Study of Tube/Pipe Cracking Induced by Casting Defects in Medium Carbon Steels

Medium carbon steelsMedium carbon steel have an excellent combination of tensile strengthTensile strength/ductility, and low yield to tensile ratio, which are cost effective to produce and can be heat treated to different tube/pipe strength levels based on their applications. Ultrasonic failure (due to cracksCrack) causes the most rejections for pipe and tube makers. This contribution investigated the medium carbon tube and/or pipe cracking after forming and welding. Macro- and microstructureStructure study and SEM EDS characterizationCharacterization indicated these cracksCrack are caused by casting defectsCasting defects, e.g., inclusionsInclusions in the slab from steelmaking, centerline segregationCenterline segregation, and slab internal crackingSlab internal cracking due to the improper casting parameter employed.