History of the Development of Seamless Steel Pipes

Seamless steel pipe production has a history of nearly 100 years.

The German brothers Mannesmann first invented the two-roll skew rolling mill in 1885, and the periodic tube rolling mill in 1891. In 1903, the Swiss R.C. Stiefel invented the automatic tube rolling mill (also known as the mandrel rolling mill). Later, various extension machines such as continuous tube rolling mills and jacking machines appeared, and the modern seamless steel pipe industry began to take shape.

In the 1930s, the adoption of three-roll tube mills, extrusion mills, and periodic cold rolling mills improved the variety and quality of steel pipes. In the 1960s, improvements to continuous rolling mills, the emergence of three-roll piercing mills, and especially the successful application of tension reducing mills and continuous casting billets, increased production efficiency and enhanced the competitiveness of seamless and welded pipes. In the 1970s, seamless and welded pipes were developing in tandem, with global steel pipe production increasing at a rate of over 5% annually.

Since 1953, China has prioritized the development of its seamless steel pipe industry, and has initially established a production system for rolling various large, medium, and small pipes. Copper pipes are generally produced using a process of skew rolling and piercing of ingots, rolling on a tube mill, and coiling and drawing.

Applications and classifications of seamless steel pipes

Applications: Seamless steel pipes are an economical type of steel material that plays a very important role in the national economy. They are widely used in various sectors such as petroleum, chemical, boiler, power plant, shipbuilding, machinery manufacturing, automobile, aviation, aerospace, energy, geology, construction, and military industries.

Classification:

① By cross-sectional shape: Circular cross-section pipe, irregular cross-section pipe

② By material: Carbon steel pipe, alloy steel pipe, stainless steel pipe, composite pipe

③ By connection method: Threaded connection pipe, welded pipe

④ By production method: Hot-rolled (extruded, expanded, expanded) pipe, cold-rolled (drawn) pipe

⑤ By application: Boiler tube, oil well tube, pipeline pipe, structural pipe, fertilizer pipe…

Seamless steel pipe production process

① Main production processes (main inspection processes) of hot-rolled seamless steel pipes:

Bill preparation and inspection → Billet heating → Piercing → Rolling → Reheating of rough pipe → Sizing (reduction) → Heat treatment → Straightening of finished pipe → Finishing → Inspection (non-destructive, physical and chemical, bench inspection) → Warehousing

② Main production processes of cold-rolled (drawn) seamless steel pipes:

Bill preparation → Pickling and lubrication → Cold rolling (drawing) → Heat treatment → Straightening → Finishing → Inspection