articleInternational Journal of Mechanical SciencesJan 3, 2026HYBRID OA

Coupled thermo-chemo-mechanical phase field-based modelling of hydrogen-assisted cracking in girth welds

LCLucas CastroYNYousef NavidtehraniCBCovadonga BetegónEMEmilio Martínez‐Pañeda

Universidad de Oviedo · University of Oxford

Indexed incrossref

Abstract

A new computational framework is presented to predict the structural integrity of welds in hydrogen transmission pipelines. The framework combines: (i) a thermo-mechanical weld process model, and (ii) a coupled deformation-diffusion-fracture phase field-based model that accounts for plasticity and hydrogen trapping, considering multiple trap types, with stationary and evolving trap densities. This enables capturing, for the first time, the interplay between residual stresses, trap creation, hydrogen transport, and fracture. The computational framework is particularised and applied to the study of weld integrity in X80 pipeline steel. The focus is on girth welds, as they are more complex due to their multi-pass…

Citation impact

7
total citations
FWCI
45.48
Percentile
100%
References
65
Too recent for citation history.

Authors

4

Topics & keywords

Topics
Keywords
  • Welding
  • Girth (graph theory)
  • Residual stress
  • Failure assessment
  • Pipeline (software)
  • Cracking
  • Integrity management
  • Pipeline transport
No related works found for this paper.

Funding