New Technologies for the

Economical & Flexible Production of

Large-diameter Pipes
JCOE® Forming Process

Extreme service conditions of pipelines

1 04.2007
JCOE® Forming Process

The most important properties of large-diameter pipes are:

• strength
• toughness
• weldability under site conditions
• sour service applications
• geometry and tolerances

The material properties have to be ensured in a process that

combines micro-alloyed low carbon steel with a sophisticated
thermomechanical rolling method, while pipe geometry and
tolerances are the result of the manufacturing process.

2 04.2007
JCOE® Forming Process

Different technologies for manufacturing of

longitudinally welded large-diameter pipes.

®
U/O 3-RB JCO

®
JCO
Forming Tool

®
JCO
Forming Blade

Expansion Expansion Expansion

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JCOE® Forming Process

Production Methods

Large-diameter pipes in particular longitudinal submerged arc

welded pipes (LSAW) are produced in a diameter range from 16"
to 64", and thus mainly in a range in which seamless steel tubes
can no longer be manufactured cost-effectively. Wall
thicknesses up to 65 mm are possible, depending on the
production process, with wall thickness to diameter ratios [t/d]
ranging from 6% to 8%.

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JCOE® Forming Process

Large-diameter pipes (LSAW) are used in a wide variety of

applications today:

• Carbon steel line pipes for gas, water and oil transport,

• Stainless steel pipes for the chemical industry,

• Structural pipes for the offshore industry,

• Products for boiler construction and structural pipes for

special applications.

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JCOE® Forming Process

There are only a small number of processes that are employed

industrially today to produce large-diameter pipes from plate or
strip material.

These processes differ primarily in the method used to form the

pipe body. After the forming stage, further processing of the
pipes is the same.

The forming of longitudinal submerged arc welded pipes can

nowadays be performed by means of the following processes:

• UOE process

• 3-roll bending process

• JCOE® forming process

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JCOE® Forming Process

The Manufacturing Process

• UOE Process

This well-known and established process achieves the highest

output, but is also the most capital intensive. The abbreviation
stands for the stages U-ing, O-ing and mechanical Expanding.

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JCOE® Forming Process

U-ing press O-ing press

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JCOE® Forming Process

3-roll Bending Process

In this process, the plate is formed into an open seam pipe in

several passes of a 3-roll bending machine. The open edges are
not formed and remain straight. Once formed, the open seam
pipe is transported to an edge bending machine, where the two
longitudinal edges of the plate are crimped by rolls in a
continuous process.

Although it is prestressed, the unsupported upper roll places

certain limitations on the 3-roll bending method. These restrict
the formable wall thickness and make it impossible to shape
pipes with small diameters and thick walls, or pipes longer than
12.2 metres.

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JCOE® Forming Process

3-roll bending machine

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JCOE® Forming Process

• JCOE® Forming Process

The JCOE® forming process developed by SMS Meer using the

forming press as main forming aggregate has been able to
establish itself on the market in recent years against the UOE
process and the 3-roll bending process due its greater flexibility,
highest product quality and lower investment costs.
The JCOE® pipe forming process is the most suitable process
for being able to also produce small diameter pipes with large
wall thickness. This will enable the market segment for
offshore pipelines to be served, too.
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JCOE® Forming Process

JCO® forming press

General view of a forming press Different steps from

plate into open-seam
pipe

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JCOE® Forming Process

In the JCOE® process, the plate – milled and crimped at the

edges – is delivered to a forming press, moved to the bending
position by manipulators, then formed over the whole plate
length into an open seam pipe in a series of stages by a die
matched to the pipe dimension. The press operates with two
manipulators. One side of the plate is bent first to form a half-
round, the “J “. Then the plate is moved across and the second
side is positioned by the second manipulator and bent to shape
the “C“ and finally the “O“. The open-seam pipe thus formed is
sufficiently round with plane-parallel edges ideal for welding.

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JCOE® Forming Process

The forming press can be designed in two variants, either as a

short-stroke press or as a long-stroke press.

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JCOE® Forming Process

The short-stroke version is employed for the production of

exclusively linepipes with wall thickness up to 40 mm.
A JCO® forming tool is used here. The pipe forming press
designed as a long-stroke press operates with a maximum press
force of 65 MN for pipe lengths up to 12.2 m (100 MN for 18.3 m).

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JCOE® Forming Process

The press is designed as long-stroke version for the production of

linepipes and pipes with heavy walls up to 65 mm. In this case, a
special forming blade for the process steps of forming the thick
wall is employed in addition to the JCO® forming tool.

This allows on the one hand large quantities of pipes to be

formed, and on the other hand special dimensional requirements
to be met.

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JCOE® Forming Process

Summary

Of the different methods available for producing large-diameter

pipes, the variant incorporating the forming press represents an
excellent compromise between investment costs, operating costs
and capacity.

The following table gives an overview and comparison of the

production capacities

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 JCOE® Forming Process

Process comparision

Max. Pipe Production

Length Capacity
[m] [1,000 t/a]
Wall thickness [mm]

JCOE®-Forming Process
18.6 50 – 450

18.6 500 – 1,000

UOE-Process

3-Roll Bending Process

12.2 80 – 300

Outside Diamter [Inch]

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JCOE® Forming Process

The JCOE® forming process is very flexible thanks to:

• flexible and variable capacities, also for small production

• short tool changing times,

• low tool costs,

• long tool service lives,

• low maintenance requirement,

• simple handling,

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JCOE® Forming Process

Process innovations

Pipe lengths from 12.2 to 18.3 m possible

Reduction in the laying costs in the field
Increased line safety

New JCO® forming tool design

Increased plant productivity

Actuators for positioning the JCO® forming tool

Influencing of the pipe geometry

Active actuators in the lower beam

Influencing of the pipe geometry

20 04.2007