The present disclosure relates to a thick steel material that can be appropriately used as a line pipe, a sour-resistant material and, more particularly, to a high-strength steel material having excellent sulfide stress corrosion cracking resistance and excellent resistance against propagation of sulfide stress corrosion cracking, and a method of manufacturing the steel material.

The present disclosure relates to a thick steel material that can be appropriately used as a line pipe, a sour-resistant material and, more particularly, to a high-strength steel material having excellent sulfide stress corrosion cracking resistance and excellent resistance against propagation of sulfide stress corrosion cracking, and a method of manufacturing the steel material.

Provided is a steel sheet and a method for manufacturing same, the steel sheet which can be used for automobile parts and the like, having excellent bending workability, and excellent balance of strength and ductility and of strength and hole expansibility.

Provided is a steel sheet and a method for manufacturing same, the steel sheet which can be used for automobile parts and the like, having excellent bending workability, and excellent balance of strength and ductility and of strength and hole expansibility.

A method for producing an austempered steel is provided. The method includes subjecting a steel alloy having a silicon content of 1.5 to 4.4 weight percent and a carbon content of 0.3 to 0.8 weight percent to continuous cooling followed by annealing. The cooling rate is initially sufficiently fast to prevent predominant formation of proeutectoid ferrite or pearlite, while subsequently at intermediate temperatures, the cooling rate is sufficiently slow to allow a transformation of the austenite to mainly ausferrite during cooling. The annealing is able to complete the transformation of carbon enriched austenite to ausferrite and to temper any martensite previously formed. The method results in the cost-efficient production of one or more continuously cooled and annealed austempered steel components or semi-finished products having mainly an ausferritic microstructure.

A method for producing an austempered steel is provided. The method includes subjecting a steel alloy having a silicon content of 1.5 to 4.4 weight percent and a carbon content of 0.3 to 0.8 weight percent to continuous cooling followed by annealing. The cooling rate is initially sufficiently fast to prevent predominant formation of proeutectoid ferrite or pearlite, while subsequently at intermediate temperatures, the cooling rate is sufficiently slow to allow a transformation of the austenite to mainly ausferrite during cooling. The annealing is able to complete the transformation of carbon enriched austenite to ausferrite and to temper any martensite previously formed. The method results in the cost-efficient production of one or more continuously cooled and annealed austempered steel components or semi-finished products having mainly an ausferritic microstructure.

Disclosed is a stainless steel for a fuel cell separator, more specifically, a stainless steel for a fuel cell separator having a low contact resistance. According to an embodiment of the stainless steel for a fuel cell separator disclosed herein, an arithmetic mean summit curvature Ssc of the surface defined according to the ISO 25178 standard is at least 6.0 μm.sup.−1, a root mean square surface slope Sdq is at least 23, and a contact resistance is at most 10 mΩ.Math.cm.sup.2.

Disclosed is a stainless steel for a fuel cell separator, more specifically, a stainless steel for a fuel cell separator having a low contact resistance. According to an embodiment of the stainless steel for a fuel cell separator disclosed herein, an arithmetic mean summit curvature Ssc of the surface defined according to the ISO 25178 standard is at least 6.0 μm.sup.−1, a root mean square surface slope Sdq is at least 23, and a contact resistance is at most 10 mΩ.Math.cm.sup.2.

A method of fabricating a low alloy steel ingot, the method including a) melting all or part of an electrode by a vacuum arc remelting method, the electrode, before melting, including iron and carbon, the melted portion of the electrode being collected in a crucible, thus forming a melt pool within the crucible; and b) solidifying the melt pool by heat exchange between the melt pool and a cooling fluid, the heat exchange applied serving to impose a mean solidification speed during step b) that is less than or equal to 45 μm/s and to obtain an ingot of low alloy steel.

A method of fabricating a low alloy steel ingot, the method including a) melting all or part of an electrode by a vacuum arc remelting method, the electrode, before melting, including iron and carbon, the melted portion of the electrode being collected in a crucible, thus forming a melt pool within the crucible; and b) solidifying the melt pool by heat exchange between the melt pool and a cooling fluid, the heat exchange applied serving to impose a mean solidification speed during step b) that is less than or equal to 45 μm/s and to obtain an ingot of low alloy steel.