A control system for forming a tapered structure includes a sensor providing feedback for a machine for forming a tapered structure including at least three rolls having at least one bend roll and at least two guide rolls. The guide rolls may include rollette banks having a plurality of rollettes. The machine may also include an adjustment mechanism to position at least one of the rolls, where a diameter of the tapered structure being formed is controlled by relative positions of the rolls. The machine may also include a joining element to join edges of a stock of material together as it is rolled through the rolls to form the tapered structure. The control system may also include a controller to receive feedback from the sensor and to send a control signal based on the feedback to the adjustment mechanism for positioning at least one of the rolls.

Tube forming methods can be used for efficient transition in the production of tubes having varying thickness. Material used to form consecutive tubes may have the same thickness along a separation plane separating a first discrete section from a second discrete section of the material, and the first discrete section and the second discrete section may each have varying thickness in a feed direction of the material. With such a thickness profile, the first discrete section of the material may be formed into a first cylinder having varying thickness and separated from the second discrete portion as the second discrete section is formed into a second cylinder having varying thickness. In particular, the transition between the first cylinder and the second cylinder may be achieved without scrap and/or interruption, resulting in cost-savings and improvements in production throughput associated with forming tubes having varying thickness.

An elongate tape element, a flexible pipe body and method of producing a flexible pipe body are disclosed. The tape element (508) has a cross-sectional profile comprising a body portion (510) for being positioned between collapse resistant tape windings (501) such that each body portion (510) lies at least partially in a gap (512) between adjacent collapse resistant tape windings (501); and at least one wing portion (516) extending from an end region of the body portion, the at least one wing portion configured to span the gap and respectively abut with a radially inner surface of an adjacent collapse resistant tape winding.

Tube forming methods can be used for efficient transition in the production of tubes having varying thickness. Material used to form consecutive tubes may have the same thickness along a separation plane separating a first discrete section from a second discrete section of the material, and the first discrete section and the second discrete section may each have varying thickness in a feed direction of the material. With such a thickness profile, the first discrete section of the material may be formed into a first cylinder having varying thickness and separated from the second discrete portion as the second discrete section is formed into a second cylinder having varying thickness. In particular, the transition between the first cylinder and the second cylinder may be achieved without scrap and/or interruption, resulting in cost-savings and improvements in production throughput associated with forming tubes having varying thickness.

An elongate tape element, a flexible pipe body and method of producing a flexible pipe body are disclosed. The tape element (508) has a cross-sectional profile comprising a body portion (510) for being positioned between collapse resistant tape windings (501) such that each body portion (510) lies at least partially in a gap (512) between adjacent collapse resistant tape windings (501); and at least one wing portion (516) extending from an end region of the body portion, the at least one wing portion configured to span the gap and respectively abut with a radially inner surface of an adjacent collapse resistant tape winding.

Feeding stock used to form a tapered structure into a curving device such that each point on the stock undergoes rotational motion about a peak location of the tapered structure; and the stock meets a predecessor portion of stock along one or more adjacent edges.

The present embodiments are directed to systems and methods for forming a pipe carcass. In one embodiment, a first series of forming rollers are configured for forming a primary carcass strip material. A second series of forming rollers are configured for forming a second strip material into a shape different than the primary carcass strip material. The primary carcass strip material and the second strip material, after being fed through the first and second series of rollers, respectively, are each fed concurrently into a plurality of winding rolls for assembly with one another.

A method and apparatus are disclosed with a continuous straw forming process for spiral winding boron-coated foil into a rounded tube or cylinder with an overlap and tight contact between the spiral edges, and a welding process utilizing a high precision fiber laser to weld the spiral seem forming a straw tube.

Feeding stock used to form a tapered structure into a curving device such that each point on the stock undergoes rotational motion about a peak location of the tapered structure; and the stock meets a predecessor portion of stock along one or more adjacent edges.

An apparatus for forming a carcass for encasing a tubular member including a driven rotor (20) having a front face rotatable about a pivot axis and a spool mandrel (38) positioned eccentrically on the driven rotor (20). The spool mandrel (38) is adapted to rotatably mount a roll of coiled strip material (32). The rotor (20) includes at least one counterweight (60) mounted on the front face that is dynamically movable to at least partially balance the changing weight of the roll of strip material as the strip material (32) is removed from the roll. At least one pusher roll assembly (75) is mounted on the front face and contacts a portion of the strip material (32) to partially deform the coiling of the strip material as the material is removed from the roll. An anti-kink roll assembly (90) prevents kink deformation of the strip material (32) during the formation of the carcass.