R-curve evaluation of pipeline girth welds using advanced measurement techniques

A strain-based flaw assessment procedure is recommended for girth welded pipelines subjected to large deformations. To evaluate the allowable defect dimensions, the tearing resistance needs to be characterized. This paper investigates the effect of weld metal strength mismatch on the resistance curve using Single Edge Notched Tension (SENT) specimens. Several advanced measurement techniques are applied during the tests in order to obtain a continuous measurement of crack extension and to visualize the deformation fields near the crack. The resistance curves are determined using a single specimen technique. The unloading compliance method and the potential drop method result in similar predictions of ductile crack extension, yielding similar resistance curves. Next to these measurements, the full field deformations are determined using digital image correlation. The experiments indicate that the position of the applied notch in the weld has the potential to influence the strain fields