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1. Background of the Study

Welding is one of the most critical operations within the structural fabrication
such as ship construction, bridges and offshore platform due to inexpensive and well
accepted in structural steel fabrication. Many steel fabrication companies have developed
their own welding procedure specificition (WPS) in order to cope with the requirments of
code and standard such as the American Welding Society (AWS) D1.1 and American Society
and Mechanical Engineering (ASME) XI for weld quality. WPS is a written document that
provides a guideline for the welding operator and welding activity [1]. However, the
soundness of welds in steel structure always susceptible with unexpected defects such as
crack due to residual stress, which is the root of fatigue failures.

In the many years fatigue was the prominent caused of structural failure,
especially for a steel structure that exposed to dynamic loading such as steel tower, offshore
structure and bridges. Fatigue is a mechanism of failure, which involves the formation of
micro crack and growth due to cyclic loading [2]. Eventually, a crack may propagate in
function of time until the total fracture occurs on the affected welds structure. It is known that
the weld geometry, weld toe, undercuts and micro cracks strongly influence the fatigue
strength. The weld geometry affects the local stress concentration and combine with weld
defects, fatigue cracks may occur during the cyclic loading and lead to catastrophic fatigue
failure [3],[4].
Over the year, there are various methods to improve the fatigue life of the
structure such as Hammer Peening, Ultrasonic Impact Treatment (UIT) and many more [5].
These tools are popular in the steel fabrication industries. However, technology is growing
fast and one of the new technology to improve the fatigue life of welded structure is
Pneumatic Impact Treatment (PIT) [6]. This technology was developed in Germany and gain
recognition in European countries as new method for fatigue life extention for steel structure
such as train boogie, crane and bridge structures.

In this study Pneumatic Impact Treatment (PIT) machine will be used to enhance
the structural life of the welded High-strength low-alloy S460G2+M. It will be applied on the
hot spot of weld geometry such as weld toe in order to convert the weld tensile stress to
compressive stress which is important properties of steel. HSLA S460G2+M is under the
clause of EN10225 in European norm and was recognized as an offshore structure due to it
was designed particularly using in harsh environments such as wave and sea water [7]. It has
excellent tensile strength which is around 460 MPa, good weldability and supplied as plates,
sheet or bar [8].
The initial phase focuses on the development of welding procedure specification
(WPS) for HSLA S460G2+M using the welding process parameters such as the
current,voltage and travel speed that are simulated in Simufactwelding. This activity is
important to ensure the welded material has excellent quality and free from defect.

The second phase is to compare the distribution of welding residual stress of the
welded HSLA S460G2+M using Simufactwelding and X-ray diffraction. In the final phase, a
fatigue value will be estimated on as-welded, PIT treated as welded as well as in-service
conditions of the welded material. The fatigue strength will be analyze using acclereted

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fatigue assessment method which is currently no information available concerning
improvement features of fatigue life of HSLA S460G2+M. Grain structure analysis also will
be conducted on the treated weld of the material in order to probe the grain intergrity due to
effect of PIT.

2. Problem Statement

The fatigue life of the offshore structures were long ago became the hottest issues
in offshore structural fabrication, especially for oil and gas platform which is always tremble
due to the ocean weaving. In weld structural fabrication, almost 60% of the welding failures
were caused by fatigue [2]. Cyclic dynamic loading is seen as one of the main factors that
influenced the fatigue life of this structure.

Welding activity induce heat that caused a residual stress in the welded structural.
Failure to reduce it will decrease the life span of the platform. Thus, how to increase the
fatigue life and reduce the residual stress in welded structure become the hot topic among
the researcher nowadays.

Commonly, the major problem of the offshore structure construction is the

capability of the fabricator to produce sound weld which is able to withstand from harsh
environmental conditions. Thus, it is important to apply the right post welds treatment for
extention the life span of the welded offshore structure.

Combination between WPS, Simufactwelding and Pneumatic Impact Treatment

(PIT) is hopefully will inccreases the fatigue life of the HSLA S460G2+M and offshore
structure in general.

3. Research Objectives
The main purpose of this study is to enhance the fatigue life of the welded
offshore structural plate S460G2+M using PIT. Thus, in order to achieve this purpose some
objectives have been constructed as follows:
I. To set up the welding procedures specification (WPS) for HSLA S460 G2+M
using the welding process parameter simulated in Simufactwelding.
II. To compare the residual stress of the welded HSLA S460G2+M using
Simufactwelding and X-ray diffraction (XRD).
III. To determine the fatigue strength values of the as welded material, PIT treated as-
welded and in-service of HSLA S460 G2+M and analyze using acclereted fatigue
assessement method.
IV. To investigate the grain structure intergrity on the treated weld of HSLA S460
G2+M using scanning electron microscopic (SEM).

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4. Scope and Limitation of the Study
This study explores the scopes in determining the quality of welded HSLA S460
G2+M through the development of WPS and PQR using the optimized welding parameter
by simufactwelding. Investigation of the residual stress of the welded steel using
simufactwelding and X-ray diffraction analysis is also conducted. Determination of of
fatigue strength of the as welded steel, PIT treated as-welded and in-service of HSLA S460
G2+M and analyze using the accelerated fatigue assessment method. This study is also will
investigate the grain structure intergrity of the treated weld of the material.
This study is limited to use HSLA S460 G2+M with 10mm plate thickness and
Gas Metal Arc Welding (GMAW) used for welding processes. Simufactwelding and x-ray
diffraction used for residual stress measurement. The welded material is treated using PIT
for fatigue enhancement, while Instron Fatigue testing machine used for fatigue test. The
PIT execution will be done in compliance with the IIW recommendations for post weld
treatment and HFMI guideline.

5. Significance of the Study

They are several significant and benefits of this study to the academician,
personal and industries in general. The new technique employed in this research for fatigue
assessment and improvement can be used by researchers, academicians and industries for
upcoming investigation of fatigue life assessment for HSLA S460 G2+M. This study is also
will intensely provide an information due to not many reference available particularly in the
fatigue life improvement for HSLA S460 G2+M.

The fatigue value determined, will provide a basic guideline for extensive
understanding of design consideration for welded HSLA S460 G2+M, PIT treated as-welded
and in-service structures. Knowledge from this study will enhance the understanding
concerning post weld treated fatigue improvements.
Report from this study will be used as assessment for many studies in the inter-
related fields. The effectiveness of this fatigue improvement method for HSLA S460 G2+M
welded structures will increasing fatigue life of the structures and at the same time reduce the
costs of operations significantly.

6. Literature Review
6.1 Welding QualityAssurance (WQA).
Welding is a special process, which is that anyone cannot make a complete
verification of the welded joint without destroying it. Examination of the weld properties,
somebody must conducting a mechanical testing on the joint product. By this way, the
quality of the weld is ensured. Quality of welded product should be control from the
bigenning in order to optimize the manufacturing cost. All factors that affecting quality
welding should be eliminited before the fabrication. Thus, it is recommended to

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implement a quality assurance system to met the fabrication requirement standards such
as ISO 3834. The ISO 3834 published the quality assurance for welding operations [9].
There are some steps in a WQA to ensure the fabricator has skilled welders. The
initial step is the fabricator should conduct a welder qualification test (WQT) for a welder
that participate in welding fabrication. Secondly, the fabricator should set up a Welding
Procedure Specifications (WPS) in order to control weld quality.The WPS must be
qualified to obtain it Welding Procedure Qualification Record (WPQR). The WPQR
explains that, if a welder follows the WPS, the welder has a good chance to pass in WQT
with the expected properties from the WPQR.The welding coordinator in the welding
fabricationshop, is responsible for the welders competency, education and the
supervision of the welders.
The coordinators tasks and responsibilities are regulated in the standard
fabrication standard such as ISO 14731 [9]. All the fabricators must implement a
Welding Quality Assurance System requirements as illustrated in Fig.1.

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Fig.1 Example of Welding Quality Assurance System [10].

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6.2 Review of Fatigue Journal

Numerous studies concerning the Fatigue life assessment were conducted on the
steel structures. Among the scientist who studied the fatigue on the steel structure are
Yildirim HC et al,Veli-Mattiet al, Seung Ho Han et al and MizanurRahmanat al.
Yildirim HC et al [11] studied the fatigue improvement for high strength welded
steel post treated using HFMI. He found that, there were approximately 12.5% increase in
strength for every 200 MPa increase in yield strength (fy) above the initial yield strength
(fy,o).According to them, this value was adopted as a basis for proposing design curves
for high frequency mechanical impact treated welds. However, the proposed SN lines are
conservative with respect to available data. In addition, special cautions are given for
high R-ratio or variable amplitude fatigue and alternate failure locations.
Veli-Mattietal [12] found that the treated welds of S355 by using UIT increased
about 50% greater fatigue strength. The experimental works were modeled using the
local strain approach such as Uniform Material Law for fatigue analysis. The stress
concentration was computed using FE analysis and mean stress estimates were based on
X-ray diffraction measurements of the residual stress state at in the treated zone. The
predicted degree of improvement was in excellent agreement with the experimentally
measured improvement.
Seung-Ho Han et al [13] found that the fatigue life of the as welded specimen of
SM490B increased by using Hammer Peening. The fatigue strength at 2106 cycles of
hammer-peened and Ultrasonic Nano-Crystal surface modification (UNSM) treated on a
non-load carrying cruciform welded joint shows 220 and 260MPa, respectively, which
are more than two times higher than that of as-welded specimen.
Mizanur Rahmanat al [14] in their study concerning the effects of post weld
pneumatic impact treatment (PIT) onwelding residual concluded that the induced residual
stress (RS) by PIT has a great beneficial influence on welding residual stress (WRS).
According to them the PIT redistributed the residual stresses in the material as
compressive residual stresses which caused plastic deformation. They also mentioned
that welding and PIT simulation give a good agreement with the experimental results and
a well prediction of RS distribution is possible using 2D FE-simulation.

6.3 Offshore plate S460G2+M

EN10225 S420G2+M offshore steel plates.It is under the clause of EN10225 in
European norm and was recognized as an offshore structure due to it was designed
particularly using in harsh environments such as wave and sea water [7]. It has excellent
tensile strength which is around 460MPa, good weldability and supplied as plates, sheet
or bar [8].
These high strength plates are used in the offshore oil and gas industry, for wind
farms and brigeswhere there is a requirement for a high strength steel that is resistant to
the additional corrosion from the environment. The typical chemical composition and
mechanical properties of this materual are shown in table 2 and Table 3.

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 Table 2 Chemical composition according to EN 10025 [8]

Table 3 Mechanical properties of the offshore plate HSLA S460 G2 + M

[29]

6.4 Simufact.Welding

Simufact.welding is a Finite Element-based software for welding simulation.

Finite Element calculations are appropriate for modeling the elastic-plastic material
behavior and, thus, also for simulating welding structure. Latest solver tools and a user-
friendly global concept allow to calculate welding sequences efficiently and to predict
distortions of the component realistically, also with regard to microstructural changes.
Simufact.welding is a principally high performance Finite-Element-based
software with state-of-the-art solver technology permitting for elastic-plastic material
behavior to be modeled. As one of the most significant tasks, the software prospers in
accuratelyforeseeing the distortions and residual stresses that occur during welding, while
considering phase transformations and controlling these in the component.
Simufact.welding considers microstructural properties in the heat-affected zone; its form

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allows conclusions about the properties of the weld seam, in particular its strength. The
user gains valuable clues to identify welding defects such as hot cracks in the simulation
to avoid them in practice [15].
The software contributions in finding the best clamping procedures for the
welding process and distributes facts to determine the best welding sequence.
Simufact.welding foretells the final contour of the component and helps to produce parts
in series with precise tolerance.Simufact.welding permits the standardization of united
alternative heat sources in less than 15 minutes. It provides useful tools to that
end.Alternative heat sources are general state-of-the-art in simulating welding structures.
The question "Which welding processes are compatible with your software?" becomes
secondary, since almost all common methods can be depicted by means of alternative
sources [16].

6.5 Pneumatic Impact Treatment (PIT)

PIT is known an anti-aging method for production or equipment or structure in-
service as well in new construction significantly reducing costs caused by damage,
repairs and loss of production while permitting material savings in new fabrications.
Fatigue damage is normally caused by dynamic loads which exceed a structures
calculated lifetime or number of load cycles. Weldments are particularly sensitive to the
presence of tensile residual stresses and notch effects normally caused by damages due
clamping effects, rolling and forging, rigid transitions and drilling instigating crack
initiation [17]. PIT is a higher frequency peening procedure to enhance the fatigue
strength. With special pins, PIT brings very high compressive stresses locally into the
surface of the material. These compressive stresses pass up to a depth of > 2 mm and
reach the yield strength also with high-strength steels. On welded joint, it will optimize
the notch effect at the same operation. This combination will achieve a multiplication of
the fatigue life. The treatment for equipment or structures which is already in service will
result in nearly the same augmentation of the fatigue life and for this reason a much better
availability of the equipment and structure.[18] The PIT is driven by compressed air.
These motions are transferred as hammering movements on one or more pins by
separating control of the frequency and pressure allowing adjustment of the impact
intensity to an optimum for a particular material in order to achieve the maximum effect
with a very low vibration level of approximately 5 m/s. [19] . Fig.6 shows the PIT
equipment, and Fig.7 illustrated the improvement of fatigue behaviour treated by using
PIT.

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 Fig 6.pneumatic impact treatment (PIT).

Fig.7 S-N curve of S355 befor and after treatment [20]

7. Reserch Methodology
This chapter describes the proposed research plan to accomplish the research
objectives and aims. The anticipated research will be divided into four (4) phases containing
the planning, investigation, assessment and writing phases.

7.1 Research Flows Chart

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 Fig.8 The research flow chart and phases

7.2 Phase 1: Planning Phase

Necessary literature review and collection of information regarding available
information for the selected research topic such as the material selection, tools and
equipment etc.

7.2.1 Selection of Material

The material used for this study is 10mm high strength low alloy (HSLA)
steel plate S460G2+M. The typical composition of this material is shown in table 2
previously.

7.2.2 Tools and Equipment

The tools and equipment use in this study are Gas Metal Arc Welding
(GMAW) welding machine, Bend saw, Instron fatigue machine, Scanning Electron
Microscopic (SEM), Hardness machine Simufactwelding software, Pneumatic Impact
Treatment tool (PIT) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) machine.

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 Some of these equipment are available in Mechanical Engineering
FaculltyUiTM Shah Alam and some available in UNiKL Malaysia France Institute.

7.3 Phase 2: Investigation phase

7.3.1 Pre-Welding process
Pre-welding procedure specification (p-WPS) will be developed and qualify
for actual welding procedure specification (WPS). A Welding Procedure
Specification (WPS) is a formal written document describing welding procedures,
which provides direction to the welder or welding operators for making sound and
quality production welds as per the code requirements .The WPS qualification will be
conducted concerning the AWS D1.1 standard requirments

7.3.2 Simufactwelding Simulation and Residual Stress analysis

Simufactwelding 4.0 software will be used for welding simulation and the
same time to optmize the welding parameter used for WPS. Measurement of residual
stress is also will be conducted using this software. The results will be compared with
the actual experimental result of the as welded condition of HSLA S460G2+M. This
FEA software is available in AMTEx of Mechanical Faculty.

7.3.3 X-ray Diffraction for Residual stress analysis

X-RD will be conducted to analyzed the residual stress of the welded
specimens HSLA S460G2+M.The standard procedures of this test is in accordance to
ASTM E915 RS measurement Standard for X-Ray Diffraction test [20].

7.4 Phase 3:Assessment Phase

7.4.1 Mechanical Testing
Mechanical tests such as bend test, tensile and microstructure will be
conducted in NusatekSdnBhd , while the in the NDT such as X-ray will be conducted
in laboratory of Advance Manufacturing Technology Excellence Center (AMTEx)
centre in Mechanical Engineering Faculty. The purpose of the DT and NDT tests is to
to ensure the quality of the welded joint of S460G2+M and to write the performance
qualification record (PQR) for the WPS.
The fatigue test will be conducted in regard with the standard requirement of
the new International Institute of Welding (IIW) recommendations for fatigue
assessment of welded joints and components.

7.4.2 Acclereted Fatigue Assessment

Inverse power scaling law model will be used to determine the proper life
scaling factor for full scale probabilistic S-N curve of the HSLA S460 as-welded,
HSLA S460 PIT treated and HSLA S460 in-service PIT treated conditions.

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 Applying the inverse power law the relationship between the life
characteristics of the failure distribution and the levels of acceleration variable is
given by (4) [38]:

......................................................................................................(4)
where V represents the levels of acceleration variable and >0, n>0 are unknown
parameters.
The variable as accleration factors for acclereted fatigue assessment will
be imply the stress, strain and resultant fatigue life of experimental tests. The ALTA 8
statistical software will be used for this processes.

7.4.3 Marphology Examination

Microstructure examination will be conducted on base metal, weld metal and
Heat affected Zone (HAZ) regions of the untreated and treated sample of the welded
HSLA S460G2+M.This is important to witness the graian intergrity of grain structure
after the PIT treatment.
Fatigue fracture examination will be conducted on base metal, weld metal
and Heat affected Zone (HAZ) regions of the untreated and treated sample of the
welded HSLA S460G2+M. This is important to access the mode fracture whether it
is ductile, brittle or mixed mode fracture. The scanning Electron microscope (SEM)
will be used for this procedure after the PIT treatment.

7.5 Phase 4: Writing phase

7.5.1 Results and Dicussion
The outcomesobtain will be evaluated and discussed and report will be
finalized. The comprehensivethesis draft will be written and then the final thesis
preceding to minor amendmentsafter viva voce.

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8. Research Gantt chart
The research planning for this study is shown in table 5
Table 5 Research planning

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References
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[2] Ellyin F, Fatigue damage, crack growth and life prediction, ISBN 0-412- 59600-8.

[3] Hou, C Y, Fatigue analysis of welded joints with the aid of real three- dimensional weld
toe geometry, International Journal of Fatigue, Vol. 29, p. 772- 785 (2007).

[4] Dong, P, A structural stress definition and numerical implementation for fatigue analysis
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Hammer

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/Praesentation_wel/simufact_welding_3_1_en_web.pdf

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23)http://www.simufact.de/en/solutions/sol_weld.html

[17] G. B. Marquis, E. Mikkola, H. C. Yildirim, and Z. Barsoum, Fatigue Strength

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[18] Marquis, G. B. and Barsoum, Z., Fatigue Strength Improvement of Steel Structures by
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[19] American Bureau of Shipping: Commentary on the guide for the fatigue assessment of
offshore structures. (January 2004- updated 2010)

[20] http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/x-ray%20diffraction

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