Can Stainless Steel Welded Pipes be Made into Thick-walled Pipes?

Jane

In the minds of many people, stainless steel welded pipes seem to be equivalent to thin-walled pipes. They think that their wall thickness is greatly limited and thick pipes cannot be made. This is actually a common misunderstanding. This misunderstanding mainly occurs because in the past, it has been emphasized that stainless steel welded pipes are easier to make into thin-walled pipes than seamless pipes under the same degree of compressive strength, and the cost is also lower, which has left a deep impression on everyone. But in fact, with the development of technology, stainless steel welded pipes have long broken this limitation, and thick-walled stainless steel welded pipes have been widely used in many industrial fields.

Thick-walled stainless steel welded pipes have been widely used

In the field of petrochemicals, many chemical plants need to transport various corrosive media. Thick-walled stainless steel welded pipes, with their excellent corrosion resistance and high strength, can ensure the stable operation of pipelines under complex working conditions and ensure the continuity of production. In oil and gas production, oil pipes need to withstand high pressure, corrosion and formation pressure. Thick-walled stainless steel welded pipes are fully capable of this job and effectively avoid safety issues such as leakage. In the boiler manufacturing industry, whether it is an industrial boiler or a power station boiler, thick-walled stainless steel welded pipes are used to manufacture important components, such as superheaters, reheaters, etc. It can withstand high temperature and high pressure environments to ensure the safe and efficient operation of the boiler.

Thick–walled stainless steel welded pipe size

To judge whether a stainless steel welded pipe is a thick pipe, it cannot be determined simply based on the wall thickness value, but also needs to be judged comprehensively based on the pipe diameter. In practical applications, 3.0mm – 10.mm thick stainless steel fluid pipes are very common. Some chemical plants, oil pipes, boiler pipes, etc. often use pipes in this thickness range. If the pipe diameter is small, such as 20mm, a wall thickness of 3mm is considered thick pipe; But if the pipe diameter reaches 200mm, a wall thickness of 10mm may not be considered thick. Therefore, the definition of thick pipe is relative and should be determined based on the pipe diameter and specific usage scenarios.

Thick-walled stainless steel welded pipe production process

The process of making thick-walled stainless steel welded pipes is relatively complicated. Usually, the stainless steel plate or strip is uncoiled and flattened first to ensure that the surface of the material is flat and smooth, laying a good foundation for subsequent processing. The ends are then cut and welded to splice the materials into appropriate lengths. After that, a certain amount of material is stored in the loop to ensure the continuity of production. The material is then gradually bent into a tube shape using a mold. This process must be precisely controlled to ensure that the tube diameter and roundness meet the requirements. Then welding is carried out. Common welding methods include argon arc welding, high frequency welding, plasma welding, etc. After welding is completed, it is necessary to remove the internal and external weld beads, and carry out pre-calibration, induction heat treatment, sizing and straightening processes. Finally, eddy current testing, water pressure inspection and other testing methods are used to ensure product quality.

Conclusion

With the continuous advancement of science and technology, the technology of making thick stainless steel welded pipes will continue to develop. New materials and processes will continue to emerge, making thick-walled stainless steel welded pipes more excellent in performance and further reducing costs. I believe that in the future, stainless steel welded pipes will make greater breakthroughs in the field of thick pipe production and play an important role in more fields. If you are interested in the application of stainless steel welded pipes, please continue to pay attention to Permanent Steel Manufacturing Co., Ltd.

Read more: How to ldentify Inferior Stainless Steel Welded Pipes?