Numerical Prediction of the Outer Diameter for SAW Pipes Formed by Press-Brake Bending

Abstract Press-brake bending is used to shape flat and thick plates into a targeted circular configuration without excessive localized thinning or thickening. A brake bending press called 'a knife press bending apparatus' has been widely adopted to manufacture thick, large and long pipe from initially thick plate. Submerged Arc Welded (SAW) pipes are also produced by employing press-brake bending. These pipes are mainly used for oil, natural gas and water pipelines. The principal process variables for press-brake bending can be summarized as stroke of the press-brake knife, the distance between both roll in the lower die, and the feeding length of the plate. Many combinations of these process variables are available, thus various pipe diameters can be realized. In the current study, a series of repetitive numerical simulations by feeding a thick plate with initial thickness of 25.4mm were conducted with the consideration of elastic recovery. Furthermore, an index for SAW pipe production is proposed which can be widely used in industry.