Mannesmann Aktiengesellschaft

Gerd Heinz

Ingo Von Hagen

Rolf K Popperling

Hubertus Schlerkmann

A method of improving the resistance to H-induced stress-corrosion cracking of articles of low- to medium-alloy structural steels which come into contact with aqueous H.sub.2 S-containing fluids and which are manufactured by one of (i) hot rolling, with or without subsequent heat treatment, (ii) by TM-rolling, with or without accelerated cooling, and (iii) by cold rolling with subsequent heat treatment and which are then cold strained from 0% to less than 2%. In order to economically increase the resistance of articles of structural steel to H-induced stress-corrosion cracking, the articles are subjected to a final annealing for a period of at least two seconds at a temperature which is at least 540.degree. C. and the upper limit of which is as follows: In the case of hot rolled or TM-rolled or normalized articles, 30K below A.sub.C1 ; in the case of hardened and tempered articles, 30K below the tempering temperature last employed.

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Munich, Georgia

Gerd Heinz