Mercury Liquid Embrittlement Failure of 5083-O Aluminum Alloy Piping

The failure mode of through-wall cracking of a butt weld in a 5083-O aluminum alloy piping system in an ethylene plant was identified as mercury liquid metal embrittlement. As a result of this finding, 226 of the more than 400 butt welds in the system were ultrasonically inspected for cracking. One...

Ausführliche Beschreibung

Gespeichert in:

Bibliographische Detailangaben
Veröffentlicht in:	Journal of failure analysis and prevention 2022-10, Vol.22 (5), p.2095-2103
Hauptverfasser:	English, Jerome J., Duquette, David J.
Format:	Artikel
Sprache:	eng
Schlagworte:	Aluminum base alloys Butt welds Case History > -Peer-Reviewed Characterization and Evaluation of Materials Charcoal Chemistry and Materials Science Classical Mechanics Corrosion and Coatings Failure modes Liquid metal embrittlement Materials Science Mercury (metal) Piping systems Quality Control Reliability Safety and Risk Solid Mechanics Tribology
Online-Zugang:	Volltext
Tags:	Tag hinzufügen Keine Tags, Fügen Sie den ersten Tag hinzu!

Beschreibung
Zusammenfassung:	The failure mode of through-wall cracking of a butt weld in a 5083-O aluminum alloy piping system in an ethylene plant was identified as mercury liquid metal embrittlement. As a result of this finding, 226 of the more than 400 butt welds in the system were ultrasonically inspected for cracking. One additional weld was found that had been degraded by mercury. A welding team experienced in repairing mercury contaminated piping was recruited to make the repairs. Corrective action included the installation of a sulfur-impregnated charcoal mercury-removal bed and replacement of the aluminum equipment that was in operation prior to the installation of the mercury-removal bed.
ISSN:	1547-7029 1728-5674 1864-1245
DOI:	10.1007/s11668-022-01524-4