A method is disclosed for pressure forming a metal preform including shock annealing of the preform and subsequently preheating the preform prior to pressure forming. Shock annealing may be carried out as differential shock annealing in which different regions of the preform are annealed to different degrees. Preheating may be carried out by differentially preheating, optionally shock preheating, different regions of the preform for preheating at least those regions of the preform which will be subject to elevated expansion during pressure forming. Shock annealing by induction heating can lower energy consumption, reduce processing times and allow for larger expansion of the preform.

A method for producing a steel material for line pipes which has a tensile strength of 570 MPa or more, a compressive strength of 440 MPa or more, and a thickness of 30 mm or more, the method including heating a steel having a specific composition to a temperature of 1000 C. to 1200 C.; performing hot rolling such that a cumulative rolling reduction ratio in a non-recrystallization temperature range is 60% or more, a cumulative rolling reduction ratio in a temperature range of (a rolling finish temperature +20 C.) or less is 50% or more, and a rolling finish temperature is the Ar.sub.3 transformation point or more and 790 C. or less; and subsequently performing accelerated cooling from a cooling start temperature of the Ar.sub.3 transformation point or more, at a cooling rate of 10 C./s or more, until the temperature of a surface of a steel plate reaches 300 C. to 500 C.

A method for producing a steel material for line pipes including heating a steel having a specific composition to a temperature of 1000 C. to 1200 C.; performing hot rolling such that a cumulative rolling reduction ratio in a non-recrystallization temperature range is 60% or more, a cumulative rolling reduction ratio in a temperature range of (a rolling finish temperature +20 C.) or less is 50% or more, and a rolling finish temperature is the Ar.sub.3 transformation point or more and 790 C. or less; subsequently performing accelerated cooling from a temperature of the Ar.sub.3 transformation point or more, at a cooling rate of 10 C./s or more, to a cooling stop temperature of 200 C. to 450 C.; and then performing reheating such that the temperature of a surface of the steel plate is 350 C. to 550 C. and the temperature of the center of the steel plate is less than 550 C.

A method for producing a steel part and corresponding steel part includes casting a steel having a composition comprising: 0.10%C0.35%, 0.8%Si2.0%, 1.8%Mn2.5%, P0.1%, 0%S0.4%, 0%Al1.0%, N0.015%, 0%Mo0.4%, 0.02%Nb0.08%, 0.02%Ti0.05%, 0.001%B0.005%, 0.5%Cr1.8%, 0%V0.5%, 0%Ni0.5%, to obtain a semi-product, hot rolling the semi-product at a hot rolling starting temperature higher than 1000 C. and cooling the product through air to room temperature to obtain a hot rolled steel part having a microstructure consisting of 70% to 90% of bainite, 5% to 25% of M/A compounds and at most 25% of martensite. The bainite and the M/A compounds contain retained austenite such that the total content of retained austenite in the steel is comprised between 5% and 25%, the carbon content of the retained austenite being comprised between 0.8% and 1.5%.

Steel material for composite pressure vessel liners that, when used as raw material for manufacturing a composite pressure vessel liner, yields a liner having sufficient strength and a high fatigue limit and enables the manufacture of an inexpensive composite pressure vessel is provided. Steel material for composite pressure vessel liners comprises: a chemical composition containing, in mass %, C: 0.10% to 0.60%, Si: 0.01% to 2.0%, Mn: 0.1% to 5.0%, P: 0.0005% to 0.060%, S: 0.0001% to 0.010%, N: 0.0001% to 0.010%, and Al: 0.01% to 0.06%, with a balance being Fe and incidental impurities; and a metallic microstructure in which a mean grain size of prior austenite grains is 20 m or less, and a total area ratio of martensite and lower bainite is 90% or more.

Steel material for composite pressure vessel liners that, when used as raw material for manufacturing a composite pressure vessel liner, yields a liner having sufficient strength and a high fatigue limit and enables the manufacture of an inexpensive composite pressure vessel is provided. Steel material for composite pressure vessel liners comprises: a chemical composition containing, in mass %, C: 0.10% to 0.60%, Si: 0.01% to 2.0%, Mn: 0.1% to 5.0%, P: 0.0005% to 0.060%, S: 0.0001% to 0.010%, N: 0.0001% to 0.010%, and Al: 0.01% to 0.06%, with a balance being Fe and incidental impurities; and a metallic microstructure in which a mean grain size of prior austenite grains is 20 m or less, and a total area ratio of martensite and lower bainite is 90% or more.

The invention is directed to a method for improving the fatigue behavior of the body (2) of a gas valve, the body comprising at least two bores (4, 10) and at least one bore intersection (20) defining an internal volume; wherein the method comprises the following step: subjecting the internal volume to an autofrettage by applying a pressure of comprised between 100 MPa and 500 MPa by means of a liquid. 10. The invention is also directed to a gas valve body (2) comprising at least two bores (4, 10) and at least one bore intersection (20) defining an internal volume with an internal wall; wherein the internal wall is treated by autofrettage resulting in compressive stresses at the intersection or at least one of the intersections.

The invention is directed to a method for improving the fatigue behavior of the body (2) of a gas valve, the body comprising at least two bores (4, 10) and at least one bore intersection (20) defining an internal volume; wherein the method comprises the following step: subjecting the internal volume to an autofrettage by applying a pressure of comprised between 100 MPa and 500 MPa by means of a liquid. 10. The invention is also directed to a gas valve body (2) comprising at least two bores (4, 10) and at least one bore intersection (20) defining an internal volume with an internal wall; wherein the internal wall is treated by autofrettage resulting in compressive stresses at the intersection or at least one of the intersections.

A method of incremental autofrettage is taught herein, whereby the cycle life of a metal liner in a pressure vessel is increased. This method serves to increase the yield strength of the metal liner through sequential work hardening due to repeated autofrettage at increasing pressures. By incrementally increasing the internal pressure used in the autofrettage process, the compressive stresses at an inner surface of the metal liner may be controlled so that post-pressurization buckling does not occur, yet the yield strength of the metal liner is substantially increased. The higher compressive stresses in the metal liner mean that higher Maximum Expected Operating Pressures (MEOPs) may be used without detracting from the cycle life of the metal liner, or alternatively, for lower pressures, a longer metal liner cycle life may be obtained. Either internal or external pressures may be used, generated by a pressure source, or a suitable die.

A steel pipe for pressure piping subjected to autofrettage has an average hardness at its outer layer region of 1.20 times or more of an average hardness at its inner layer region. When an outer diameter is D, and an inner diameter is d, a measured value of a residual stress at an outer surface is denoted by ?.sub.o1, a measured value of a residual stress at an outer surface after halving is denoted by ?.sub.o2, and a measured value of a residual stress at an inner surface after the halving is denoted by ?.sub.i2, an estimated value ?.sub.i1 of a residual stress at the inner surface of the steel pipe is determined by [?.sub.i1=(??.sub.i2)/(A?(t/T).sup.2?1)], [t/T=((?.sub.o2??.sub.o1)/(A?(?.sub.o2??.sub.o1)?C??.sub.i2)).sup.1/2], [A=3.9829? exp(0.1071?(D/d).sup.2)], and [C=?3.3966?exp(0.0452?(D/d).sup.2)] is ?150 MPa or less.