To manufacture API 5l steel pipe, solid steel alloy is cut into specified length and is sent to get heated at high temperatures. Then the melting steel alloy becomes a tube shell in no time and gets rolled at a high speed. The shells are then reheated in the mandrel mill and the wall thickness and the diameters of the API steel pipes are carefully measured with the help of the hot-wall measuring system. Sometimes the operation needs to be adjusted to meet the buyers' specifications.
Alloy refers to the mixture of metals melted together to form a new metal and its characteristics can be rather different from those of the metals from which it is made. A steel alloy is primarily made of iron. Small quantities of other chemical elements such as Cu, Vn are also mixed during the melting process of steel alloy. Therefore, the properties of the steel alloy can be maximized to meet customers' demands. For instance, some type of the steel alloy contains chromium and nickel and will never rust. On the other hand, after the heat treatment, some carbon steel alloy products become sturdier. In conclusion, by varying the type and amount of the alloying elements, even in minute quantities, a huge range of steel alloys can be produced and used for a great number of industrial purposes such as the making of API steel pipe.
A whole range of steel alloys are very important to the eventual success of many projects in such fields as oil transportation and construction sites. Engineers and fabricators are well aware of the physical characteristics of each of the alloys and choose the appropriate alloy for their projects. Steels are heated up red-hot and pushed through rollers. The steel pipes are then squeezed into a particular profile, depending on the requirements of the customers. This process can take some time because the steel is so hot for so long in the open air of the steel mill. As a consequence, the surface of the metal has a long time to oxidize and a thick, tough oxide scale with the characteristic blue grey finish will be produced. In comparison, the final rolling of cold finished steels is done when the steel is cold and the whole operation bathed in oil to ensure that the finished product is totally oxygen free. However, there are many shapes available in API steel pipe, which might be explained by the properties of steel. In general, steel is a very tough material when it is cold. However, if it is heated past a particular temperature (about 1700 degress Fahrenheit) it immediately turns plastic and can be bent and squeezed very easily. And when the steel is cooled it would regain its toughness and strength. Therefore, many profiles can be easily formed in the hot condition but would be impossible to produce in the cold condition.
