METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR BENDING WORK OF METAL PIPE

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method and apparatus for bending work which controls so as to minimize flattening induced to a metal pipe as much as possible. SOLUTION: In the method to perform continuous bending work moving a heated zone 6 continuously to the pipe length direction, while a part of the metal pipe 1 is heated into the heated zone 6 by a heating means 5 and a bending moment to the heated zone 6 with a bending arm 2 is applied to cause a bend deformation, a dimension control means 20 is arranged just ahead of the heated zone 6, which prevents the pipe body from expanding in the direction vertical to a bending plain (NN direction) and flattening, so that the flattening is controlled by the bending work preventing the heated zone from expanding to the NN direction. COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO