The Role of the Bainitic Packet in Control of Impact Toughness in a Simulated CGHAZ of X90 Pipeline Steel

X90 pipeline steel was processed with the simulated coarse grain heat affect zone (CGHAZ) thermal cycle with heat input varying from 30 kJ/cm to 60 kJ/cm, the microstructures were investigated by means of optical microscope (OM), scanning electron microscope (SEM), electron backscattering diffraction (EBSD), and transmission electron microscope (TEM), and the impact properties were evaluated from the welding thermal cycle treated samples. The results indicate that the microstructure is primarily composed of lath bainite. When decreasing the heat input, both bainite packet and block are significantly refined, and the toughness has an increased tendency due to the grain refinement. The fracture surfaces all present cleavage fracture for the samples with different heat inputs. Moreover, the average cleavage facet size for the CGHAZ is nearly equal to the average bainite packet size, and the bainitic packet boundary can strongly impede the crack propagation, indicating that the bainitic packet is the most effective unit in control of impact toughness in the simulated CGHAZ of X90 pipeline steel.