Presentazioni e Articoli Tecnici

In welded tube manufacturing, the electric resistance welding (EW) process begins with a coiled plate of steel with appropriate thickness and width to conform the produced tube. The strip is pulled through a series of rollers that gradually cold conform it into a tubular shape. The edges of the cylindrical plate come together forming a V. The strip edges are heated with a high frequency power source, both using contact electrodes or magnetic induction coils. The edges weld properly when they come into contact at a temperature slightly higher than the melting point. The effect of the geometric variables on the process productivity and efficiency, and on the weld quality, is very important. To better understand the influence of these parameters and to contribute to their optimization, a numerical model which simulates heating previous to welding was developed using COMSOL Multiphysics® software.