A shield covers a predetermined region of a plate workpiece during tempering of the plate workpiece in a furnace in which the shield and the workpiece are subjected to an austenitization temperature while the predetermined region of the plate is shielded by the shield against heat. The shield has at least one first shield part shaped to cover at least some of the predetermined region of the workpiece, at least one second shield part, and a fastener or the like securing the second part movably relative to or removable from the first part such that the first and second parts together achieve an optimum shape fully covering and shielding the predetermined region of the plate workpiece.

A heating station (1) for heating a metal sheet blank (50) and a system comprising such a heating station (1), is herein disclosed. In particular, the heating station comprises lower or upper heating elements (11) arranged in a heating chamber (10) below a metal sheet blank (50) when in a heating position, and configured to provide radiation heating towards the metal sheet blank (50), and a lower mask (14) arranged to block radiation heating from reaching at least a first portion of the metal sheet blank (50), wherein the lower mask (14) comprises a plurality of support projections (14d) projecting from a main surface (14a) of the lower mask (14) towards the metal sheet blank (50) when in a heating position, which support projections (14d) are configured to support a metal sheet blank (50) during heating thereof.

A heating station (1) for heating a metal sheet blank (50) and a system comprising such a heating station (1), is herein disclosed. In particular, the heating station comprises lower or upper heating elements (11) arranged in a heating chamber (10) below a metal sheet blank (50) when in a heating position, and configured to provide radiation heating towards the metal sheet blank (50), and a lower mask (14) arranged to block radiation heating from reaching at least a first portion of the metal sheet blank (50), wherein the lower mask (14) comprises a plurality of support projections (14d) projecting from a main surface (14a) of the lower mask (14) towards the metal sheet blank (50) when in a heating position, which support projections (14d) are configured to support a metal sheet blank (50) during heating thereof.

A method for manufacturing structural steel components with local reinforcement is provided. The method comprises selecting at least a zone of the component to be reinforced, providing a steel blank and deforming the blank in a press tool to form a product, wherein the blank and/or the product comprises a groove in the zone to be reinforced, the groove comprising an inner surface and an outer surface. The method further comprises depositing a reinforcement material on the inner surface of groove and locally heating the reinforcement material and the groove of the steel blank or product, to mix the melted reinforcement material with the melted portion of the steel blank or product.

A method for manufacturing structural steel components with local reinforcement is provided. The method comprises selecting at least a zone of the component to be reinforced, providing a steel blank and deforming the blank in a press tool to form a product, wherein the blank and/or the product comprises a groove in the zone to be reinforced, the groove comprising an inner surface and an outer surface. The method further comprises depositing a reinforcement material on the inner surface of groove and locally heating the reinforcement material and the groove of the steel blank or product, to mix the melted reinforcement material with the melted portion of the steel blank or product.

This hot-stamping formed article includes a steel sheet, all or part of the steel sheet has a predetermined chemical composition, at a ¼ depth position of a sheet thickness from a surface of the steel sheet, a microstructure contains, by vol %, more than 90.0% of martensite, the average value of Vickers hardness in a region that is 0.3 mm in a sheet thickness direction and 0.6 mm in a direction orthogonal to the sheet thickness direction is 670 or more, the standard deviation of the Vickers hardness in the region is 20 or less, and the tensile strength is 2300 MPa or more.

A hot-stamping formed body includes a steel sheet and a zinc-plated layer that is provided on the steel sheet. The steel sheet has a predetermined chemical composition, and an area % of martensite is 90% or more in microstructure at a position corresponding to ¼ of a sheet thickness of the steel sheet from a surface of the steel sheet in a sheet thickness direction. The zinc-plated layer includes a F phase and a Fe—Zn solid solution, and a cross-sectional area ratio of voids present in the zinc-plated layer is 15.0% or less.

These steel sheet for hot stamping and hot-stamping formed body have predetermined chemical composition and metallographic structures, and, in textures of a surface layer region and an inside region, ratios between a pole density of an orientation group consisting of {001}<1-10> to {001}<−1-10> and a pole density of an orientation group consisting of {111}<1-10> to {111}<−1-12> are controlled.

A rolled steel sheet, for press hardening is provided, having a chemical composition where Ti/N>3.42, and the carbon, manganese, chromium and silicon contents satisfy: $2.6C+\frac{\mathrm{Mn}}{5.3}+\frac{\mathrm{Cr}}{13}+\frac{\mathrm{Si}}{15}\ge 1.1\%.$
The sheet has a nickel content Ni.sub.surf at any point of the steel in the vicinity of the surface over a depth Δ, such that: Ni.sub.surf >Ni.sub.nom, Ni.sub.nom denoting the nominal nickel content of the steel, and such that, Ni.sub.max denoting the maximum nickel content within Δ: $\frac{\left({\mathrm{Ni}}_{\max }+{\mathrm{Ni}}_{\mathrm{nom}}\right)}{2}\times \left(\Delta \right)\ge 0.6,$
and such that: $\frac{\left({\mathrm{Ni}}_{\max }-{\mathrm{Ni}}_{\mathrm{nom}}\right)}{\Delta }\ge 0.01$
and the surface density of all of the particles D.sub.i and the surface density of the particles D.sub.(>2 μm) larger than 2 micrometers satisfy, at least to a depth of 100 micrometers in the vicinity of the surface of said sheet:
D.sub.i+6.75 D.sub.(>2 μm) <270
D.sub.i and D.sub.(>2 μm) being expressed as number of particles per square millimeter, and said particles denoting all the oxides, sulfides, and nitrides, either pure or combined such as oxysulfides and carbonitrides, present in the steel matrix.

A rolled steel sheet, for press hardening is provided, having a chemical composition where Ti/N>3.42, and the carbon, manganese, chromium and silicon contents satisfy: $2.6C+\frac{\mathrm{Mn}}{5.3}+\frac{\mathrm{Cr}}{13}+\frac{\mathrm{Si}}{15}\ge 1.1\%.$
The sheet has a nickel content Ni.sub.surf at any point of the steel in the vicinity of the surface over a depth Δ, such that: Ni.sub.surf >Ni.sub.nom, Ni.sub.nom denoting the nominal nickel content of the steel, and such that, Ni.sub.max denoting the maximum nickel content within Δ: $\frac{\left({\mathrm{Ni}}_{\max }+{\mathrm{Ni}}_{\mathrm{nom}}\right)}{2}\times \left(\Delta \right)\ge 0.6,$
and such that: $\frac{\left({\mathrm{Ni}}_{\max }-{\mathrm{Ni}}_{\mathrm{nom}}\right)}{\Delta }\ge 0.01$
and the surface density of all of the particles D.sub.i and the surface density of the particles D.sub.(>2 μm) larger than 2 micrometers satisfy, at least to a depth of 100 micrometers in the vicinity of the surface of said sheet:
D.sub.i+6.75 D.sub.(>2 μm) <270
D.sub.i and D.sub.(>2 μm) being expressed as number of particles per square millimeter, and said particles denoting all the oxides, sulfides, and nitrides, either pure or combined such as oxysulfides and carbonitrides, present in the steel matrix.