Friction welded drill pipes

Friction welded drill pipes manufactured by the F.G.S. DRILL are the result of a continuous research for materials that better fit the required mechanical characteristics for torsional stress, tensile strength and elongation.
F.G.S.drill has two friction welding machines that friction pipes from diam 42mm up to diam 152mm.

Drill pipes are produced using raw material directly purchased from the best European mills and steelmaking shops, in order to assure a constant quality of the final product. The production process is entirely performed in the new Bari-Modugno plant, thanks to CNC machine tools, friction welding and induction machines.

Tubes used for vertical drilling are seamless in steel grade N80, while the ones used in directional drilling are in steel grade 42CrMo4, according to EN 10297-1. Tool joints are produced starting from 42CrMo4 steel bars, hardened and tempered to reach 285-320 Brinell hardness, and tested with ultrasonic inspection.

Tool joints are manufactured on CNC tools machines, with threads according to customers’ requirement, and subjected to a nitriding treatment. By implementing this process, galling is virtually eliminated. There is reduced damage from handling, make-up and break-out is easier, and the service life of the casing is extended. This treatment is performed in the F.G.S. Drill’s furnace. This completely in-house production process gives F.G.S. Drill the possibility to maintain it under constant control and to assure a total quality of the final product.

Finally the cut-at-length pipe and the tool joints are friction welded. The welded zone is subjected to a normalizing treatment to uniform the mechanical properties of the steel and relieve the material from possible stresses.