Search Results for cryogenic pressure vessel

This article illustrates the role that fracture mechanics can play in failure analysis. It describes the important failure criteria as relations between design and materials factors, which are used to correlate fracture mechanics analysis to the observations of a failure analysis. Descriptions include an indication of how the factors are typically evaluated. The article also provides information on subcritical fracture mechanics. Finally, a group of failure analysis examples explain how fracture mechanics parameters can be determined and how they may be fitted into an overall failure investigation.

Cold treating of steel can be used to enhance the transformation of austenite to martensite and improve the stress relief of castings and machined parts. Cryogenic treatment of steel is a distinct process that uses extreme cold to modify the performance of materials. This article explains the practices employed and equipment used in the cold treatment of steel. It also presents the results of using cryogenic treatment to enhance steel properties.

Curing is the irreversible change in the physical properties of a thermosetting resin brought about by a chemical reaction, condensation, ring closure, or addition. This article discusses the material types and functions of various components considered in the preparation for curing. It presents a discussion on the major elements of an autoclave system, namely, pressure vessel, gas stream heating and circulation sources, gas stream pressurizing systems, loading systems, and vacuum systems. The article describes a computerized approach to the simultaneous control of materials reaction behavior and consolidation dynamics, using an autoclave as the reaction vessel.

This article provides a detailed discussion on the types of furnace atmospheres required for heat treating. These include generated exothermic-based atmospheres, generated endothermic-based atmospheres, generated exothermic-endothermic-based atmospheres, generated dissociated-ammonia-based atmospheres, industrial gas nitrogen-base atmospheres, argon atmospheres, and hydrogen atmospheres. Atmospheres for backfilling, partial pressure operation, and quenching in vacuum are also discussed. Furnace atmospheres constitute four major groups of safety hazards in heat treating: fire, explosion, toxicity, and asphyxiation. The article reviews the fundamentals of principal gases and vapors. It describes how the evaluation of the atmospheric requirements of heat treating furnaces is influenced by factors such as cost of operation and capital investment.

This article aims to summarize the work on cryogenic strength and toughness and to present the fractography of aluminum alloys. It presents case studies on the importance of understanding the fractography of aluminum alloys and the role of microstructure in the appearance of fractographic features, with variables comprised of in-plane/through-thickness anisotropy, test temperature, heat treatment condition, and the effect of welding.

Alloy 5083 is a moderate-strength weldable alloy differentiated from alloy 5086 by the higher nominal magnesium and manganese contents. This datasheet provides information on composition limits, product specifications, fabrication characteristics, processing effects on physical and mechanical properties, and applications of this 5xxx series alloy.

Hot isostatic pressing (HIP) is used to eliminate porosity in castings. This article provides a history and an overview of the HIP system. It illustrates the reasons for using HIP and discusses the criteria for selecting HIP process parameters. The main mechanisms by which pores are eliminated during HIP are reviewed. The article describes the effect of HIP on the mechanical properties, shape, and structure of castings as well as the effect of inclusions on as-HIPed properties. It examines the problems encountered in HIP and their solution. The article concludes with information on the economics of HIP processing.

This article discusses pressure vessels, piping, and associated pressure-boundary items of the types used in nuclear and conventional power plants, refineries, and chemical-processing plants. It begins by explaining the necessity of conducting a failure analysis, followed by the objectives of a failure analysis. Then, the article discusses the processes involved in failure analysis, including codes and standards. Next, fabrication flaws that can develop into failures of in-service pressure vessels and piping are covered. This is followed by sections discussing in-service mechanical and metallurgical failures, environment-assisted cracking failures, and other damage mechanisms that induce cracking failures. Finally, the article provides information on inspection practices.

This article describes the fracture toughness behavior of austenitic stainless steels and their welds at ambient, elevated, and cryogenic temperatures. Minimum expected toughness values are provided for use in fracture mechanics evaluations. The article explains the effect of crack orientation, strain rate, thermal aging, and neutron irradiation on base metal and weld toughness. It discusses the effect of cold-work-induced strengthening on fracture toughness. The article examines the fracture toughness behavior of aged base metal and welding-induced heat-affected zones. It concludes with a discussion on the Charpy energy correlations for aged stainless steels.

The production and use of steel plate is aided by a system of standard designations and associated specifications defining composition, property, and performance ranges. This article contains an extensive amount of information on the designations and grades of plate products and how they are made. Although most steel plate is used in the hot-finished condition, some applications require one or more heat treating steps to mitigate imperfections and/or improve relevant qualities. The article discusses these interconnected factors as well as their impact on mechanical properties and critical fabrication issues, including formability, machinability, and weldability.

Autoclave molding is a process used to impart a controlled heat and pressure cycle cure to a layup. This article describes the materials used for preparing a layup, including peel ply, separator, bleeder, barrier, breather, dam, and vacuum bag. It describes the major elements and functions of an autoclave system, including pressure vessel, gas stream heating and circulation sources, gas stream pressurizing systems, vacuum systems, control systems, and loading systems. The article includes information about modified autoclaves for specialized applications and safety practices in autoclave molding. It also describes the tooling configuration and type of tooling which includes aluminum and steel tooling, electroformed nickel tooling, graphite-epoxy tooling, and elastomeric tooling.

This article discusses the materials of construction found in pharmaceutical production facilities. The materials discussed are different stainless steels, nickel and nickel-base alloys, titanium, zirconium, impervious graphite, fluoropolymers, and glass-lined steel. The article describes the three primary causes of failure in the manufacture of pharmaceuticals: embedded iron, failures of glass linings, and corrosion under thermal insulation.

The selection of materials for welded construction applications involves a number of considerations, including design codes and specifications. Mobile structures have quite different materials requirements for weight, durability, and safety than stationary structures, which are built to last for many years. This article provides an overview of the service conditions. It offers guidance for material selection applications, including bridges and buildings, pressure vessels and piping, shipbuilding and offshore structures, aerospace systems, machinery and equipment, automobiles, railroad systems, and sheet metal. Material properties and welding processes that may be significant in meeting design goals are also described.

Alloy 5254 is a higher-purity Al-Mg-Cr alloy used in heat exchangers, steam-jacketed kettles, and pumps. This datasheet provides information on key alloy metallurgy, processing effects on physical and mechanical properties, and fabrication characteristics of this 5xxx series alloy.

Titanium and its alloys are used in various applications owing to its high strength, stiffness, good toughness, low density, and good corrosion resistance. This article discusses the applications of titanium and titanium alloys in gas turbine engine components, aerospace pressure vessels, optic-system support structures, prosthetic devices, and applications requiring corrosion resistance and high strength. It explains the effects of alloying elements in titanium alloys as they play an important role in controlling the microstructure and properties and describes the secondary phases and martensitic transformations formed in titanium alloy systems. Information on commercial and semicommercial grades and alloys of titanium is tabulated. The article also discusses the different grades of titanium alloys such as alpha, near-alpha alloys, alpha-beta alloys, beta alloys, and advanced titanium alloys (titanium-matrix composites and titanium aluminides).

This datasheet provides information on composition limits, fabrication characteristics, processing effects on physical and mechanical properties, and applications of aluminum alloy 7039.

Niobium-titanium alloys (NbTi) became the superconductors of choice in the early 1960s, providing a viable alternative to the A-15 compounds and less ductile alloys of niobium-zirconium. This can be attributed to the relative ease of fabrication, better electrical properties, and greater compatibility with copper stabilizing materials. This article discusses the ramifications of design requirements, selection criteria and processing methods of superconducting fibers and matrix materials. It provides information on the various steps involved in the fabrication of superconducting composites, including assembly, welding, isostatic compaction, extrusion, wire drawing, twisting, and final sizing. The article also provides a detailed account of the properties and applications of NbTi superconducting composites.

Low-pressure carburizing (LPC) is one of the most popular case-hardening processes and is applied to increase the fatigue limit of dynamically loaded components. It takes place in a pressure range between 5 and 15 mbar (4 and 11 torr) and at temperature range between 870 and 1050 deg C. The LPC process runs in two different types of equipment: single-chamber furnaces and treatment chambers. This article reviews the use of simulation software for prediction of carbon profiles and typical quality control procedures. It describes the physical principles and typical applications of LPC.

Safety is an important consideration in all welding, cutting, and related work. This article discusses the basic elements of safety general to all welding, cutting, and related processes. It includes safety procedures common to a variety of applications. The most important component of an effective safety and health program is management support and direction. The article reviews the role of management, training, housekeeping, and public demonstrations in welding safety to minimize personal injury and property damage. It provides information on the safety measures for eye and face protection in various welding and cutting operations. Injuries and fatalities from electric shock in welding and cutting operations can occur if proper precautionary measures are not followed. The article discusses the electrical safety aspects to be considered for various welding and cutting operations.

This article presents the primary considerations and mechanisms for corrosion and explains how they are involved in the selection of materials for process equipment in refineries and petrochemical plants. It discusses the material selection criteria for a number of ferrous and nonferrous alloys used in petroleum refining and petrochemical applications. The article reviews the mechanical properties, fabricability, and corrosion resistance of refinery steels. It describes low- and high-temperature corrosion, hydrogen embrittlement, and cracking such as stress-corrosion, sulfide stress, and stress-oriented hydrogen-induced cracking. The article considers hydrogen attack, corrosion fatigue, and liquid metal embrittlement and the methods of combating them. It explains the causes of velocity-accelerated corrosion and erosion-corrosion. The article summarizes some corrective measures that can be implemented to control corrosion. The applicable standards for materials used in corrosive service conditions in upstream and downstream petroleum service are presented in a tabular form.