Features, types and scope of profile pipes

Pipes are one of the most common types of rolled metal products. It is difficult to overestimate the frequency of their use in various fields of human activity: construction, oil and gas transportation, housing and communal services, automobile and shipbuilding, and furniture production. It is customary to classify pipe products according to the production method, material of manufacture, shape and size of the cross section, and wall thickness. Profile pipes is one of the types of pipe products that deserves special attention. It is about them that will be discussed in this article.

What is a profile pipe and how is it produced?

Profile is a pipe that has a cross section other than round: square, rectangle, oval. The production and rules for the use of each type are regulated by different standards:

• square profile pipes are produced in accordance with GOST 8639-82.
• pipes with a rectangular section - according to GOST 8645-68.
• oval shaped steel - in accordance with GOST 8642-68.

Any pipe rolled products, including profile ones, can be welded and seamless:

1. Welded profile pipes are made from special steel strips - strips. It is bent, and the edges are welded. Next, the workpiece is passed through a special machine with rollers, giving it the necessary shape - rectangular, square, oval. Sometimes the workpiece can be heated. The process of forming profile rolled products from a heated billet is called hot-rolled. This method is used for the manufacture of pipes with a wall thickness of up to 14 mm. In this case, the surface of the product becomes rough, but the metal loses its internal stress. Therefore, such pipes are used in the construction of building frames, load-bearing supports and other critical structures. Products with a wall thickness of up to 8 mm can be cold rolled. They have high surface quality, precise geometric parameters. They lend themselves well to bending and are resistant to significant mechanical stress. Used for the production of furniture, in the manufacture of industrial equipment, in the automotive industry and other areas with increased performance requirements for materials.

2. Seamless products are formed from seamless steel tubular blanks. The production method is similar to the production of welded profile steel and also allows the production of both hot-rolled and cold-rolled seamless profile pipes. The absence of a welded seam makes such rolled products more resistant to high pressure, more durable and ductile.

What is good about profiled steel

The main advantage of shaped pipes is their increased resistance to bending due to stiffeners (approximately 30% higher compared to round bars). They weigh little. Compared to a channel or beam, a structure using shaped pipes as supports will weigh 25% less at the same level of strength. Even greater savings can be brought by the use of rectangular rolled products instead of square ones. This technique will reduce material consumption by another 10-20%.

High stiffness rates allow the use of rolled products with a smaller cross section for frame structures. This solution significantly reduces aerodynamics and helps save on protective coating. Flat edges will allow you to easily screw in screws, attach any sheet material to pipes. They are also very easy to cut and weld, store or transport.

Where and how are profile pipes used?

The topic of using profile pipes is covered in many articles and forums. But that doesn't make it any less popular. Furniture industry, auto and ship building, mechanical engineering and many others. But the main interest in profiled steel remains in construction in general and in the construction of frame houses, in particular.

Why did the technology become popular?

Previously, rolled steel was used only for the construction of frames for industrial buildings: hangars, sheds, farms, greenhouses. But now you can find houses, restaurants, suburban complexes, cafes, offices and other premises built using the same technology.

What are the benefits?

1. It helps to save a lot on building materials. Everyone understands that a frame made of professional pipes will be an order of magnitude cheaper than the same frame, but made of wood.
2. Such a building can be built faster than a brick or wooden one.
3. They are light. Such buildings do not need time to shrink.
4. Manipulations with liquid solutions during the construction of such a house will be limited