Influence of structural and physical degradation of the stressed metal of pipes on the damage of main gas pipelines

The destruction of gas pipelines during operation poses a serious danger to the population, the environment, and industrial infrastructure. The article examines the main causes and mechanisms of gas pipeline destruction, as well as methods for preventing emergency situations. Regulatory documents and modern approaches to pipeline condition diagnostics have been analyzed. The authors tried to explain the nature of the origin of stress corrosion cracking of metal pipes of main gas pipelines. The surface layer of the metal determines its corrosion-mechanical behavior: having a special stress-strain state, it contains the largest number of different kinds of defects in the crystal structure. It has been established that hydrogen concentrates in the near-surface layers, diffusing into the zone of maximum tensile stresses, facilitates the occurrence of microplastic deformations, and intensifies the processes of structural and physical degradation of the metal due to increased chemical activation of carbon.