Vol.25, No.2, 2025, pp. 259–264
https://doi.org/10.69644/ivk-2025-02-0259

Remaining life assessment (RLA) is an important tool in securing the operational safety of aged structures and plants. RLA can prevent unforeseen outages and failures that can have tragic and costly consequences. The key point in estimating the remaining life of a mechanical component is determining when structural integrity becomes critical due to progressive damage caused by the applicable damage mechanism. The lifetime of mechanical components is often limited due to creep damage mechanism occurring during service or periods of outage. In this paper, test results are discussed for replication metallography performed for the high-temperature 1Cr-0.5Mo boiler steel. Replication for metallographic examination is carried out at different spots of the base and weld metal of boiler tubes. The estimated remaining life is calculated based on the classification of creep damage according to Wedel and Neubauer. The goal of the paper is to present the changes in microstructural properties of the 1Cr-0.5Mo low-alloyed boiler steel after long-term service in creep conditions. Thus, it will help the plant manager in real time condition monitoring the boiler steel.

Keywords: • remaining life • boiler steel • replica method • creep • damage classification