Steel Pipe Misalignment Calculation System
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for assessing misalignment during steel pipe butt welding rely on visual inspection, which is inadequate for quantifying and minimizing misalignment, leading to potential weld zone failures.
Innovation Solution
A misalignment calculation system that uses profile data from both internal and external surface geometries of steel pipes to calculate misalignment amounts by aligning angle datums and determining optimal alignment angles to minimize misalignment, incorporating a calculator to quantify misalignment and determine the angle at which it becomes minimum.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If visual inspection is used to check misalignment, then the inspection process is simple and quick, but the measurement precision is insufficient to quantify misalignment accurately
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical/visual inspection system with a computational system that uses profile data and angle measurements to calculate misalignment quantitatively. The misalignment calculation unit computes misalignment amounts based on measured profile data from both steel pipes and the angle between them, substituting subjective visual assessment with objective mathematical calculation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary computational process that processes raw measurement data (profile data and angle measurements) to produce misalignment quantification. This intermediary calculation layer transforms basic measurements into meaningful misalignment metrics, enabling precise evaluation without requiring complex direct measurement apparatus.
2Manufacturing precision
If steel pipes with matching outer and inner diameters are prepared, then the manufacturing precision is improved, but misalignment still occurs due to ovalizing and geometric deformation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary measurement of profile data and angle measurements before welding to predict and evaluate potential misalignment. By calculating misalignment amounts in advance using the measured data, the system enables pre-welding assessment and optimization of pipe positioning to ensure weld zone reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the approach from controlling only dimensional parameters (outer diameter, inner diameter) to including geometric parameters (profile shape, angle orientation). By incorporating profile data and angle measurements into the misalignment calculation, the system accounts for ovalizing and geometric deformations that dimensional control alone cannot prevent.
3Reliability
If misalignment is not quantified and evaluated, then the inspection process is simple, but the risk of weld zone failure increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where misalignment calculation results provide quantitative information about the alignment quality before welding. This feedback enables operators to adjust pipe positioning and orientation to minimize misalignment, thereby improving weld zone reliability through data-driven decision making.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses the measured profile data and angle measurements from the pipes themselves to calculate misalignment, allowing the measurement data to serve multiple purposes. The same data used for basic dimensional verification also enables misalignment quantification, reducing the need for separate evaluation processes.
Data Source
AI summary
A misalignment calculation system comprising a misalignment calculator for calculating a misalignment occurring in butt welding of end portions of a first steel pipe and a second steel pipe by using profile data measured in a circumferential direction on the first steel pipe end portion by presetting a first angle datum, and profile data measured in a circumferential direction on the second steel pipe end portion by presetting a second angle datum. The misalignment calculator calculates the misalignment amount in a state in which an angle formed between the first and second angle datums is adjusted to an input angle and in which the center of profile data showing an external surface geometry at the first steel pipe end portion is aligned with the center of the profile data showing an external surface geometry at an end portion of the second steel pipe so that misalignment can be evaluated.