Pressure Vessels of High Proof Strength Warm Worked Stainless Steel

Abstract
In order to establish the necessary data to enable high proof strength austenitic stainless steels to be used for the fabrication of pressure vessels, plates were produced with an increased proof stress obtained by the warm working method. The laboratory investigation then showed that it was practicable to raise the proof strength of this material to twice the normal value for fully softened plate with an improvement in the ultimate tensile strength. Following this, two similar experimental vessels were manufactured in normal and high proof strength 18% Cr-8% Ni-Ti stabilized steel and these were subjected to hydraulic pressure testing. The vessel tests showed how stainless steel vessels behave under static pressure application at room temperature, and the behaviour of the high proof strength vessel indicated that it would be quite safe at nearly double the design pressure for the fully softened vessel. The strain hardening of stainless steel, fabricating techniques and weld quality have also been investigated and these are reported upon in the paper. Proposals for design stress criteria and stress values are made in relation to an examination of existing pressure vessel codes and the experimental data.

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