TMK Chelyabinsk Tube Rolling Plant (branch) (Chelyabinsk, Russia)
K. A. Usanov, Chief Engineer

TMK Research Center (Moscow, Russia)
Ya. I. Kosmatskiy, Dr. Eng., Director of the Subdivision – Deputy General Director for Research, yaroslav.kosmatskiy@tmk-group.com

A. A. Korsakov, Cand. Eng., Head of the Seamless Pipe Department
Ya. E. Zalavin, Cand. Eng., Head of the Technological Process Modeling Laboratory, yakov.zalavin@tmk-group.com
D. V. Mikhalkin, Head of the Screw Rolling Laboratory

TMK, Chelyabinsk, Russia
V. N. Eremin, Cand. Eng., Chief Specialist

Demand for stainless steel pipes is currently growing steadily, driven by the development of the nuclear energy and oil and gas sectors. The subject of this study is a piercing mill with guide rollers in a pipe rolling unit with a pilger mill. A key challenge in piercing is the selection of routes and deformation modes that ensure minimal energy parameters combined with minimal heating temperatures for stainless steel. Solving this problem through direct industrial testing on a piercing mill carries risks associated with equipment failures and high experimental costs. Using QForm 2D/3D software, a numerical experiment was conducted on piercing billets into 08Kh18N10T steel sleeves at various temperatures and deformation rates to determine the energy-power parameters reserve of a piercing mill. It was found that reducing the piercing temperature from 1280 to 1230 °C would increase the roll torque by 15 %, making piercing impossible. Expressions were derived for calculating torque depending on roll speed and deformation temperature. The simulation results showed satisfactory agreement with the actual energy-power parameters of the piercing mill in terms of torque. The study provided a scientifically based methodology for assessing energy-power parameters when piercing billets made of stainless and other steel grades and alloys.

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