A STUDY OF RESIDUAL-STRESSES IN MULTIPASS GIRTH-BUTT WELDED PIPES

Girth-butt welds in pipes have been widely employed in diverse applica tions, such as boiling water reactor piping systems, oil pipe transpor t systems and steam piping systems. Owing to localized heating by the welding process and subsequent rapid cooling, residual stresses can ar ise in the inner surfaces of the girth welded pipes. The association o f residual stresses with intergranular stress corrosion cracking poses significant problems in the accurate fabrication of pipes. In this wo rk we predict the residual stresses during multi-pass are welding in s teel pipes using finite element techniques. The effects of pipe diamet er and wall thickness on weld residual stresses are also discussed. (C ) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd.