Numerical and experimental investigation of sizing process of high strength pipes producing by cold roll forming

In this paper, considering the increasing need for high strength and thin pipes in the oil and gas industries, the effects of material strength and the initial thickness of the pipe and the friction between the pipe and the roller, on the distribution of the thickness and ovality of the cross-section of pipe in the process of sizing have been numerically and experimentally investigated. The simulation is performed using the commercial software MSC Marc Mentat. Results of the simulation show that by increasing strength material and reduction of thickness, the ovality of the cross-section of pipe decrease. It has been shown that with a 2.77-fold increase in the yield strength of a pipe with thickness of 2.8 mm, the ovality decreased by 27%. By decreasing the thickness of the St37 pipe from 2.8 to 1.8 mm, the ovality decreased to 2%. These changes increase with increasing yield strength, so that in the alform700 pipe with a thickness reduction of 2.8 to 1.8 mm, the ovality decreased to 45%. Furthermore, the friction condition has very little effect on the ovality of pipe. The validity of the finite element simulation is confirmed by comparison with experimental results.