ERW Pipe

Electric resistance welded (ERW) pipe is made from steel coil and the weld seam runs parallel to the pipe. The width of the coil is the same as the circumference of the pipe so diameters are limited to 24 inches. However, because the manufacturing process is fast, it is ideal for large production runs of small (<= 24 in.) diameter sections.

Properties of Nucor Skyline ERW Pipe

Outside diameters from 2-3/8” to 24”
Wall thickness up to 0.625”
Custom Lengths and Thicknesses
Custom Fabrication Services
In-house and Third-Party Testing Capabilities
Melted and Manufactured in the USA

Applications of Nucor Skyline ERW Pipe

Bearing Piles

Deep foundations are required when the shallow soils are not strong enough to support the loads from the structure. Pipe piles are commonly used in deep foundations and transfer the loads from building to stronger soil layers found deep underground. The loads are resisted through skin friction and point bearing. Pipe can be driven either open-ended or closed-ended, with points or plates. If driven with plates, the pipes can then be filled with concrete to add strength to the pile. Usually the money spent on plates, rebar, and concrete would be better spent on a larger, thicker pile. Pipe piles range in size from several inches to several feet in diameter and can be easily spliced to create piles hundreds of feet in length.

Combination Walls

Large diameter pipes have high bending strengths and are often used in combination sheet pile walls. The combination of large diameter pipe piles and steel sheet piles, which is often referred to as combi-walls, pipe-z walls or king pile walls, makes a very efficient system. Like other combined walls, the king pile takes the majority of the load and the sheet pile transfers the load to the pipe and to the soil.

Structural Sections

The symmetry of pipe gives it the same bending strength, in any direction, which makes it an excellent product for the resistance of buckling. The stress required to buckle an axial member decreases with length. The radius of gyration has the opposite effect and increases the ability of a section to resist buckling. The W and HP sections have differnt radii of gyration (rx and ry) for the X and Y axes, while remaining constant for a pipe. The end result is that a pipe can take much higher loads for long, unsupported lengths.

Threaded Micropile Casing

Micropiles are small diameter, bored cast-in-place piles, with most of the applied load being resisted by steel reinforcement. They are constructed by drilling a borehole, often using casing, then placing steel reinforcement and grouting the hole. Micropiles have a wide range of uses and are becoming a more mainstream method of supporting and resupporting foundations, seismic retrofits, stabilization of slopes and even earth retention. Micropiles are an ideal pile for complex sites where low vibration or low noise levels are required, or where limited access such as low headroom and drilling is difficult.

Sign Poles, Towers & Transmission Lines

Sign poles and towers are designed to resist large bending loads at the base of the structure. The availability and wide variety of thicknesses of large diameter pipe allow designers to pick the exact size needed to handle their particular project. Pipes can also be supplied in very long lengths, are simple to splice and easy to drill into hard ground. Reduction collars can facilitate the splicing of different diameters to make the design as efficient as possible.

Mining

Mining operations take place far beneath the surface in hazardous conditions. Personnel, equipment and air shafts are all integral parts of the mine. Vertical pipe sections are often used to construct the shafts. The large range of diameters and thicknesses make steel pipe the material of choice for various shaft requirements. Some of the shafts are hundreds, if not thousands, of feet long and pipe can be supplied in sections with the ends prepped for splicing. Bracing rings can be used to keep the pipe thicknesses to a minimum.

Manufacturing Process

ERW pipe is manufactured by cold forming a flat steel strip into a rounded tube and passing it through a series of forming rollers to obtain a longitudinal seam. The two edges are then simultaneously heated with a high frequency current and squeezed together to produce a bond. The longitudinal ERW seam does not require filler metal while impurities in the heat affected zone are extruded during the welding process