Abstract
Due to the good mechanical properties of forged parts, the forging process plays a decisive role in the manufacturing of seamless stainless steel pipes for oil country tubular goods (OCTG) lines. Tough competition between manufacturers gives them plenty of incentive to make their processes in raw material and energy usage more and more efficient. In this context the expansion process is one of the critical production steps in the manufacturing of seamless stainless steel pipes. This work presents a sensitivity analysis of a finite element method (FEM) for the simulation of the expansion of the alloy UNS N08028. The input parameters ram speed, tool angle, initial ID and final ID of the billet as well as temperature were used to describe responses like tool wear and material loss. With the aim to minimize the tool wear and to reduce the material waste, a study of influence of the input parameters on the mentioned responses were performed. This development is supported by experimental work in order to validate the simulation model. The sector demand for new materials with specific properties and the cost-intensive experimental trials justifies the use of such simulation tools and opens great opportunities for the industry.
Highlights
The extension of product portfolio with new grades and materials with specific properties demanded by the seamless stainless steel pipe sector significantly increases the number of tests in the production line of the companies
As for the reduction of the raw material costs, the maximum value of the total material waste (TMW) was chosen to carry out the sensitivity analysis using a multiple linear model
The TMW was defined as a combination of machining and remainder losses
Summary
The extension of product portfolio with new grades and materials with specific properties demanded by the seamless stainless steel pipe sector significantly increases the number of tests in the production line of the companies For this reason, a FEM model has been established as a highly valuable tool to detect process failures in early design stages and to reduce production standstill times. The expansion process is a well-known method to produce expanded billet in order to reduce material waste during the pipe production. In this step, the billet is introduced in a container and compressed with an expansion tool – a so-called nose – characterised by its inclined contact area. The main application area of alloy UNS N08028 is the oil and gas industry for OCTG lines [1]
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