The subtleties of cold pipe cutting

Separation of pipes into segments does not necessarily occur with the use of a gas cutter. There are other methods that do not require heating, combined under the name cold pipe cutting. For performance of such work the specialized car is used.

Processing of pipes without fire is attractive because the cut is made according to exactly the intended size. The main working details are the special cutters.

They can be set in motion:

• hydraulic line;

• compressed air;

• electricity.

The disassembling frame allows to use the device at an arbitrarily chosen point of the pipeline. It is only necessary to stitch a pair of half-rings and fix them. Special machines, cutting tubes, are in demand in a variety of industries. They are valued by experts in conventional and nuclear energy, shipbuilders and chemists, employees of power plants and boilers.Of course, such equipment is widely used in public utilities and construction, in the oil and gas industry.

The designers of the machines were not limited to giving them only a cutting function.

They took care of the possibility of performing other technological operations:

• boring on the internal section;

• chamfering at the outer wall;

• getting the same chamfer from the inside.

Cold pipe cutting allows you to form a smooth cut along a well-defined path. Further processing is not required, and the steel in the notch will retain the original properties. The absence of fire and heat in general makes the procedure almost safe. The equipment used is fast, takes up little space and has a small mass. Adjusting it to the required parameters is not difficult.

With the help of machines for cold cutting of pipes, structures with a diameter of 2.5 to 123 cm can be processed. If you need to cut structures of smaller or larger sections, this method is not suitable. The special bending roller helps to make the main working parts of the structure more durable. Collet block is usually used for clamping the cut pipe.

Similar designs were developed in the early 1960s. But the main advantages compared with alternative solutions are still not in doubt. Increased equipment performance and reduced cutting tool costs are noted by all engineers. It is recommended that this approach be used for cutting steel pipes with thick walls.

But the equipment does not stand still, and the designs developed half a century ago have noticeably improved. Modern mobile pipe cutters are also used when installing pipe products, and when working in factory workshops. Apparatus that meets the latest standards can even cut an endless tube (precisely because they are made in the form of a collapsible structure). Such mechanisms are compact enough to be applied in a limited workspace.

The main technological operations of modern pipe cutters are:

• combining cutting and trimming;

• cold cutting with radial feed;

• trimming two ends at one time;

• bringing the flanges to the desired condition;

• boring the ends of pipe products from the inside.

In places with limited access, cold cutting machines can be remotely controlled. In the manufacture of the mechanism are widely used aluminum alloys, which allows to drastically reduce its severity and not lose with the mechanical strength.

Much of the work still depends not only on technology, but also on the performers. When the goal is to cut the pipe at an angle of 45 or 90 degrees, it is recommended to prepare a template. This will greatly simplify subsequent manipulations and ensure their accuracy.

A cut in the longitudinal plane requires the most careful fastening and careful execution of the cut. Usually, with the help of a thread, a straight line is drawn, strictly along which the tool is moved. To keep the thin-walled tube intact and not break, it is pre-filled from the inside with sand. If it is necessary to cut a pipe from copper or aluminum, usually miniature pipe cutters of special series are used.The suitability of equipment for one or another of the required manipulations should be clarified in advance when placing an order.

You can learn more about how cold pipe cutting takes place in the following video.