After a successful test phase in February 2018, TMK-ARTROM based in Slatina, Romania, granted SMS group the final acceptance certificate (FAC) for the supplied tube and pipe heat treatment line. Designed for an annual capacity of 160,000 tons, the new heat treatment line will be used for the production of seamless high-strength pipes up to a wall thickness of 60 millimeters for mechanical applications as well as of special OCTG pipes (oil country tubular goods).
The project mainly consisted of the supply of an austenitizing furnace with walking beam transport system, a cooling quenching head, a quenching tank, a walking beam tempering furnace and a cooling bed.
During final acceptance testing, some very outstanding results were achieved: in particular, it was possible to quench a pipe of steel grade 4140 of 50 millimeters wall thickness, reaching 90% of martensite without generating any cracks in the pipe, as the ultrasonic test confirmed. Such result is enabled by the precision and performance of the control system of SMS group quenching devices. According to TMK-ARTROM, currently no other pipe producer is able to reach these results with a water based-quench.
âSMS group has confirmed its longstanding experience and reliability as a partner able to successfully deal with technological challenges like this commis¬sioning at TMK-ARTROM,â? states Cristian Drinciu, COO of TMK-ARTROM.
