A usual imagination of pipe is hollow cylinder or tube which is used to transfer some sorts of liquid material from one place to another. It was in the middle of 19th century when bulk steel production started in India. It was the Bessemer process that made not only the bulk production possible, but also helped to produce it in cheaply manner. There is hardly any industry which is not using steel pipes today. So wide are the applications of steel pipes and tubes. Earlier iron pipes and tubes were in use, but they were not very much durable and cost-effective as they got rusted after few years. Steel has improved very much in quality in recent years, and so has grown its industrial use. It is available in different shapes, and sizes today such as Ferritic, Martensitic, heat-resistant tubes, heat-exchanger tubes, duplex stain-less steel tubes, high pressure tubes, and U-bend tubes. Stainless steel is very much in demand for its anti-corrosion quality. They are available in different diameters, and shapes too such as round, rectangular, square or oval.
It is also used very much in erecting industrial structures of all sizes. Both pipes and tubes have commonly been used in the water supply systems. However, at some places PVC pipes are gaining popularity because of low price and high elasticity to withstand weather. Steel tubes are very much in practice for the purpose even today. Steel tubes and pipes are installed in buildings and factories for carrying not only hot or cold water, but also to transfer gases, and other chemicals. They are also useful in carrying liquid waste material of the industries to disposal grounds or units, such as in foundries, breweries, etc. Still, the use of pipes and tubes can be well categorized as a vehicle to transport water, oil and gases from one place to another; both internally (i.e. within premises) and externally to outer units, or locations.
Use of steel tubes and pipes is not limited to the industrial and domestic uses only, but is highly in use in construction of space stations, satellites, and other devices too. The tensile strength of steel pipes has helped very much in achieving space related targets to scientists without which it would not have been possible perhaps. Steel tubes and pipes are also used in medical industry in several forms ranging from machines, equipments to surgical tools too. They are often used to support fractured bones internally or externally, and even used to rearrange disordered teeth; in the form of braces, etc.
Therefore it will not be exaggeration if we say that our life is not possible without use of steel tubes or pipes today. From the moment you wake up in the morning and head to the tab carrying water for mouth-wash, to the instruments that cook food, to the vehicle you use to get to work, to the equipments and machines you use in the office or works, to the bed you relax at, everything is using steel tubes or pipes today.
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