04-

631,
Innovation in seamless tube rolling technology

.0 *
X X

hi
6g

High-performance Assel process

SMS
Assel mill plant production process
Classic Assel mill plant
Schematic production process
Figure 1
The further development of the Meer Assel process
The further development of the Assel technology
proven over decades is a result of the market
demands for tube rolling mills for a wide size range
and high product quality, with relatively low invest-
ment costs and capacities, depending on the pro-
duct mix, from approx. 50,000 to 100,000 tonnes
per year.
Changes in the plant layout and their technological
influences on the rolling process
The production processes in a classic Assel mill
plant and in a modern Assel mill plant are compared
in Figures 1 and 2.
The piercing process in the barrel-type piercer
In the classic Assel mill, the billet is pierced in a
cross-roll piercer with barrel-shaped rolls. As a rule,
piercing is carried out without greater expansion -
billet diameter and hollow diameter are practically
identical. A corresponding billet dimension is there-
fore required for every pass size in the Assel mill.
Consequently if a plant has a broad product mix, a
large number of billet sizes is required.
The piercing process in the cone-type piercer
In the new plant configuration, a cone type piercer
is used to pierce the billet. Piercing of the billet with
cone-shaped rolls enables large expansion and
elongation ratios to be achieved. This possibility of
large expansion ratios allows different hollow dimen-
sions to be rolled from one billet diameter, thus per-
mitting an optimum adaptation of the hollow dimen-
sion to the demanded shell dimensions in the Assel
process. The rolling of different hollow diameters
enables the number of different billet diameters
required to be minimised. Exploitation of the large
elongation ratios allows thin-walled hollows to be
pierced, thus enhancing the process engineering
capabilities of the Assel mill for producing thin-
walled shells.
Elongation in the Assel mill
The production possibilities in the Assel mill have
been significantly expanded as a result of design
modifications in the construction of the Assel mill
stand and the mandrel bar circulation system in the
process chain, and as a result of technological
measures, i.a. in the roll sizing. Through the use of
the NEL (No End Losses) system and the applica-
tion of the quick lifting and quick closing methods,
thin-walled tubes up to d/t*1 = approx. 30 can now
be produced.
*' d/t = diameter/wall thickness
Design features of the cone-type piercer

Cone-type piercer in an Assel mill line

PM/DB

)L=6

10 15 20 25 30 DH/t

Forming zone - cone-type piercer with Diescher discs Forming range

Design features of the cone-type piercer
The cone-type piercer is characterised by the
following design features:
Vertical roll arrangement;
Inclination of the roll shafts by 15 to 20 to
reduce the material load;
Separate, variable-speed drives for the rolls to
permit optimum adaptation of the roll speeds to
the rolling conditions;
Low-expansion rigid stand construction for precision
piercing even with extreme rolling forces;
Billet guiding up to the rolls in a tubular guide;
Guiding of the rolling stock in the forming zone by
means of Diescher discs or guide shoes;
Guiding of the mandrel bar and the hollow in 3-roll
guides;
Stable start-of-rolling conditions owing to the loca-
tion of the first 3-roll guide in the mill stand proper;
Computer-controlled setting of the rolls and guides
in the roll gap;
Process control by recording of the rolling results
for correction of setting parameters and quality
assurance
Design features of the Assel mill plant
The high-performance Assel mill plant is character-
ised by the following features
Assel stand design
Stand construction of sturdy slab design with mini-
mum frame spring-back under rolling pressure;
Individual setting of the rolls using electromech-
anical drives;
Rotation of the roll assemblies using electromecha-
nical drives with position monitoring;
Fully automatic setting to optimum rolling para-
meters determined in practice;
Assel stand in working position
Layout of Assel mill plant
Recording and checking of the settings by automatic
measurement of the rolling results downline of the
Assel mill;
Good reproducibility of the settings;
Stabilisation of the rolling process using the
"quick closing", "quick lifting" and "NEL" systems;
Hinged stand upper section for simple roll
changing using a roll lifting device.
Roll changing on the Assel stand
 Plant designations
Rotary hearth furnace
Cone-type piercer
Assel mill
Induction reheating furnace
Stretch-reducing mill
SRM measuring point 1
SRM measuring point 2
Rotary saw
Cooling bed

Inlet side of the Assel mill

The process is designed for rolling with only one Mandrel bar cooling:
mandrel bar. The mandrel bar is designed for internal water
Mandrel bar retaining device: cooling.
The mandrel bar is placed into a retaining device Mandrel bar lubrication:
with which all the movements of the mandrel bar The lubricant is applied to the mandrel bar during
from the threading process, through the forward or the threading process.
backward movement during the rolling process, up
to the retraction of the mandrel bar after the rolling Outlet side of the Assel mill
process can be precisely controlled. Specially designed 3-roll guides are used to
Entry guides: avoid twisting of thin-walled tubes.
In order to stabilise the rolling process, the mand- The guide rolls rotate synchronously with the speed
rel bar and the hollow are held in 3-roll guides. of shell rotation.

Mandrel bar starting posh ion Mill centerline

_
"- !

' "-.....
S
t F

\\
|
1
h
1 =K 3t 3 Mandrel bar and hollow
\ move to mill centerline

x
E3" i-A
^V
Jr^
r"Tt 5
5. Mandrel bar retraction and
t F > loading of next hollow
Mandrel bar travel

Schematic diagram of the mandrel bar manipulation

Finish-rolling in the stretch-reducing mill

V
Stretch-reducing mill

Finish-rolling of the produced shells into the various which represent the latest in computer applications
hot-finished tube sizes is performed by stretch-reduc- for production control and production monitoring.
ing or by sizing. In order to ensure the product qua- CARTA/Technology System
lity with close tolerances on the produced tubes Production planning & control system

and to minimise the material losses in the reduction Technology Toolshop

* SRM Pulpit
CARTA Stand management & CARTA*
process, SMS Meer offers its CARTAAechnology groove planning groove dressing Process man;

System comprising the following main components:

CEC Crop End Control
WTCA Wall Thickness Control Average
WTCL Wall Thickness Control Local
The graphs below show practical examples of the
use of a crop end control system to reduce end
losses and the wall thickness control system to
reduce wall thickness deviations.
Today SMS Meer offers the use of fully automated,
simulation-aided systems in the production process

CEC off CEC on

M 6 50%
i
.

50 75 3 - 2 - 1 0 1 2 3 4 5
Number of tubes Wall thickness deviation [%]
Reduction of crop end losses Reduction of wall thickness deviation
 High-performance Assel mill plant
Schematic production process
Stretch-reducing mill
Figure 2
The most important technical features of modern
SMS Meer Assel mills are:
Controlled mandrel bar movement, forwards or
backwards - depending on the tube size;
Only one mandrel bar is employed in the rolling
process;
Stabilisation of the rolling process for thin-walled
shells during the inlet and outlet phase through
the use of the roll quick adjustment systems
(quick closing, quick lifting) and the NEL (No End
Losses) system;
Sturdy stand design with minimum stand springback;
Roll setting with high precision and reproducibility;
Automatic process control.
Benefits to be achieved from the use of the
modern Assel mill plant:
Expansion of the production capabilities in the
thin-wall size range;
Reduction in the number of billet diameters required;
High charge weights;
Low material losses;
Better surface quality of the rolling stock;
Lower tool costs;
Savings in personnel costs;
Computer-aided process control and process
automation;
Better starting material handling thanks to re-
duction in the starting material sizes.
Induction heater
Finish-rolling stage
In the classic mill plants, the finish-rolling stage
generally consists of a sizing mill with 7-12 two-high
stands with limited roll adjustment possibilities.
As a result of the forming conditions in the two-high
stands, subsequent rounding in a rounding mill is
common practice. The maximum total reduction in
the sizing mill is approx. 20-30%.
In new plants, finish-rolling is performed by reducing
in up to 28 three-roll stands. Here a total reduction
of up to 80% can be achieved in the finish-rolling
stage and the number of shell sizes required can be
significantly reduced.
The roundness of the tubes after reduction satisfies
the requirements of all the relevant standards. An
additional rounding mill is therefore no longer ne-
cessary.
Overall, the advantages in the forming stages pro-
duce a considerable increase in the charge weights
and permit the production of hot-finished tube lengths
up to approx. 80 m. In order to make optimum use
of the cooling bed width in such cases, the tube
strand leaving the stretch-reducing mill is cut with a
rotary saw into cooling bed or finished lengths. A
rotary saw can be used for cutting tubes with a wall
thickness up to approx. 14 mm.
Forming stages in an Assel mill plant Production range
The Assel process is suited to the production of
Billet tubes in the diameter range from 25 to 244.5 mm
with medium and heavy wall thicknesses according
to tube grades and standards such as:
Pierced billet General seamless tubes e.g. to DIN 2448,
(hollow) DIN 1629;
Oilfield tubulars to API standards;
Tubes for special applications such as roller
Shell bearing tubes, mechanical tubing, etc.;
Shells for cold further processing

Tube

Characteristic data of possible plant types Typical production range for Assel mill plants

Plant type 4" 9 5/8" 250

Billet
Diameter mm 110-120 110-270
Length m 1.5-4.0 1.5-4.0
200
Weight kg 110-300 110-1,800
Pierced billet
(hollow)
Diameter mm 114-130 115-274 i 150
Wall thickness mm 8-27 8-62
Elongation - 1.3-3.8 1.3-4.8
Length m 4.5-8 5-10
100
Shell
Diameter mm 110-120 120-256
Wall thickness mm 3.7-22.5 3.7-57 High-performance Assel
Elongation - 1.4-2.2 1.25-2.2 50 Classic Assel
Length m 6-15 6.5-15
Finished tube
Diameter mm 25.4-101.6 50.8-244.5
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70
Wall thickness mm 2.5-24 3-60 Tube wall thickness [mm]
Length max. m approx. 80 approx. 30

SMS Meer GmbH

Ohlerkirchweg 66 41069 Monchengladbach
P.O. Box 100645 41006 Monchengladbach

Germany )

Phone (+49-21 61) 3 50-0 Fax (+49-21 61) 3 50-867

E-mail: info@sms-meer.com http://www.sms-meer.com