Ways to increase the operational characteristics of the mandrels of plug of piercing mill

One of the most important tasks for improving the efficiency of seamless pipe production is to improve the quality of manufactured pipe products while maintaining the optimal metal consumption rate and using available technological materials. Further development and improvement of the technology of metal forming processes in the production of pipes is directly related to the study of the interaction between the tool used and the workpiece. The current stage of development of the production of seamless hot-rolled pipes and the tightening of requirements for the characteristics of finished tubular products significantly affect the operation of pipe-rolling tools. An increase in the length of the pierced workpiece and an increase in the content of alloying elements in steel (hard-to-deform and corrosion-resistant) sharply worsen the operating conditions and reduce their wear resistance, especially the mandrels of the piercing mill. The high wear rate of the tool does not allow to ensure the constancy of the required quality of the products. In this regard, there are high requirements for mandrels, as they work in difficult extreme power and thermal conditions. The solution to the issue of increasing the operational characteristics of mandrels depends on the study of their operating conditions and the establishment of the main causes that determine wear resistance. This paper presents the results of assessing the impact of various factors affecting the wear resistance of piercing mill mandrels and, based on the results of the analysis, the most significant parameters that have the greatest impact on performance characteristics are determined, which makes it possible to determine measures aimed at increasing wear resistance. Using modern technologies and capabilities for the production of pipe-rolling tools, as well as introducing new technical solutions into technological operations for the production of pipes, it is possible to increase the wear resistance of pipe-rolling tools and ensure a consistently high quality of pipes produced.