The use of machine vision inspection for out of roundness measurement in steel pipes

One important pipes inspection step in the pipe mills is the determination of the out of roundness values of the pipe ends before their shipment to the end users. In such pipes, inspecting the out of roundness of the pipe ends is a significant step which ensures the appropriate placement of pipes edges. This reduces the stress concentrations between pipes connection. In addition, acceptable values of this parameter reduce the pipes welding and connecting problems considerably. Among the out of roundness inspection methods, the non-contact methods have been diversely applied. In this study, machine vision inspection is used as pioneer method for investing this factor. Applying this method includes all the benefits of employing non-contact methods for investigating the out of roundness. The main advantages of this method as compared with other non-contact methods include the considerable lower cost of facilities, easier maintenance and getting more accurate measurement results.