and filled with oxides.
75
VIEW
ML00119 / Feb.2018
Thermal Fatigue of a Marine Boiler
M - Low Carbon SteelP - Fabrication WeldAp - ShipCd - Thermal Fatigue
Cm - Nital Etched Micrography by OMDf - Transgranular Cracking
Micrographic detail of the edge of the tube exposed to the combustion gases. The crack is filled with oxides and the tube microstructure shows degradation, the pearlite is losing its lamelar morphology and cementite is precipitating at ferritic grain boundaries.
72
VIEW
ML00119 / Feb.2018
Thermal Fatigue of a Marine Boiler
M - Low Carbon SteelP - Fabrication WeldAp - ShipCd - Thermal Fatigue
Cm - Nital Etched Micrography by OMDf - Coalesced structure
The macrography of the surface exposed to the combustion chamber presents multiple cracks, perpendicular to the internal diamater of the tube (left side of the figure). The cracks are located in the tube and propagated into the tube wall and welded joint to the plate (right side of the figure).
79
VIEW
ML00119 / Feb.2018
Thermal Fatigue of a Marine Boiler
M - Low Carbon SteelP - Fabrication WeldAp - ShipCd - Thermal Fatigue
Cm - Surface AspectDf - At the Surface
Higher magnification macrography (in a stereoscope) of the surface exposed to the combustion chamber, presenting multiple cracks perpendicular to the internal diamater of the tube (left side of the figure). The cracks are located in the tube and propagated into the tube wall and welded joint.
75
VIEW
ML00119 / Feb.2018
Thermal Fatigue of a Marine Boiler
M - Low Carbon SteelP - Fabrication WeldAp - ShipCd - Thermal Fatigue
Cm - Surface AspectDf - Thermal Fatigue Cracks
Micrography of the cracking surface, presenting multiple cracks from the edge of the tube, typical of fatigue induced by stresses generated by differential expansion of the pipe in relation to the tubesheet, due to thermal cycles.
71
VIEW
ML00119 / Feb.2018
Thermal Fatigue of a Marine Boiler
M - Low Carbon SteelP - Fabrication WeldAp - ShipCd - Thermal Fatigue
Cm - Nital Etched Micrography by OMDf - Multiple cracks
Micrography of the cracking surface, presenting multiple cracks from the edge of the tube, typical of fatigue induced by stresses generated by differential expansion of the pipe in relation to the tubesheet, due to thermal cycles.
60
VIEW
ML00119 / Feb.2018
Thermal Fatigue of a Marine Boiler
M - Low Carbon SteelP - Fabrication WeldAp - ShipCd - Thermal Fatigue
Cm - Nital Etched Micrography by OMDf - Thermal Fatigue Cracks
Micrographic detail of the edge of the tube exposed to the combustion gases. The crack is filled with oxides and the tube microstructure shows degradation, the pearlite is losing its lamelar morphology and cementite is precipitating at ferritic grain boundaries.
64
VIEW
ML00119 / Feb.2018
Thermal Fatigue of a Marine Boiler
M - Low Carbon SteelP - Fabrication WeldAp - ShipCd - Thermal Fatigue
Cm - Nital Etched Micrography by OMDf - Coalesced structure