Spun Steel Pipes for the Offshore Industry

Abstract

Many parts either for sea-line pipes as “buckle” or “crack arrestor,” or for structures may require the use of wall tubular products with high mechanical properties. Such heavy-wall pipes may be produced by centrifugal casting. Two Mn-Mo steels have been developed for medium-wall pipes (e≤35 mm) to be used under very severe climatic conditions: an acicular ferritic steel, a pearlite reduced steel produced by controlled rolling techniques [1, 2, 3]. More alloyed chemical composition and heat-treatments are needed to produce heavy-wall pipes. Then, production of such pipes is more difficult and sometimes impossible. Observations made on controlled-rolled Mn-Mo steel led to a better understanding of the influence of metallurgical structures and chemical composition on steel characteristics. Similar metallurgical structures can only be reached via other routes, for example centrifugal-casting of steel associated with heat-treatment, lead to the production of heavy-wall pipes with high strength and suitable transition temperature. After a brief description of the centrifugal casting technique, we introduce the grades developed for heavy-wall pipes with yield strength up to 100,000 psi. The mechanical properties, Battelle, fatigue, static bending, C.O.D., weldability, etc., of Centrishore II are given and compared to other materials. Possible offshore applications and other potential applications of parts produced by centrifugal casting are described.