Investigation of mechanical and metallurgical properties of commercially pure titanium grade 2 tube-to-tubesheet joints
Abstract The present study investigated the structural integrity of three categories of Titanium Grade 2 based tube and tubesheet joints manufactured using welding, roller expansion and hybrid welding cum roller expansion process, to evaluate their mechanical performance and reliability in shell and...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Nature Portfolio
2025-07-01
|
| Series: | Scientific Reports |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-08261-2 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1849238570146988032 |
|---|---|
| author | Ahmad Al Tamimi Dinu Thomas Thekkuden Abdel-Hamid Ismail Mourad Mohammad Alkhedher |
| author_facet | Ahmad Al Tamimi Dinu Thomas Thekkuden Abdel-Hamid Ismail Mourad Mohammad Alkhedher |
| author_sort | Ahmad Al Tamimi |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract The present study investigated the structural integrity of three categories of Titanium Grade 2 based tube and tubesheet joints manufactured using welding, roller expansion and hybrid welding cum roller expansion process, to evaluate their mechanical performance and reliability in shell and tube heat exchangers applications. The influence of Tungsten inert gas welding and three tube expansion percentages (4%, 6%, and 8%) on the metallurgical and mechanical performance of the joints are extensively discussed. The findings showed that α′-phase was dominant in the weld zone and the heat affected zone with no noticeable signs for β-phase remnants in the mentioned zones. In addition, microstructural analysis on the expanded joints showed a direct relationship between the expansion percentage and the reduction of grains size near the roller expander in the expanded zone, while grains in transition and unexpanded zones experienced an insignificant impact due to expansion at both tube’s surfaces. The macroscopic studies revealed that the minimum leak path of the welded joint was satisfactorily greater than two-third of the tube wall thickness, indicating a sufficient sealing performance to prevent possible leakage at the joint region. The tube pull-out test showed that the tube pull-out loads were greater than the maximum allowable axial load for all the cases considered, confirming that the manufactured joints could endure axial loads that exceed the standard limits. Moreover, the weld region was found to be the hardest region in Vicker’s hardness test due to the dominance of the α′-phase, with a maximum hardness of 173.6 HV. These findings suggest that the provided joints’ manufacturing framework ensure reliable Titanium-based joints for critical shell and tube heat exchangers applications. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-c1eb7b5856d4465db059e2cfb79c0ee5 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Scientific Reports |
| spelling | doaj-art-c1eb7b5856d4465db059e2cfb79c0ee52025-08-20T04:01:34ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222025-07-0115112610.1038/s41598-025-08261-2Investigation of mechanical and metallurgical properties of commercially pure titanium grade 2 tube-to-tubesheet jointsAhmad Al Tamimi0Dinu Thomas Thekkuden1Abdel-Hamid Ismail Mourad2Mohammad Alkhedher3Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department, College of Engineering, United Arab Emirates UniversityMechanical and Industrial Engineering Department, Abu Dhabi UniversityMechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department, College of Engineering, United Arab Emirates UniversityMechanical and Industrial Engineering Department, Abu Dhabi UniversityAbstract The present study investigated the structural integrity of three categories of Titanium Grade 2 based tube and tubesheet joints manufactured using welding, roller expansion and hybrid welding cum roller expansion process, to evaluate their mechanical performance and reliability in shell and tube heat exchangers applications. The influence of Tungsten inert gas welding and three tube expansion percentages (4%, 6%, and 8%) on the metallurgical and mechanical performance of the joints are extensively discussed. The findings showed that α′-phase was dominant in the weld zone and the heat affected zone with no noticeable signs for β-phase remnants in the mentioned zones. In addition, microstructural analysis on the expanded joints showed a direct relationship between the expansion percentage and the reduction of grains size near the roller expander in the expanded zone, while grains in transition and unexpanded zones experienced an insignificant impact due to expansion at both tube’s surfaces. The macroscopic studies revealed that the minimum leak path of the welded joint was satisfactorily greater than two-third of the tube wall thickness, indicating a sufficient sealing performance to prevent possible leakage at the joint region. The tube pull-out test showed that the tube pull-out loads were greater than the maximum allowable axial load for all the cases considered, confirming that the manufactured joints could endure axial loads that exceed the standard limits. Moreover, the weld region was found to be the hardest region in Vicker’s hardness test due to the dominance of the α′-phase, with a maximum hardness of 173.6 HV. These findings suggest that the provided joints’ manufacturing framework ensure reliable Titanium-based joints for critical shell and tube heat exchangers applications.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-08261-2Expansion percentagePull-out loadTitaniumTubeTubesheetTungsten inert gas welding |
| spellingShingle | Ahmad Al Tamimi Dinu Thomas Thekkuden Abdel-Hamid Ismail Mourad Mohammad Alkhedher Investigation of mechanical and metallurgical properties of commercially pure titanium grade 2 tube-to-tubesheet joints Scientific Reports Expansion percentage Pull-out load Titanium Tube Tubesheet Tungsten inert gas welding |
| title | Investigation of mechanical and metallurgical properties of commercially pure titanium grade 2 tube-to-tubesheet joints |
| title_full | Investigation of mechanical and metallurgical properties of commercially pure titanium grade 2 tube-to-tubesheet joints |
| title_fullStr | Investigation of mechanical and metallurgical properties of commercially pure titanium grade 2 tube-to-tubesheet joints |
| title_full_unstemmed | Investigation of mechanical and metallurgical properties of commercially pure titanium grade 2 tube-to-tubesheet joints |
| title_short | Investigation of mechanical and metallurgical properties of commercially pure titanium grade 2 tube-to-tubesheet joints |
| title_sort | investigation of mechanical and metallurgical properties of commercially pure titanium grade 2 tube to tubesheet joints |
| topic | Expansion percentage Pull-out load Titanium Tube Tubesheet Tungsten inert gas welding |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-08261-2 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT ahmadaltamimi investigationofmechanicalandmetallurgicalpropertiesofcommerciallypuretitaniumgrade2tubetotubesheetjoints AT dinuthomasthekkuden investigationofmechanicalandmetallurgicalpropertiesofcommerciallypuretitaniumgrade2tubetotubesheetjoints AT abdelhamidismailmourad investigationofmechanicalandmetallurgicalpropertiesofcommerciallypuretitaniumgrade2tubetotubesheetjoints AT mohammadalkhedher investigationofmechanicalandmetallurgicalpropertiesofcommerciallypuretitaniumgrade2tubetotubesheetjoints |