A method for moulding a sheet into a component of complex shape having areas with different mechanical properties, particularly a motor-vehicle component, includes a first heating step of the sheet carried out by a kiln, prior to forming the component. The kiln has a main body with a roller shape, having a plurality of sectors extending along a radial direction with respect to a longitudinal axis of the roller body. The sectors are configured to each receive a sheet, so that the main body with a roller shape is arranged to simultaneously carry a plurality of sheets. The kiln includes a plurality of heating elements incorporated in the roller-shaped main body, so as to heat the sheets in contact with the roller body. The kiln includes at least one electronically-controlled drive motor, arranged to rotate the roller-shaped main body around the longitudinal axis of the kiln, so as to vary the position of the sectors with respect to the inlet and outlet ports. An additional heating step follows extraction of the sheets from the kiln, wherein the sheets are locally heated only at one area, so as to obtain sheets with areas heated to different temperatures.

Disclosed in the present invention is an aluminum plated steel sheet, comprising a substrate and a plating layer on the surface of the substrate. The microstructure of the plating layer comprises a Mg.sub.2Si phase and an AlMgSiFe phase; and an average grain diameter of the Mg.sub.2Si phase is 0.001-5 ?m. The present invention can alleviate the problem of melting-induced roller sticking and hydrogen embrittlement risk in a thermoforming process of the aluminum plated steel sheet. The present invention further provides a manufacturing method for the aluminum plated steel sheet, and a thermoformed component and a manufacturing method therefor.

Methods and apparatuses for obtaining bainite are disclosed. The method includes heating a metal component in a vacuum chamber of a vacuum furnace to raise an internal temperature of the metal component, transferring the metal component from the vacuum chamber to a quench chamber of the vacuum furnace, quenching the metal component in oil that is maintained at a bainite-forming temperature range within a quench reservoir of the quench chamber, and removing the metal component from the quench chamber after a predetermined period of time.

A metal casting is heated using infrared energy by introducing the metal casting into a heating system with infrared emitters directed towards the casting, and activating at least a portion of the emitters. The heating system includes a heating chamber, a plurality of directional infrared emitters in the heating chamber, an optical temperature sensor directed towards a part location in the interior of the heating chamber, and a thermal shield that is movable between a deployed position and a retracted position, the thermal shield comprising an observation duct. The observation duct provides a line-of-sight path between the optical temperature sensor and the part location when the thermal shield is in the deployed position, and the thermal shield is between the plurality of infrared emitters and the part location when the thermal shield is in the deployed position.

Methods for grain refinement of beryllium articles are disclosed. Grain refinement allows the beryllium article to have beneficial properties in terms of strength and durability. One method stabilizes the ?-phase of the beryllium that is precipitated after cycling above a temperature that is greater than or equal to the beta transus temperature.

Methods for grain refinement of beryllium articles are disclosed. Grain refinement allows the beryllium article to have beneficial properties in terms of strength and durability. One method stabilizes the ?-phase of the beryllium that is precipitated after cycling above a temperature that is greater than or equal to the beta transus temperature.

An apparatus for heating steel products, in particular billets, includes a heating chamber, a plane of advance defined inside the heating chamber and feed and extraction components for the steel products.

Provided is a FeAl-based alloy vibration-damping component including 4.0 to 12.0% by mass of Al with the balance being Fe and inevitable impurities, having an average crystal grain size in the range of over 700 m to 2,000 m and a sectional defect rate of lower than 0.1%, and having an irregular sectional shape. Also provided is a method for manufacturing a FeAl-based alloy vibration-damping component. The method obtains a vibration-damping component having an irregular sectional shape, and includes a shaping step in which metal powder including 4.0 to 12.0% by mass of Al with the balance being Fe and inevitable impurities is melted and solidified using a heat source with a scanning rate set to 700 to 1700 mm/second to obtain a shaped product and an annealing step in which the shaped product is annealed at a temperature of 800 to 1200 C.

A system configured for deformation compensation in real time during a heat treatment performed on a component. The system comprises a supporting structure; two or more clamping devices arranged with the supporting structure, one or more clamping devices including a clamp, a load cell and a motor; and a processing and control system configured to collect signals from a load cell and to send signals based on the detected loads to a motor to compensate for deformation due to the heat treatment.

A hot-stamped article according to the present invention has a plating layer being attached in an amount of 10 g/m.sup.2 or more and 90 g/m.sup.2 or less and having a Ni content of 10 mass % or more and 25 mass % or less with a remainder including Zn and an impurity on a surface of a base steel sheet having a predetermined chemical composition, a surface layer region includes 90.0% or more of martensite in terms of area percentage, and a concentration of Ni in a prior austenite grain boundary in the surface layer region is 5.5 mass % or more.