Special Metal Alloys are leading oval steel tubing suppliers and we are globally renowned for our extensive knowledge and unprecedented contacts. We provide professional solutions to the aerospace, nuclear engineering, chemical, petroleum, architectural, construction and heat-treating materials industries.
Contact us for a quote online, call +44 (0)161 278 2386 or email sales@specialmetalalloys.co.uk.
For more than 35 years we have been specialist suppliers in any quantity of nickel alloys and stainless steel tubes of the highest metal grades, including oval tubing for a myriad of applications and have recently further expanded our capacity to provide decorative oval steel tubing.
Our ornamental elliptical and flat-sided oval stainless steel tubes grace some of the world’s most prestigious architectural, marine, and construction projects.
Oval tubes of varying dimensions, wall thickness and lengths are produced from alloys such as stainless steel, carbon steel, aluminium, and mild steel.
It is manufactured in an oval shape for specific industrial and domestic applications where its characteristics and profile are more suitable to manufacture items than other shapes of similar wall thickness.
The two different profiles of oval tubing are elliptical and flat-sided of varying thickness. Elliptical oval tubes have a continuous rounded edge. Flat-sided oval tubing has flattened sides like a rectangular tube but with curved edges.
It is constructed with three main techniques: seamless, welded, and welded and drawn.
Seamless tube is typically constructed via extrusion that leaves no joints.
Welded tube is constructed by rolling and welding metal sheets to form the cross-section oval tube which is then welded continuously along the length of the pipe.
Welded and drawn (W&D) tube is constructed by welding and then precisely sized by drawing it through a die.
· The pipeline industry, processing plants, manufacturers, refineries, and chemical industries, commonly use carbon steel oval tubes.
· Mild steel oval tubes are frequently used for structural purposes such as bridges, radio masts, and telecommunication towers. Coated with polyester powder in a variety of fashionable colours, they are also very popular in building design.
· Seamless oval tubes are indispensable for heating, ventilation, air conditioning, refrigeration, engine cooling, oil production, manufacture, and power generation.
· Ornamental welded stainless steel oval tubes are increasingly gaining popularity in shopping malls, hotels, public spaces, offices, and shop fittings.
· Stainless steel oval tubes are extremely hygienic and highly resistant to corrosion, heat, cold and chemicals, making them imminently suitable for the chemical, pharmaceutical, and food and beverage industries.
· Stainless steel oval tube has endless decorative design possibilities, making it a definite choice in manufacturing furniture, staircases, protective barriers, guard rails, staircase railings, balustrades, fencing, shelving, and display racks.
Stainless steel oval tubes come in a variety of finishes, from a brushed satin finish that hides fingerprints and blemishes to a luxurious mirror finish.
It is an incredibly versatile option, combining aesthetic appeal, structural strength and practicality.
Not only does oval tube have the same excellent machinability and weldability as round or square tubing, but it is also visually more elegant, structurally exceptionally strong, and the flat sides of oval tube can easily be fixed to other surfaces.
It is considerably stronger (up to 50% more) than its round tube or rectangular tube equivalent, particularly along its semi-major axis.
Bearing in mind that an external force tends to deform a circular shape into an ellipse, it follows that oval tubes can withstand considerably more external pressure than most other shapes without being deformed.
It resists the flexure of rectangular sections and retains the inherent torsional stiffness of tubular sections. Oval steel tubes are less likely to twist or buckle than round or rectangular tubing in structural designs.
The soothing lines lend themselves to impressive decorative designs, with sweeping arcs and curves that give a sense of integrity and perfection. Graceful ovals are readily found in nature and give a greater sense of energy and harmony than rigid lines.
Oval steel tubes perform better in heat exchangers because of the drop in air-side pressure and the low-performance area behind the length of the tube.
Oval steel tube can be fitted in tight spaces with clearance issues because it is narrower on one plane, giving it a smaller form factor than a round tube.
Oval tubes are perfect for applications where different lengths need to sleeve or telescope inside each other, retaining their structural integrity.
In hand railings, oval tubing is easier and more comfortable to grip than other shapes of tubing, making them a safer option.
In applications such as automotive exhaust systems, oval steel tubing offers far less wind resistance.
Contact us for a quote online, call +44 (0)161 278 2386 or email sales@specialmetalalloys.co.uk.