A press hardening method includes the following steps: A. the provision of a steel sheet for heat treatment, precoated with a zinc- or aluminum-based pre-coating for anti-corrosion purpose, B. the deposition of a hydrogen barrier pre-coating over a thickness from 10 to 550 nm, C. the batch annealing of the precoated steel sheet in an inert atmosphere to obtain a pre-alloyed steel sheet, D. the cutting of the pre-alloyed steel sheet to obtain blank, E. the thermal treatment of the blank to obtain a fully austenitic microstructure in the steel, F. the transfer of the blank into a press tool, G. the hot-forming of the blank to obtain a part, H. the cooling of the part obtained at step G).

A press hardening method including: A. provision of a steel sheet for heat treatment, being optionally precoated with a zinc- or aluminum-based pre-coating, B. deposition of a hydrogen barrier pre-coating comprising chromium and not comprising nickel over a thickness from 10 to 550 nm, C. cutting of the precoated steel sheet to obtain a blank, D. heat treatment of the blank at a furnace temperature from 800 to 970° C., during a dwell time from 1 to 12 minutes, in an atmosphere having an oxidizing power equal or higher than that of an atmosphere consisting of 1% by volume of oxygen and equal or smaller than that of an atmosphere consisting of 50% by volume of oxygen, such atmosphere having a dew point between −30 and +30° C., E. transfer of the blank into a press tool, F. hot-forming at a temperature from 600 to 830° C. to obtain a part, G. cooling of the part obtained at step E).

The present invention provides a nitriding treatment method for forming a compound layer of ε phase (Fe.sub.2-3N) and γ′ phase (Fe.sub.4N) iron nitride excellent in wear durability in a steel material, from which a sliding member is formed, by short treatment, with a high thermal efficiency, with a reduced amount of used nitriding gas, and with a low environmental load. The nitriding treatment method of the present invention includes heating a sliding member made of a steel material at a temperature of 600° C. to 700° C. for a time of 1 to 25 minutes under an atmosphere of nitriding gas through high frequency induction heating or resistive heating, to form a compound layer of ε phase (Fe.sub.2-3N) and γ′ phase (Fe.sub.4N) iron nitride, the compound layer having a nitrogen content of higher than 4.5%, in a surface layer portion of the sliding member.

An electrical steel sheet (300) is formed such that centerlines of four magnetic poles (salient poles) of a rotor core (111) coincide with a direction of easy magnetization (ED1) or (ED2). In addition, the electrical steel sheets (300) are laminated such that the directions of easy magnetization (ED1) and (ED2) are aligned.

A grain-oriented electrical steel sheet having a metallographic structure after secondary-recrystallized annealing including matrix grains of Goss-oriented secondary recrystallized grains, wherein an existence frequency of Goss-oriented crystal grains having a major diameter of 5 mm or less in the matrix grains is 1.5 grains/cm.sup.2 or more and 8 grains/cm.sup.2 or less, and the magnetic flux density B8 is 1.88 T or more, and wherein deviation angles from a rolling direction of [001] direction of the Goss-oriented crystal grains having the major diameter of 5 mm or less are 7″ or less and 5° or less, in terms of a simple or arithmetic average of α angle and β angle, respectively, wherein the α angle represents an angle formed by a longitudinal direction and a projection of the [001] on a specimen surface, and the β angle represents a tilt of the [001] out of the specimen surface.

Provides is a non-oriented electrical steel sheet suitable for use in a rotor of an IPM motor that has excellent magnetic flux density B.sub.50 and high-frequency iron loss properties, high tensile strength and fatigue strength, and little variation in tensile strength. The non-oriented electrical steel sheet has a predetermined steel sheet chemical composition and a microstructure in which a ratio of non-recrystallized microstructure is 5% or more and 70% or less and the number of inclusion having a diameter of 5 μm or more is not more than 5 counts/mm.sup.2.

A non-oriented electrical steel sheet produced by hot-rolling a steel slab containing Si: 2.8 to 6.5 mass % and Zn: 0.0005 to 0.0050 mass % followed by cold rolling and finish annealing, a coating agent containing at least one element from Sn, Sb, P, S, Se, As, Te, B, Pb, and Bi is applied to the surface after annealing forming an insulation coating with nitriding-suppressing ability. Alternatively, an intermediate layer containing at least one element from Sn, Sb, P, S, Se, As, Te, B, Pb, and Bi and having a nitriding-suppressing ability forms on the steel sheet iron matrix after the annealing and forms an insulation coating, without above elements, on the intermediate layer thus obtaining a non-oriented electrical steel sheet wherein a high strength rotor core with and stator core with excellent magnetic is simultaneously obtained, and a motor core including a stator core and rotor core from the steel sheet.

In a production of a non-oriented electrical steel sheet by hot-rolling a steel slab containing Si: 2.8 to 6.5 mass % and Zn: 0.0005 to 0.0050 mass % followed by cold rolling and finish annealing, a coating agent containing at least one element selected from Sn, Sb, P, S, Se, As, Te, B, Pb, and Bi is applied to the steel sheet surface after the finish annealing to form an insulation coating with a nitriding-suppressing ability. Alternatively, an intermediate layer containing at least one element selected from Sn, Sb, P, S, Se, As, Te, B, Pb, and Bi and having a nitriding-suppressing ability is formed on the steel sheet iron matrix after the finish annealing and form an insulation coating not containing above elements is formed on the intermediate layer thus to obtain a non-oriented electrical steel sheet from which a rotor core with high strength and stator core with excellent magnetic properties after the stress-relief annealing can be obtained at the same time, and a motor core comprising a stator core and rotor core is produced from the steel sheet.

Embodiments of the present disclosure provides an aluminum alloy-plated steel sheet having high surface quality and weldability, a hot-formed member, and methods for manufacturing the aluminum alloy-plated steel sheet and the hot-formed member. The aluminum alloy-plated steel sheet includes: a base steel sheet; and an aluminum alloy plating layer formed on the base steel sheet, wherein the aluminum alloy plating layer includes, by weight %, Zn: 21% to 35%, Si: 1% to 6.9%, Fe: 2% to 12%, and the balance of Al and inevitable impurities.

The present invention relates to a method for the manufacture of a hot-dip coated steel sheet coated with a zinc or an aluminum based coating including the provision of a specific steel sheet, a recrystallization annealing with specific heating, soaking and cooling sub-steps using an inert gas and a hot-dip coating; the hot dip coated steel sheet and the use of the hot-dip coated steel sheet.

The present invention relates to a method for the manufacture of a hot-dip coated steel sheet coated with a zinc or an aluminum based coating including the provision of a specific steel sheet, a recrystallization annealing with specific heating, soaking and cooling sub-steps using an inert gas and a hot-dip coating; the hot dip coated steel sheet and the use of the hot-dip coated steel sheet.