The invention relates generally to structural steel components for automotive vehicles, and methods for manufacturing the structural components. The method includes heating a workpiece to at least 900° C. to form austenite in the steel material, hot forming the workpiece, and quenching the formed workpiece to transform the austenite to martensite. The method next includes tempering at least one portion of the quenched workpiece, wherein the tempering step includes simultaneously applying thermal energy and a magnetic field to the workpiece. During the tempering step, the martensite of the steel material transforms to a mixture of ferrite and cementite precipitates. The portions of the steel material subject to the thermomagnetic tempering are also typically free of pearlite and spheroid particles. The remainder of the workpiece is protected during the tempering step to maintain a hard zone including the martensite.

A method for refining a magnetic domain of a grain-oriented electrical steel strip is provided, including a steel strip supporting roll position adjusting step of controlling a position of the steel strip in a vertical direction while supporting the steel strip proceeding along a production line, a laser irradiating step of forming a groove on a surface of the steel strip by irradiating a laser beam onto the surface of the steel strip to melt the steel strip, and a detecting step of detecting a defect in the groove formed on the surface of the steel strip while the steel strip proceeds, so as to be able to detect whether the groove is defective by confirming a machining state of a magnetic domain refined groove formed on the surface of the steel strip in a working process.

A steel for a tracked undercarriage component is used as a material constituting a track link (9), for example, and contains: not less than 0.39% by mass and not more than 0.45% by mass of carbon, not less than 0.2% by mass and not more than 1.0% by mass of silicon, not less than 0.10% by mass and not more than 0.90% by mass of manganese, not less than 0.002% by mass and not more than 0.005% by mass of sulfur, not less than 0.1% by mass and not more than 3.0% by mass of nickel, not less than 0.70% by mass and not more than 1.50% by mass of chromium, and not less than 0.10% by mass and not more than 0.60% by mass of molybdenum, with the balance made of iron and unavoidable impurities.

A metal piece for a motor vehicle has a generally elongated shape according to a longitudinal direction. The piece includes at least one edge extending according to the longitudinal direction, at the intersection of two walls of the piece, and at least one area having a mechanical strength lower than the rest of the body of the piece, wherein the at least one area is formed through local thermal control of the piece. The lower mechanical strength area of the piece undulates along the edge, extending alternatingly along each of the walls forming the edge. A method for making the metal piece is also disclosed.

A nitrided steel member including an iron nitride compound layer formed on a surface of a steel member having predetermined components, wherein: in X-ray diffraction peak intensity IFe.sub.4N (111) of a (111) crystal plane of Fe.sub.4N and X-ray diffraction peak intensity IFe.sub.3N (111) of a (111) crystal plane of Fe.sub.3N, which are measured on a surface of the nitrided steel member by X-ray diffraction, an intensity ratio expressed by IFe.sub.4N (111)/{IFe.sub.4N (111)+IFe.sub.3N (111)} is 0.5 or more; Vickers hardness of the iron nitride compound layer is 900 or less, Vickers hardness of a base metal immediately under the iron nitride compound layer is 700 or more, and a difference between the Vickers hardness of the iron nitride compound layer and the Vickers hardness of the base metal is 150 or less; and a thickness of the iron nitride compound layer is 2 to 17 μm.

Methods for manufacturing hot-stamped components are described. The method includes providing a hot-stamped component by hot forming die quenching, and selecting a first and a second portion of the hot-stamped component, wherein the first portion has a different width than the second portion. A laser system, wherein the laser system c includes one or more optical elements and a laser source for generating a laser beam. The laser system is moved along a length of the component. Finally, the laser beam is applied in a single pass onto the selected first and second portions using the laser system, wherein a laser beam spot size is adjusted during the application of the laser beam and is adapted to the widths of the first and second portions, and wherein a power of the laser beam is regulated based on the temperature measured in the hot-stamped component. The disclosure further relates to components obtained using such methods.

A method of treatment includes laser-hardening a portion of a component and texturing a treated surface of the portion with a hydrophobic surface texture. In some embodiments, the method includes polishing the treated surface after laser-hardening the portion and prior to texturing the treated surface. A component includes a component body having a portion that is laser-hardened. The treated surface is hydrophobic with a hydrophobic surface texture. In some embodiments, the component is a turbine component. In some embodiments, the portion is a leading edge. A turbine system includes a turbine shaft and a turbine component attached to the turbine shaft. The turbine component includes a component body having a leading edge. The leading edge is laser-hardened and the treated surface of the leading edge is hydrophobic with a hydrophobic surface texture.

Embodiments of the disclosure provide a system including: an enclosure having an interior sized to enclose and the workpiece and form a vacuum and pressurized atmosphere within the interior. A plurality of thermal applicators may be in thermal communication with first and second portions of the interior. First and second thermal applicators may independently heat and cool the first and second portions of the interior. The first thermal applicator may apply a first thermal treatment to a first portion of the workpiece in the first portion of the interior. A second thermal applicator may apply a second thermal treatment to a second portion of the workpiece in the second portion of the interior independently of the first thermal treatment.

A solid overlay for laser shock peening is described herein. The solid overlay includes a transparent or translucent material, wherein the solid overlay is structured and adapted to a shape of a surface of a component to be treated by the laser shock peening. The solid overlay is configured to confine a plasma plume generated by laser light.

A workpiece includes a plurality of knots and webs, which are formed in one piece, of a sheet metal, in particular a steel plate. Each web extends between two openings from one knot to another knot, and at least three webs meet at each knot. A plurality of the webs has a cross section, which includes at least one hardened and one unhardened area.