A method for producing a steel strip containing, in addition to iron as the main component and unavoidable impurities, one or more of the following oxygen-affine elements in wt. %: Al: more than 0.02, Cr: more than 0.1, Mn: more than 1.3 or Si: more than 0.1, where the surface of the steel strip is cleaned, oxidation-treated and annealed. The treated and annealed steel strip is subsequently coated with a hot-dip coat. In order to be less cost-intensive and to achieve uniform, reproducible adhesion conditions for the coat, the steel strip is oxidation-treated prior to the annealing at temperatures below 200° C., where on the surface of the steel strip, with the formation of oxides with iron from the steel strip, an oxide layer is formed, which contains iron oxide and is reduction-treated during the course of the annealing under a reducing atmosphere to achieve a surface consisting substantially of metallic iron.

The invention relates to a method and a device for rapidly cooling a metal strip and removing residues present on the strip after this cooling, wherein the residues are formed during a cooling of said metal strip by a non-oxidizing liquid solution for the metal strip and a stripping liquid solution for the oxides present on the surface of the strip, or by a mixture of this liquid solution and a gas.

The present invention relates to a zinc plated steel sheet having excellent surface quality and spot weldability, and a manufacturing method therefore. A zinc plated steel sheet according to one aspect of the present invention comprises a base steel sheet and a zinc-based plating layer formed on the surface of the base steel sheet, wherein the GDOES profile of oxygen, which is measured in the depth direction from the surface of the base steel sheet, has a form in which a local minimum point and a local maximum point alternately appear in the depth direction from the surface, and the difference (a local maximum value—a local minimum value) between the oxygen concentration (a local minimum value) at the local minimum point and the oxygen concentration (a local maximum value) at the local maximum point can be 0.1 wt % or more.

Provided is a metallic coated steel product which is less likely to experience LME and blowhole formation and is likely to exhibit an improved corrosion resistance at welding heat affected zones. The metallic coated steel product is a hot-dip metallic coated steel product including a steel product and a plating layer that is provided on a surface of the steel product and includes a Zn—Al—Mg alloy layer. In a cross-section of the Zn—Al—Mg alloy layer an area fraction of MgZn.sub.2 phase is from 45 to 75%, a total area fraction of MgZn.sub.2 and Al phases is not less than 70%, and an area fraction of Zn—Al—MgZn.sub.2 ternary eutectic structure is from 0 to 5%; and the plating layer has a predetermined chemical composition.

The invention relates to a system and a method for the hot-dip galvanization of components, preferably for mass-production hot-dip galvanization of a plurality of identical or similar components, in particular in batches, preferably for batch galvanization.

An aluminum-based plated steel sheet according to an aspect of the present invention includes: a base material; an aluminum-based plating layer located above the base material; and an intermetallic compound layer that is located between the base material and the aluminum-based plating layer and contains an intermetallic compound of Al and Fe, in which the base material has a chemical component within a predetermined range, the aluminum-based plating layer contains, on average, 80 mass % or more and 97 mass % or less of Al, 3 mass % or more and 15 mass % or less of Si, 0 mass % or more and 5 mass % or less of Zn, 0 mass % or more and 5 mass % or less of Fe, 0 mass % or more and 3 mass % or less in total of one or more selected from the group consisting of Mg and Ca, and impurities so that a total amount thereof is 100 mass %, an average value of a thickness of the intermetallic compound layer is 2 μm or more and 10 μm or less, a maximum value of the thickness of the intermetallic compound layer is 10 μm or more and 25 μm or less, and a standard deviation of the thickness of the intermetallic compound layer is 2 μm or more and 10 μm or less.

Fe-Al-based plated hot-stamped member exhibiting excellent formed part corrosion resistance and post-coating corrosion resistance and manufacturing method. The hot-stamping member includes Fe-Al-based plated layer on one or both surfaces of a base material, the base material has a predetermined steel component, Fe-Al-based plated layer has a thickness of 10 μm or more and 60 μm or less, formed by A, B, C and D layers sequentially from a surface toward the base material, and each of the four layers is a Fe-Al-based intermetallic compound containing Al, Fe, Si, Mn and Cr for predetermined contents with the balance made up of impurities, the D layer further contains Kirkendall voids each of which cross-sectional area is 3 μm.sup.2-30 μm.sup.2 for 10 pieces/6000 μm.sup.2 or more and 40 pieces/6000 μm.sup.2 or less.

A high-strength galvanized steel sheet includes a steel sheet containing a predetermined component element, a mass ratio of a content amount of Si to a content amount of Mn in the steel (Si/Mn) being 0.2 or more, and a steel structure in which an average grain size of inclusions existing in an area extending from a surface to a position of ⅓ of a sheet thickness is 50 μm or less, and an average nearest distance between ones of the inclusions is 20 μm or more; and a galvanized layer provided on a surface of the steel sheet, in which an amount of diffusible hydrogen contained in the steel is less than 0.25 mass ppm, oxides containing predetermined elements in an outer layer portion of the steel sheet account for 0.010 g/m.sup.2 or more per one surface, and a tensile strength is 1100 MPa or more.

The invention relates to a system and a method for the hot-dip galvanization of motor-vehicle components, preferably for mass-production hot-dip galvanization of a plurality of identical or similar motor-vehicle components, in particular in batches, preferably for batch galvanization, especially preferably for high-precision hot-dip galvanization.

Provided is a high-strength steel sheet having a tensile strength of 780 MPa or higher. The high-strength steel sheet has a low yield ratio and excellent ductility (El) and strain hardening exponent (n) and thus has enhanced processability.