HFMI – other crack types
In the chemical industry, other cracks than fatigue cracks occur due to corrosion or high service temperature. In the circle diagram the frequency of failure modes in a German chemical plant is shown (Source: Corrosion Engineering Guide - G. Notten). In 3 cases, tensile stress is important:
- SCC – Stress Corrosion Cracking
- Thermal fatigue (cyclic heating and cooling)
- Stress relaxation cracking (crack which occurs when temperature increases fast during startup of a chemical reactor)
The introduction of compressive on the most critical spots with HFMI, can delay or even prevent the occurrence of these cracks.
Baaten Welding Consultancy offers:
- Damage analysis which provides insight in the use of HFMI in chemical reactors.
- Application of HFMI.

Frequency of failure modes in a German chemical plant (Source: Corrosion Engineering Guide - G. Notten)