What is ASME Impact Test

Requirement in Pressure Vessel?

You need to take care about ASME Impact Test Requirement. Suggest you have
pressure vessel under design process and construction has not started yet.

Based ASME impact test requirement you need to make assessment to see either
your pressure vessel is exempted from impact testing or you need to carry out the
test.

There are 4 steps for impact test exemption assessment, you need to precede these
steps, and you might be exempted in first, second or third steps and might not be
exempted even in step 4;

So if you are in step 4 and you have not

exempted then you need to carry out the test.
This article explains you this assessment process.

Basic Concept:

You may know carbon steels and low alloy steels

exhibit a drastic change in their room
temperature ductility, at sub-zero service
temperatures. Different types of materials exhibit
different types of transition behavior.

We can see there is a sudden, phenomenal drop in their notch-toughness properties

below the "transition" range of temperature, which should be a matter of concern for
us.

Body centered cubic or Ferritic alloys exhibit a significant transition in behavior when
impact tested over a range of temperatures. Above transition temperature range,
impact specimens fracture in a "ductile" manner, absorbing relatively large amounts
of energy.

At lower temperatures, i.e. below the transition temperature range, the impact test
specimens are found to fracture in a brittle (cleavage) manner, absorbing less
energy.

And within the transition temperature range, the fracture is a mixture of ductile and
brittle nature.

A material would be invulnerable to a sudden drop in notch-toughness at the lowest

specified service (or design) temperature, if only be proved by conducting Charpy V-
notch Impact tests on representative test samples, at reference (the lowest service)
temperature.

Grain refined carbon steel forgings and wrought materials (thoroughly worked and
normalized) generally exhibit good notch toughness.
ASME Code Section VIII Div 1 exemption rules for ASME Impact Test
Requirement:

There are specific rules in ASME Code for exemption from ASME Impact Test
Requirement; this test is very expensive so pressure vessel manufactures are trying
to be exempted for this costly test.

You need to follow following clauses to make exemption assessment for ASME impact
test requirement:

UG-20(f) →→→UCS-66(a) →→→ UCS-66(b) →→→UCS-68(c)

First you have to keep your pressure vessel design data available and then refer to
UG-20 (f), if you are exempted from this clause you do not need precede anymore.

But if you are not exempted by UG-20 (f), you have to proceed to UCS-66(a), again
if you are exempted no need for more assessment.

But if not, you have to proceed to UCS-66(b), if you are exempted now, no need for
more assessment otherwise you have to proceed to UCS-68(c) again if you are still
not exempted, you have to carry out impact testing.

It means for some cases we might be exempted from ASME impact test requirement
in first stage in UG-20 (f), in others in UCS-66(a) or UCS-66(b) or UCS-68(c) or
might not be exempted and prepare yourself for doing this costly test.

This test would be more costly out of US because of Laboratory Accreditation

requirement. Accredited Laboratory based US accreditation system is not too much
in Europe, Middle East and other locations.

UG-20(f)

We start with UG-20(f) for ASME impact test requirement, if your MOC (Material of
Construction) is categorized in P-No. 1 or 2 (Refer to ASME Code Section IX for P-No
Definition) and your MOC thickness has limited value defined in this clause, then you
might be exempted from impact testing.

But you need to refer to Fig UCS-66 in ASME Code Section VIII Div 1 and see your
MOC is listed in which A, B, C or D curves, all ASME carbon steel and low alloy steel
material distributed in these 4 groups (Curves) of materials.

You need to know the materials listed in curve D has the best toughness property
and better than materials listed in curve C, in similar way materials listed in curve C
has better toughness property to materials listed in curve B and materials listed in
Curve B has better than materials listed in Curve A .

See Following Fig UCS-66(a):

When you determined your MOC curve, then you has to review UG-20(f) and see for
possibility for exemption from ASME impact test requirement, there are some other
condition in this clause which you should consider for exemption;

For instance the vessel should be hydrostatically tested after completion and also
thermal and mechanical loading not be design controlling factor.

For example if your MOC is normalized SA 516 Gr.70 with 0.75 inch thickness you
will be exempted from ASME impact test requirement;

Your MOC is listed in curve D and up to 1 inch, impact testing is not required, of
course you should assure you will be carry out hydrostatic test as well as mentioned
loadings are not design controlling factor in your considered pressure vessel.

UCS-66(a)

So assume in above example your MOC thickness is 1.125 inch instead 1 inch, you
will not be exempted by UG-20(f) and you have to refer to UCS-66(a);

But for assessment, based this clause, you need to know your pressure vessel MDMT
(Minimum Design Metal Temperature), assume it is -20 degree F, so you should now
go to Fig. UCS-66 and locate 1.125 inch in horizontal axis and draw a vertical line;

In similar way locate -20 degree F in vertical axes and draw a horizontal line, these
two lines will cross each other;

see above Figure, the lines identified in red

If the cross point fall above the curve D (because your MOC is listed in curve D) you
are exempted otherwise not, so for current example you are above the curve D so
you are exempted from impact testing .

To simplify your assessment for ASME impact test requirement the Fig-66 has been
converted to the table(table UCS-66), so for any MOC with specific thickness you can
go to this table and see what is the minimum permissible temperature without
impact testing.

See following UCS-66(a) Table:

In above example (normalized SA 516 Gr.70, Curve D, 1.125 inch thickness),

minimum permissible Temperature without impact test is -26 degree F, it means if in
above example your MDMT changes from -20 degree F to -27 degree F, then you
cannot be exempted from ASME impact test requirement by UCS-66(a) and you have
to proceed to UCS-66(b)

UCS-66(b)

Let us explain this clause with above example your MDMT from above is -27 degree
F, nominal thickness is 1.125 inch, normalized SA 516 Gr.70 listed in curve D and
you are not exempted by UCS-66(a)

So you are here to continue your assessment to find a chance for exemption, you
have to refer to Fig UCS-66.1 and calculate following formula;

Ratio= tr E / (tn –c)

tr is required design thickness for all applicable loading we assume for above
example it is 0.95 inch, E is your joint efficiency and we assume for this vessel it is
1, it means your vessel is RT2, tn is your nominal thinness which in this example
from above it is 1.125 inches, and C is corrosion allowance and we assume it is
0.125 inches, so let calculate:

Ratio = 0.95x1/(1.125 – 0.125) Ratio= 0.95

See following Fig UCS-66(b):

Then go to the Figure UCS-66(b) and in vertical axes locate Ratio and draw a
horizontal line then locate the cross point with graph and draw a vertical line to cross
horizontal axis;

You will be reach to value of 8 in the horizontal axes, this 8, is your 8 degree F bonus
from table UCS-66 which you can reduce 8 degree F minimum permissible
temperature in table without impact testing.

In above example your MDMT is -27 degree F and in UCS 66 table the minimum
permissible temperature without impact testing designated -26 degree F so with this
clause you can reduce it to -36 degree F(-26 -8 = -34), your MDMT is -27 degree F
so you are exempted from impact testing with this clause.

UCS-68(c)

Let we change one variable in above example; we assume you need to have -45
degree F for your MDMT, other variable are the same it means normalized SA 516
Gr.70 listed in curve D, thickness 1.125, so you can see you are not exempted by
UCS-66(b);

Because minimum permissible temperature is -36 degree F but your MDMT is -45
degree F, so UCS-68(c) might be helpful;

It says if post weld heat treatment is not code requirement and your P-No is 1 and
you carry out post weld heat treatment a 30 degree F bonus will be granted to you
to reduce minimum permissible temperature in table UCS-66.

So when post weld heat treatment is code requirement?

It is code requirement when your service is lethal and when your thickness for P-No.
1 is greater than 1.5 inch;

So for our example our service is not lethal and our P-No. is 1 and thickness is 1.125
and it is less than 1.5 inch therefore post weld heat treatment is not code
requirement.

It means if you carry out post heat treatment a 30 degree F bonus will be granted by
this clause, it means for this example our minimum permissible temperature would
be -36-30=-66 degree F and your MDMT is -45 degree F so you are exempted from
impact testing.

Now the worst case; in above you assume you need to have -70 degree F for your
MDMT; you can see with this new condition you cannot be exempted even by UCS-
68(c) and you have to carry out impact testing.