Provided is a round billet capable of reducing damage on a piercing plug in a method of producing a seamless metal tube with a Mannesmann process. The round billet (5), for use in a seamless metal tube, to be produced into a seamless metal tube with a Mannesmann process includes a body having a hole (6) formed in an axial direction of the body. The hole (6) includes an aperture (6a) opening at least at one end face of the round billet (5), and a tapered portion (61) continued to the aperture (6a) and having a diameter gradually increasing toward the aperture (6a).

Provided is a round billet capable of reducing damage on a piercing plug in a method of producing a seamless metal tube with a Mannesmann process. The round billet (5), for use in a seamless metal tube, to be produced into a seamless metal tube with a Mannesmann process includes a body having a hole (6) formed in an axial direction of the body. The hole (6) includes an aperture (6a) opening at least at one end face of the round billet (5), and a tapered portion (61) continued to the aperture (6a) and having a diameter gradually increasing toward the aperture (6a).

A piercer plug having good base-material deformation resistance is provided. A method of manufacturing a piercer plug (10) includes the steps of; preparing a plug body (1) including a tip portion (11) and a cylindrical portion (12) having a hole (121) usable to attach a bar and located rearward of the tip portion (11); forming a build-up layer (2) on the surface of the tip portion (11); and heating the plug body (1) such that the temperature of the tip portion (11) with the build-up layer (2) formed thereon is not lower than the austenite transformation temperature and the temperature of the cylindrical portion (12) is lower than the austenite transformation temperature.

A piercer plug having good base-material deformation resistance is provided. A method of manufacturing a piercer plug (10) includes the steps of; preparing a plug body (1) including a tip portion (11) and a cylindrical portion (12) having a hole (121) usable to attach a bar and located rearward of the tip portion (11); forming a build-up layer (2) on the surface of the tip portion (11); and heating the plug body (1) such that the temperature of the tip portion (11) with the build-up layer (2) formed thereon is not lower than the austenite transformation temperature and the temperature of the cylindrical portion (12) is lower than the austenite transformation temperature.

The production method of a seamless steel pipe includes a heating step of heating an Nb-containing steel material to 800 to 1030 C., a pipe-making step of producing a hollow shell by performing piercing-rolling or elongation-rolling on the Nb-containing steel material, by using a piercing mill including a plurality of skewed rolls, a plug disposed between the plurality of skewed rolls, and a mandrel bar, and a cooling step immediately after rolling, of carrying out cooling using a cooling liquid on a hollow shell portion that passes between rear ends of the plurality of skewed rolls, in the hollow shell, so as to reduce an outer surface temperature of the hollow shell portion to 700 to 1000 C. within 15.0 seconds after the hollow shell portion passes between the rear ends of the plurality of skewed rolls.

The production method of a seamless steel pipe includes a heating step of heating an Nb-containing steel material to 800 to 1030 C., a pipe-making step of producing a hollow shell by performing piercing-rolling or elongation-rolling on the Nb-containing steel material, by using a piercing mill including a plurality of skewed rolls, a plug disposed between the plurality of skewed rolls, and a mandrel bar, and a cooling step immediately after rolling, of carrying out cooling using a cooling liquid on a hollow shell portion that passes between rear ends of the plurality of skewed rolls, in the hollow shell, so as to reduce an outer surface temperature of the hollow shell portion to 700 to 1000 C. within 15.0 seconds after the hollow shell portion passes between the rear ends of the plurality of skewed rolls.

A method for piercing a titanium alloy solid billet, the method including: 1) providing a Mannesmann rotary piercer including two rollers, a feed channel, a plurality of centering devices, and a mandril including a plug; fixing the mandril using the plurality of centering devices, where the Mannesmann rotary piercer has a feeding angle of 6-18, a cross angle of 15, and a roll speed of 30-90 rpm; 2) heating a titanium alloy solid billet to 930-990 C.; 3) transferring the titanium alloy solid billet to the feed channel of the Mannesmann rotary piercer; and 4) aligning the titanium alloy solid billet with the plug of the mandril, and driving the titanium alloy solid billet to pass through the plug of the mandril, thereby piercing the titanium alloy solid billet and yielding a titanium alloy tube.

A piercing machine includes a plurality of skewed rolls, a plug, a mandrel bar and an outer surface cooling mechanism. The outer surface cooling mechanism is disposed around the mandrel bar at a position that is rearward of the plug, and with respect to an outer surface of a hollow shell advancing through a cooling zone which has a specific length in an axial direction of the mandrel bar and which is located rearward of the plug, as seen from an advancing direction of the hollow shell, the outer surface cooling mechanism ejects a cooling fluid toward an upper part of the outer surface, a lower part of the outer surface, a left part of the outer surface and a right part of the outer surface of the hollow shell to cool the hollow shell inside the cooling zone.

A piercing machine includes a plurality of skewed rolls, a plug, a mandrel bar and an outer surface cooling mechanism. The outer surface cooling mechanism is disposed around the mandrel bar at a position that is rearward of the plug, and with respect to an outer surface of a hollow shell advancing through a cooling zone which has a specific length in an axial direction of the mandrel bar and which is located rearward of the plug, as seen from an advancing direction of the hollow shell, the outer surface cooling mechanism ejects a cooling fluid toward an upper part of the outer surface, a lower part of the outer surface, a left part of the outer surface and a right part of the outer surface of the hollow shell to cool the hollow shell inside the cooling zone.

A piercer plug with increased recyclability is provided. A piercer plug (1) has a chemical composition of, in mass %: 0.15 to 0.30% C; 0.4 to 1.2% Si; 0.2 to 1.5% Mn; 0.1 to 2.0% Ni; 0 to 4.0% Mo and 0 to 4.0% W, where the total content of Mo and W is 1.0 to 6.0%; higher than 1.0% and not higher than 4.0% Cr; 0 to 0.2% B; 0 to 1.0% Nb; 0 to 1.0% V; 0 to 1.0% Ti; and balance Fe and impurities, the plug including a tip portion (2) and a trunk portion (3) made of the same material as the tip portion (2) and contiguous to the tip portion (2). The trunk portion (3) includes a cylindrical portion (5) having a hole used to mount a bar. The tip portion (2) is harder than the cylindrical portion (5).