Bending analysis and control of rolled plate during snake hot rolling

In order to study the bending behavior of aluminum alloy 7050 thick plate during snake hot rolling, several coupled thermo-mechanical finite element(FE) models were established. Effects of different initial thicknesses, pass reductions, speed ratios and offset distances on the bending value of the plate were analyzed. ‘Quasi smooth plate' and optimum offset distance were defined and quasi smooth plate could be acquired by adjusting offset distance, and then bending control equation was fitted. The results show that bending value of the plate as well as the extent of the increase grows with the increase of pass reduction and decrease of initial thickness; the bending value firstly increases and then keeps steady with the ascending speed ratio; the bending value can be reduced by enlarging the offset distance. The optimum offset distance varies for different rolling parameters and it is augmented with the increase of pass reduction and speed ratio and the decrease of initial thickness. A proper offset distance for different rolling parameters can be calculated by the bending control equation and this equation can be a guidance to acquire a quasi smooth plate. The FEM results agree well with experimental results.

Effects of Hot Bending Parameters on Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Weld Metal for X80 Hot Bends

Mechanical properties of weld metal are the key factors affecting the quality of heavy-wall X80 hot induction bends. The effects of bending parameters on the mechanical properties of weld metal for hot bends were investigated by simulation conducted on a Gleeble 3500 thermal simulator. Continuous cooling transformation （CCT） dia- grams of the weld metal were also constructed. The influences of hot bending parameters （such as reheating temperature, cooling rate, and tempering temperature） on the microstructure and mechanical properties of weld metal were also analyzed. Results show that the strength of all weld metal specimens is higher than the value indicated in the technical specification and increases with the increase of reheating temperature, cooling rate, and tempering tempera ture. The impact toughness is apparently related to the variation of reheating temperature, cooling rate, and tempering temperature.

Automatic girth welding and performance evaluation of the joints of hot-induction-bend and line pipes with different wall thickness

During the process of laying long-distance oil and gas transmission pipelines, the hot-induction-bend method is extensively used when the direction has to be changed. By considering the pipeline＇ s ongoing processing and loading states during service, the pipeline that is generally used exhibits thicker walls than those that are observed in the line pipe. As such, during pipeline construction, hot-induction-bend and line pipes with different wall thickness are girth-welded. The chemical composition of hot-induction-bend and line pipes differs, with the carbon content being particularly higher in the hot-induction-bend pipe;it also depicts a higher carbon equivalent, which makes it possible to modify the girth of the pipe. In this study, using Baosteel＇ s standard X70M UOE hot- induction-bend and line pipes, solid-wire automatic gas-metal-arc girth welding was performed and the performance of the girth-welded joint was evaluated. Furthermore,the weldability of the pipeline girth and the microstructure of the girth-welded joint were analyzed. The results reveal that Baosteel＇ s standard UOE hot-induction-bend and line pipes exhibit good girth weldability, and their technical quality can be guaranteed in case of consumer field- construction applications.