Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, Vol. 44, Nos.

34, 2008

MATERIALS SCIENCE AND CORROSION PROTECTION

STRAIN AGEING AND CORROSION RESISTANCE
OF PIPE STEEL

A. E. Kuzmak,1 A. V. Kozheurov,1
L. A. Efimenko,2 V. Yu. Ilyukhin,2
and O. V. Konovalova2

An estimate is given of the effect of strain ageing on the corrosion resistance of pipe steel 17GS in a
corrosive operating medium. Metal structure and mechanical properties after strain ageing are considered
in two conditions, i.e., after controlled rolling and after normalizing. It is shown that aged steel after
controlled rolling exhibits greater corrosion resistance than normalized steel.

As is well known [1], the majority of pipe steels of grades for oil and gas are subject during operation to strain ageing, which is reflected, on the one hand, by an increase in strength properties, and, on the other hand, by a marked reduction
in steel resistance to failure (embrittlement). The main strain ageing mechanisms are known, whereas the connection of this
phenomenon with metal corrosion resistance has not been studied sufficiently.
The aim of this work is to evaluate the effect of strain ageing on corrosion resistance of pipe steel in an operating
medium.
Tests were performed on pipe steel 17GS (composition, %: 0.18 C, 0.41 Si, 1.2 Mn, 0.013 P, 0.016 S, 0.025 Cr,
0.080 Ni, 0.013 Cu). The steel was studied in two original conditions: after controlled rolling and after normalizing. Metal
ageing was carried out by strain in tension (10%) followed by tempering with T = 250C for 1 h and air cooling (GOST 7268).
Specimens of aged steel had a prismatic shape with a size of 12 12 60 mm with a working face in the form of
a microsection (11 12 mm) in contact with the corrosive medium.
Before the start of tests, the working face was degreased and subjected to acid etching in 5M HCl in order to remove surface damage after machining. The nonworking surface of specimens was coated with chemically resistant insulating material.
The corrosive agent used was 30% NaCl solution in distilled water with pH = 4.
Experiments were performed in two stages: corrosion tests; coulometric recording of the corrosion products. During
corrosion tests in a corrosive medium (volume V = 60 ml; stirring rate v = 2025 cm/sec), the working face of a specimen was
immersed and held successively for 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2, 3, and 4 h. A one-time specimen was used for each time point.
The corrosion products formed at the working face during tests were removed in a solution of specially remover with
pH = 3.8. In parallel, in order to determine background corrosion indices in the removal solution, a control aged specimen
was exposed to it for 1 h without mixing. The solutions obtained for the test medium and remover with aged specimen corrosion products were stored in 0.1M HCl, after which coulometric analysis was carried out.
1
2

Frumkin Institute of Physical Chemistry and Electrochemistry (IFKh), Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow.
Gubkin Russian State University of Oil and Gas, Moscow.
Translated from Khimicheskoe i Neftegazovoe Mashinostroenie, No. 3, pp. 4748, March 2008.

0009-2355/08/0304-0177 2008 Springer Science+Business Media, Inc.

177

Fig. 1. Microstructure of steel 17GA in the original condition (200): a) after controlled rolling;
b) after normalizing.

Fig. 2. Kinetics of the overall amount of corrosion products, i.e., Fe3+ + Fe2+ (a) and Fe2+ ions (b)
of steel in the original condition: 1) after controlled rolling; 2) after normalizing.

Fig. 3. Kinetics of the overall amount of corrosion products, i.e., Fe3+ + Fe2+ (a) and Fe2+ ions (b)
of steel after strain ageing: 1, 2) same as in Fig. 2.

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TABLE 1

Original condition

After controlled rolling

After normalizing

Level
of strain
, %

Hardness a
HV, MP

Ultimate
strength
u, MPa

Yield point
0.2, MPa

Relative
elongation
5, %

Relative
reduction of
area , %

Metal strengthening factor

Ky1

Ky2

2000

587603

425440

2531

67

10

2220

687706

668692

8.815

62

1.17

1.57

1930

606616

406414

2731

68

10

2430

723743

715736

15.217.6

6064

1.2

1.8

Corrosion products (Fe3+ and Fe2+ ions) were recorded by direct potentiostatic coulometry (DPC) [2, 3]. The primary measuring element used was an indicator electrode-cell made of glass-carbon SU-2000, the auxiliary electrode is carbon
fiber, and the reference electrode is KhS.
The steel has a ferrite-pearlite structure. Within the metal after controlled rolling (Fig. 1a) the pearlite has a lined
distribution and a lamellar structure. The content of pearlite in the structure is 4035%. Metal hardness is 2000 MPa.
The differing grain size of ferrite (6065%, grain size 830 m) should be noted, and this is explained by formation
during controlled rolling of ferrite phase nuclei both at the boundaries and within grains of the original austenite. The structure is in a stressed state.
As a result of normalizing (Fig. 1b), the banded structure is disturbed. The content of pearlite in the structure is about
50%, and it retains a lamellar form of precipitate. The ferrite component is grains with a size of 0.01 mm. the hardness of the
structure is 1930 MPa. Ferrite and pearlite are uniformly distributed throughout the volume of the metal.
Results of coulometric measurements indicate that a difference in structures governs the different corrosion behavior. It follows from Fig. 2a that the overall weight loss m (sum of Fe3+ + Fe2+ ions in the reaction volume, which is a part
of the space of the interface where the metal is in contact with electrolyte) is higher for steel after controlled rolling than for
normalized steel.
In this case, the emergence of Fe2+ in the surface area of the metal (corrosion rate) of steel after rolling is somewhat
higher than for normalized steel (Fig. 2b). Approach of the corrosion curves, starting with the second hour of testing, is due
to a reduction in the amount of Fe2+ ions due to the transition Fe2+ Fe3+ under the action of oxygen that is present.
As a result of strain ageing, there is a marked change in all the mechanical properties of steel 17GS (see Table 1).
The increase in steel ultimate strength after controlled rolling is about 17%, and for the yield point it is about 57%.
For steel in the original normalized condition, the increase in ultimate strength is about 19%, and for the yield point it is more
than 76%. For both original steel conditions, there is a marked reduction in metal ductility characteristics. As can be seen, in
the case in question the greatest strengthening occurs for steel in the normalized condition.
Strengthening after strain ageing leads to a reduction in overall corrosion (sum of Fe3+ + Fe2+ ions) for controlled
rolled steel compared with normalized steel (Fig. 3a).
This result may be explained by metal strengthening and a corresponding reduction in the heterogeneous component
of the steel surface after controlled rolling in contact with electrolyte in the deformation zone.
An indicator of the increase in corrosion resistance for steel after controlled rolling is the kinetics of Fe2+ ion formation within the reaction volume (Fig. 3b).
It may be concluded from the results obtained that a measured approach based on using the DPC method provides
reliable recording of the corrosion process.
Thus, it has been established that during testing (5 h) the overall weight loss (sum of Fe3+ + Fe2+ ions) at the metal
surface and in the corrosion medium is higher after controlled rolling than for a normalized structure.
It has been demonstrated that aged steel after controlled rolling exhibits a greater corrosion resistance than normalized steel. The corrosion resistance of steel may be specified by the kinetics of the amount of Fe2+ ions.
179

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