The EU Project HIPERC: high-performance, economic steel concept for linepipe and general structural use

This paper discusses the key highlights of a current EU collaborative steel research project involving 10 partners which has examined the fundamental principles of higher niobium steels in order to develop process-routes/compositional combinations that establish the suitability and limitations of this steel type for different market sectors. The approach taken has been to determine the composition-microstructure-mechanical property relationships for this steel type for a range of processing conditions. The conditions simulated the hot processing of flat and coiled-plate products, their processing to pipe and weldability both during pipe production and in the field. Running in parallel with the simulation in the laboratory, trials via commercial production routes of the four steel-making partners have been undertaken. The results of the plate, pipe and welding products have been characterized and compared with the laboratory findings. Subsequently, all of the results have been used to develop models to relate composition, microstructure, and mechanical properties with the processing condition. (AU)