Fracture properties evaluation of carbon steel piping for main steam line Original Research Article

The objective of this paper is to evaluate the material properties of SA106 Gr.C carbon steel pipes and their associated welds manufactured for main steam line of Yonggwang nuclear generating station units 3 and 4. Tensile and fracture toughness tests were performed on specimens taken from actual pipes and the effect of various parameters such as the pipe size, the specimen orientation, the test temperature and the welding procedure on the material properties are discussed. Fracture toughness test results show significant crack plane orientation and test temperature dependence. An empirical equation correlating tensile and fracture toughness data is also proposed.