A method and system for recovering a high yield of low carbon ferrochrome from chromite and low carbon ferrochrome produced by the method. A stoichiometric mixture of feed materials including scrap aluminum granules, lime, silica sand, and chromite ore are provided into a plasma arc furnace. The scrap aluminum granules are produced from used aluminum beverage containers. The feed materials are heated, whereupon the aluminum in the aluminum granules produces an exothermic reaction reducing the chromium oxide and iron oxide in the chromite to produce molten low carbon ferrochrome with molten slag floating thereon. The molten low carbon ferrochrome is extracted, solidified and granulated into granules of low carbon ferrochrome. The molten slag is extracted, solidified and granulated into granules of slag.

The present invention provides a simple, single step and time efficient method and apparatus for developing ultrafine grained microstructure stainless steel having enhanced wear resistance, corrosion resistance, biocompatibility, cellular response and hem-compatibility for bio-implant applications. The processed stainless steel showed 50% reduction in corrosion, high resistance against localised pitting and 50% reduction in wear in simulated body fluid. In addition, the processed steel demonstrated better cell viability, significantly lower platelet adhesion and plasma adsorption signifying high thrombo-resistance and thereby making it highly desirable for bio-implant applications. The present invention eliminates the long processing steps and do not need any specialized equipments and also eliminates the post process treatments.

Provided according to one preferred aspect of the present invention are austenitic steel material having superb abrasion resistance and toughness, and a method for producing the austenite steel material. The austenitic steel material having superb abrasion resistance and toughness according to one preferred aspect of the present invention comprises, in wt %, 0.6-1.9% carbon (C); 12-22% manganese (Mn); 5% or lower (excluding 0%) chromium (Cr); 5% or lower (excluding 0%) copper (Cu); 0.5% or lower (excluding 0%) aluminum (Al); 1.0% or lower (excluding 0%) silicon (Si); 0.1% or lower (including 0%) phosphorous (P); 0.02% or lower (including 0%) sulfur (S); and the rest in Fe and unavoidable impurities, and has the microstructure comprising, by surface area fraction, 97% or higher (including 100%) austenite and 3% or lower (including 0%) carbide.

A heating method, a heating apparatus, and a method of manufacturing a press-molded article using the heating method are provided. A pair of electrodes is arranged on a workpiece along a first direction. Each electrode has a length extending across a first heating area of the workpiece in the first direction. At least one of the electrodes is moved in the first heating area and along a second direction intersecting the first direction at a constant speed while applying electric current between the pair of electrodes to heat the first heating area by direct resistance heating. The electric current applied between the pair of electrodes is adjusted such that a heating temperature is adjusted for each segment into which the first heating area is divided so as to be side by side in the second direction.

A mud pump with components manufactured from high strength and toughness steel is disclosed. The mud pump includes a power end and a fluid end. The power end includes a motor, crankshaft rotationally engaged with the motor and a connecting rod rotationally engaged with the crank shaft. The fluid end is operatively connected to the power end and includes a piston, a cylinder configured to operatively engage the plunger, and a drilling fluid module. The crankshaft, the connecting rod, the piston, and the cylinder may each be fabricated from a high strength and toughness steel composition having the following composition in weight percent: 0.25-0.55% carbon, 0.70-1.50% manganese, a maximum of 0.80% silicon, 1.40-2.00% chromium, 0.10-0.55% molybdenum, a maximum of 0.040% aluminum, a maximum of 0.025% phosphorous, a maximum of 0.20% sulfur, a balance of iron, and incidental impurities.

A magnetic property of a rare earth permanent magnet containing neodymium, iron, and boron is enhanced. The present disclosure is a rare earth permanent magnet with a compound represented by a following expression as a main phase: Nd.sub.2Fe.sub.14B.sub.(1-x)M.sub.x. In the expression, M represents an element selected from any one of cobalt, beryllium, lithium, aluminum, and silicon and x satisfies 0.01x0.25. The main phase has an NdFeB layer and an Fe layer periodically and part of boron is substituted with any one or more types of elements selected from a group consisting of cobalt, beryllium, lithium, aluminum, and silicon.

A process and apparatus for thermochemically hardening workpieces is provided incorporating the following steps, carried out in a variable sequence: one or more carburizing steps, each in a carbon-containing gas atmosphere at a pressure of less than 50 mbar, the workpieces being held at temperatures of 900 to 1050 C.; if appropriate, one or more diffusion steps, each in a gas atmosphere at a pressure of less than 100 mbar; and one or more nitriding steps, each in a nitrogen-containing discharge plasma at a pressure of less than 50 mbar, the workpieces being held at temperatures of 800 to 1050 C.

Excellent CTOD properties for multilayer welding joint is provided for a steel plate. The steel plate comprises a specific chemical composition with Ceq of 0.45% or less where Ceq (%)=[C]+[Mn]/6+([Cu]+[Ni])/15+([Cr]+[Mo]+[V])/5 . . . (1) and Pcm of 0.22% or less where Pcm (%)=[C]+[Si]/30+([Mn]+[Cu]+[Cr])/20+[Ni]/60+[Mo]/15+[V]/10+5 [B] . . . (2); an average effective grain size of 20 m or less at a mid-thickness part of the steel plate; and porosities having an equivalent circular diameter of 200 m or more, the number of the porosities per mm.sup.2 being 0.1/mm.sup.2 or less.

Excellent CTOD properties for multilayer welding joint is provided for a steel plate. The steel plate comprises a specific chemical composition with Ceq of 0.45% or less where Ceq (%)=[C]+[Mn]/6+([Cu]+[Ni])/15+([Cr]+[Mo]+[V])/5 . . . (1) and Pcm of 0.22% or less where Pcm (%)=[C]+[Si]/30+([Mn]+[Cu]+[Cr])/20+[Ni]/60+[Mo]/15+[V]/10+5 [B] . . . (2); an average effective grain size of 20 m or less at a mid-thickness part of the steel plate; and porosities having an equivalent circular diameter of 200 m or more, the number of the porosities per mm.sup.2 being 0.1/mm.sup.2 or less.

The present disclosure relates to a novel iron-based austenitic alloy for a turbocharger housing and to methods of its preparation.