SAFIRE Projects (1)
November 29th, 1987
Report 3 from a series of 4 Prosyma Research Ltd reports to Ametex AG, 29th November, 1987 to 1st December 1988.
Report 2 dated 24th February 1988 and Report 3 dated 16th May 1988.
S F Bush
Summary: Progress on pipe surface finish quality with SAFIRE material
The project has concentrated on developing the process technology needed to achieve an acceptable finish on both the internal and external pipe surfaces simultaneously. This report reviews the developments from the beginning of the work in December 1986, i.e. before the SAFIRE ‘A’ project commenced on 1st October 1987 up to the end of April 1988.
This overview enables the essential continuity in the work to be seen so that we can converge on the solution as rapidly as possible.
In the period up to the start of the Ametex project, calibration was carried out either on the outside or on the inside of the pipe, but not both sides together. To carry out both together has required a major design changed followed by a sequence of mechanical and operational changes in the light of the experience gained. These changes are recorded in the body of the report and summarised in Tables 1-5 of the Appendix. The progress towards achieving the required finish is summarised immediately overleaf.
The indications are now that the solution is in sight using a heated mandrel followed by a cooled extension, together with a cooled outer calibration die placed in specific relation to it. This system is then followed by intense cooling by means of a water spray and trough combination.
It should be noted that reaching this point has generated fundamental information on the behaviour of SAFIRE material in the melt state vital to the scale-up stage.