Effect of temperature on the charpy impact and CTOD values of type 304 stainless steel pipeline for LNG transmission

Stainless steel pipe of type 304 the with a wall thickness of 26.9 mm and the outer diameter 406.4 mm is welded by manual arc welding process. Mechanical properties and fracture toughness of type 304 stainless steel are investigated in the temperature ranging from room temperature to -162degreesC. The results obtained are summarized as follows. The tensile strength noticeably increases as the temperature becomes lower while the yield strength is relatively insensitive to temperature. The Charpy impact energy and CTOD values become higher in the case that crack propagation direction is aligned to the transverse axis upon the rolling direction than longitudinal direction. The drop of fracture toughness is associated with the noticeable diminution of plastic component as temperature seduces from room temperature to -162degreesC.