Method of quenching steel pipe, apparatus for quenching steel pipe, method of manufacturing steel pipe and facility for manufacturing steel pipe

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11230747-B2
Application number	US-201615544382-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 6, 2016
Priority date	Feb 6, 2015
Publication date	Jan 25, 2022
Grant date	Jan 25, 2022

Abstract

A method quenches a steel pipe and an apparatus quenches a steel pipe by which a steel pipe having excellent and uniform quality can be acquired by applying uniform rapid cooling to the steel pipe in a longitudinal direction as well as in a circumferential direction of the steel pipe using a simple unit. Movements of a heated steel pipe in a direction parallel to and in a direction perpendicular to a pipe axis of the steel pipe are stopped, and cooling water is jetted onto an outer surface of the steel pipe from four or more spray nozzles arranged spirally outside the steel pipe while rotating the steel pipe about the pipe axis.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of quenching a steel pipe comprising:
stopping movements of a moving heated steel pipe in a direction parallel to and in a direction perpendicular to a pipe axis of the steel pipe, and
jetting cooling water onto an outer surface of a whole length of the steel pipe from six or more spray nozzles arranged helically at equal intervals outside the steel pipe such that jetting regions of the cooling water overlap with each other helically while rotating the steel pipe about the pipe axis,
wherein two or more rotating rolls are provided to rotate a steel pipe about a pipe axis of the steel pipe,
two or more headers are provided to supply cooling water to the spray nozzles,
the headers are arranged substantially parallel to the pipe axis, and the spray nozzles are mounted on the header at an equal pitch P SN , and
the spray nozzles mounted on one of the headers and the spray nozzles mounted on another one of the headers are offset from each other in a direction of the pipe axis.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein a helical arrangement of the spray nozzles is provided in two or more rows.

3. The method according to claim 2 , wherein the cooling water is jetted onto the outer surface of the steel pipe from the spray nozzles positioned on sides opposite each other with respect to the pipe axis on a plane perpendicular to the pipe axis of the steel pipe.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein a rotational speed of the steel pipe is 5 rpm or more and 300 rpm or less.

5. An apparatus for quenching a steel pipe comprising:
two or more rotating rolls that rotate the steel pipe about a pipe axis;
six or more spray nozzles arranged helically at substantially equal intervals outside the steel pipe rotated by the rotating rolls such that jetting regions of cooling water overlap with each other helically and provided to spray cooling water onto an outer surface of a whole length of the steel pipe; and
two or more headers provided to supply cooling water to the spray nozzles,
wherein the headers are arranged substantially parallel to the pipe axis, and the spray nozzles are mounted on the header at an equal pitch P SN , and
the spray nozzles mounted on one of the headers and the spray nozzles mounted on another one of the headers are offset from each other in a direction of the pipe axis.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein
the two or more rotating rolls are arranged between the spray nozzles at an equal pitch P RL between two adjacent rotating rolls in a direction parallel to the pipe axis of the steel pipe, and
a P RL value satisfies the relationship of P RL =N×P SN with respect to an arbitrary integer N.

7. The apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the number of rows of helices of the spray nozzles is two or more.

8. The apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the spray nozzles are arranged on sides opposite each other with respect to the pipe axis on a plane perpendicular to the pipe axis of the steel pipe.

9. A method of manufacturing a steel pipe comprising quenching a steel pipe by the method according to claim 1 .

10. A facility for manufacturing a steel pipe comprising the apparatus according to claim 5 .

11. The method according to claim 2 , wherein a rotational speed of the steel pipe is 5 rpm or more and 300 rpm or less.

12. The method according to claim 3 , wherein a rotational speed of the steel pipe is 5 rpm or more and 300 rpm or less.

13. The apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the number of rows of helices of the spray nozzles is two or more.

14. A method of manufacturing a steel pipe comprising quenching a steel pipe by the method according to claim 2 .

15. A method of manufacturing a steel pipe comprising quenching a steel pipe by the method according to claim 3 .

16. A method of manufacturing a steel pipe comprising quenching a steel pipe by the method according to claim 4 .

17. A facility for manufacturing a steel pipe comprising the apparatus according to claim 7 .

18. A facility for manufacturing a steel pipe comprising the apparatus according to claim 6 .

Assignees

• Jfe Steel Corp

Inventors

• Fukuda Hiroyuki
• Kijima Hideo

Classifications

• C21D9/08

  for tubular bodies or pipes · CPC title

• B21B23/00

  Tube-rolling not restricted to methods provided for in only one of groups B21B17/00, B21B19/00, B21B21/00, e.g. combined processes {planetary tube rolling, auxiliary arrangements, e.g. lubricating, special tube blanks, continuous casting combined with tube rolling}(B21B25/00 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B21B45/02

  for lubricating, cooling, or cleaning {(in particular in combination with forging or pressing devices B21B15/005, control of flatness or profile using lubricating or cooling B21B37/44)} · CPC title

• C21D1/00

  General methods or devices for heat treatment, e.g. annealing, hardening, quenching or tempering · CPC title

• B05B9/035

  to several spraying apparatus (B05B9/0423 takes precedence) · CPC title