Papers by Keyword: Mandrel Mill

Abstract: With the aid of commercial FE code MSC.SuperForm, the structural steel tube continuous rolling process of a typical hollow tube specification 152.5×12.5mm is simulated based on Bao Steel 152.5 main pass sequence of 140mm 8-stand mandrel mill, and the distribution characteristics of stress/strain, outline lateral spread, temperature changes of workpiece in continuous rolling process and distribution of stress/strain, friction of workpiece in deformation zone are analyzed. Analysis results indicate that deformation of workpiece along the width of the groove, especially at the top and the bottom of the groove is highly inhomogeneous due to the unequal draught and the longitudinal stress of special position (the top and the bottom of the groove) of workpiece is always an alternate state, in a tensile-compressive-tensile manner, and has a distinct rule. In the first stand, outline dimension of workpiece gradually increases during reducing process and early stage of wall thickness reduction, but it gradually decreases during middle-late stage of wall thickness reduction and tends towards stability at last. It is inhomogeneous that distribution of unit compressive stress and longitudinal strain of workpiece in deformation zone, and contact stress and total equivalent plastic strain are maximal in inner surface of workpiece contacting with mandrel. Temperature difference between the outer and the inner surfaces of workpiece is obvious.

Abstract: The seamless steel tube continuous rolling process with 8-stand full-floating mandrel is simulated with the aid of commercial FE code MSC. SuperForm. The relationship is analyzed between the distribution of the transverse wall-thickness and the speed schedule of the rollers. The result shows that the transverse evenness of the wall thickness of the tubes can be enhanced by optimizing the speed schedule. Furthermore, by adopting meliorated method to measure the wall-thickness of the shell, the error is reduced while data reliability is increased. When using the existing equipments (mandrel mill), it is an effective way to improve the transverse wall-thickness accuracy of the shell tube by adjusting the speed schedule. Compared with present roll speed schedule, the transverse wall-thickness accuracy can be increased by 10% for the rolling of elongated shell with 152.5mm in OD and 6mm in wall thickness tube under the 3# speed schedule put forward in this paper.

Abstract: The inner surface crack (ISC) defect easily occurs in seamless modified 9Cr-1Mo steel tubes rolled by the mandrel mill with high production efficiency. The reason for the formation of the ISC lies in both the properties of deformed material and rolling conditions. With the aid of commercial FE code MSC.SuperForm, the rolling process of modified 9Cr-1Mo seamless steel tube produced by the Mandrel Mill of Bao Steel in China was simulated, focusing on mechanical analysis of deformed metal. It was found from the simulation that the metal on the inner surface of the tube, in the position of 0 or 90 of the roll pass, experiences strong tensile stresses, especially the circumferential stress, which is closely related .to the strain behavior governed by the two-high pass caliber of the mandrel mill. Therefore an optimal design of the roll pass can be realized to decrease the tensile stress so as to relax the tendency to the ISC, which has been confirmed by the tests in Steel Tube & Pipe Company of Bao Steel.

Abstract: The hot workability of modified 9Cr-1Mo, as a grade of heat resistant steels, is inferior to that of low-alloy steel, so the inner surface crack (ISC) easily occurs in seamless boiler tubes produced by the Mandrel Mill under improper rolling conditions. With the aid of FEM, the metal flow status during the rolling process was analyzed in 140mm 8-stand mandrel mill of Bao Steel. Both the metallographic shape and size of the ISC together with the result from the simulation show that the ISC of seamless tube forms at the elongation stage of shell. The mechanism of the ISC was discussed. With its initiation in stand No.1 and No.2 due to poor hot workability of modified 9Cr-1Mo steel, the ISC develops in subsequent passes. Based upon the mechanism devised was a special roll pass system which substantially upgraded the yield of qualified products.