A steel material for a torsionally stressed component, such as a driveshaft, having a minimum tensile strength of 800 MPs, and the microstructure consists of more than 50 vol. % of bainite, having an alloy with the following composition in wt. %: C: 0.02 to 0.3; Si: up to 0.7; Mn: 1.0 to 3.0; P: max. 0.02; S: max. 0.01; N: max. 0.01; Al: up to 0.1; Cu: up to 0.2; Cr: up to 3.0; Ni: up to 0.3; Mo: up to 0.5; Ti: up to 0.2; V: up to 0.2; Nb: up to 0.1; B: up to 0.01; where 0.02≤Nb+V+Ti≤0.25, residual iron, and smelting impurities. The steel material is inexpensive and has good torsional fatigue strength when used for a torsionally stressed component. The invention also relates to a method for producing a component made of the material and to such a component.

There is provided a high-strength steel sheet and a method for producing the same. The high-strength steel sheet has a specified chemical composition and a steel microstructure including, by area fraction, 75.0% or more tempered martensite, 1.0% or more and 20.0% or less fresh martensite, and 5.0% or more and 20.0% or less retained austenite. A hardness ratio of the fresh martensite to the tempered martensite is 1.5 or more and 3.0 or less, the ratio of the maximum KAM value in the tempered martensite in the vicinity of the heterophase interface between the tempered martensite and the fresh martensite to the average KAM value in the tempered martensite is 1.5 or more and 30.0 or less, and the average of ratios of grain sizes of prior austenite grains in the rolling direction to those in the thickness direction is 2.0 or less.

Provided are a high-strength galvanized steel sheet and a method for producing the high-strength galvanized steel sheet. The high-strength galvanized steel sheet includes a base steel sheet having a specific composition and a microstructure including ferrite and carbide-free bainite, martensite and carbide-containing bainite, and retained austenite, the total area fraction of ferrite and carbide-free bainite being 0% to 65%, the total area fraction of martensite and carbide-containing bainite being 35% to 100%, and the area fraction of retained austenite being 0% to 15%, the content of diffusible hydrogen in the base steel sheet being 0.00008% by mass or less (including 0%) and a galvanizing layer disposed on the base steel sheet. The density of gaps in the galvanizing layer, that the gaps cutting across the entire thickness of the galvanizing layer, is 10 gaps/mm or more.

A spheroidal graphite cast iron having a chemical composition of: C: 3.0% to 4.0%, Si: 2.0% to 2.4%, Cu: 0.20% to 0.50%, Mn: 0.15% to 0.35%, S: 0.005% to 0.030%, Mg: 0.03% to 0.06%, each by mass, and the balance being Fe and inevitable impurities, where Mn and Cu are contained at 0.45% to 0.75% in total; and a structure in which a ferrite layer encloses spheroidal graphite crystallized out in a matrix of pearlite. Part of the pearlite is extended from the matrix side to the spheroidal graphite side to divide the ferrite layer at one or more areas.

A machine component includes a core made up of a steel for machine structural use, and a medium carbon-containing layer and a high carbon-containing layer formed of the steel for machine structural use, the medium carbon-containing layer covering the core, the high carbon-containing layer covering the medium carbon-containing layer and having a carbon concentration of 0.8-1.5%. The high carbon-containing layer is made up of a martensitic structure having carbides dispersed therein and a residual austenitic structure, wherein spheroidized carbides with an aspect ratio of 1.5 or less constitute 90% or more of a total number of the carbides, and the number of spheroidized carbides on prior austenite grain boundaries is 40% or less of the total number of the carbides.

A machine component includes a core made up of a steel for machine structural use, and a medium carbon-containing layer and a high carbon-containing layer formed of the steel for machine structural use, the medium carbon-containing layer covering the core, the high carbon-containing layer covering the medium carbon-containing layer and having a carbon concentration of 0.8-1.5%. The high carbon-containing layer is made up of a martensitic structure having carbides dispersed therein and a residual austenitic structure, wherein spheroidized carbides with an aspect ratio of 1.5 or less constitute 90% or more of a total number of the carbides, and the number of spheroidized carbides on prior austenite grain boundaries is 40% or less of the total number of the carbides.

A steel wire comprising the following elements: 0.30-0.80 wt % carbon, 0.25-0.45 wt % silicon, 0.20-0.70 wt % manganese, 0.008-0.020 wt % titanium, 0.001-0.004 wt % zirconium, wherein at least 50% of the microstructure of the steel wire comprises structures that are sufficiently small to be unresolvable at a magnification of 300×.

Disclosed is a method for manufacturing high-carbon bearing steel, which include: heating a billet at a temperature of about 950 to 1,050° C. for about 70 to 120 minutes, rolling the billet to manufacture a wire rod, winding the wire rod to manufacture a wire rod coil, cooling the wire rod coil, and subsequently heat treating the wire rod coil for spheroidizing and carbonitriding, respectively. The bearing steel may include an amount of about 0.9 to 1.3 wt % of carbon (C), an amount of about 1.1 to 1.6 wt % of silicon (Si), an amount of about 1.0 to 1.5 wt % of manganese (Mn), an amount of about 1.5 to 1.9 wt % of chromium (Cr), an amount of about 0.2 to 0.6 wt % of nickel (Ni), an amount of about 0.1 to 0.3 wt % of molybdenum (Mo), and the balance iron (Fe) based on the total weight thereof.

Disclosed is a method for manufacturing high-carbon bearing steel, which include: heating a billet at a temperature of about 950 to 1,050° C. for about 70 to 120 minutes, rolling the billet to manufacture a wire rod, winding the wire rod to manufacture a wire rod coil, cooling the wire rod coil, and subsequently heat treating the wire rod coil for spheroidizing and carbonitriding, respectively. The bearing steel may include an amount of about 0.9 to 1.3 wt % of carbon (C), an amount of about 1.1 to 1.6 wt % of silicon (Si), an amount of about 1.0 to 1.5 wt % of manganese (Mn), an amount of about 1.5 to 1.9 wt % of chromium (Cr), an amount of about 0.2 to 0.6 wt % of nickel (Ni), an amount of about 0.1 to 0.3 wt % of molybdenum (Mo), and the balance iron (Fe) based on the total weight thereof.

A rolled wire rod for spring steel contains, as a chemical composition, by mass %: C: 0.42% to 0.60%; Si: 0.90% to 3.00%; Mn: 0.10% to 1.50%; Cr: 0.10% to 1.50%; B: 0.0010% to 0.0060%; N: 0.0010% to 0.0070%; Mo: 0% to 1.00%; V: 0% to 1.00%; Ni: 0% to 1.00%; Cu: 0% to 0.50%; Al: 0% to 0.100%; Ti: 0% to 0.100%; Nb: 0% to 0.100%; P: limited to less than 0.020%; S: limited to less than 0.020%; and a remainder including Fe and impurities, the carbon equivalent (Ceq) is 0.75% to 1.00%, the area fraction of tempered martensite and bainite included in a microstructure is 90% or greater, the tensile strength is 1,350 MPa or less, and the reduction of area is 40% or greater.