High strength galvannealed steel sheet having, a) a composition consisting of (in wt. %): C 0.10-0.2, Mn 2.0-3.0, Si 0.2-0.5, Cr 0.1-0.7, Ti 0.01-0.07, Al≤0.2, Nb<0.05, Mo<0.1, optionally B 0.001-0.005, balance Fe apart from impurities, b) a multiphase microstructure comprising (in vol. %) retained austenite 4-20, martensite 5-25, bainitic ferrite ≤10, polygonal ferrite ≤10, balance bainite+tempered martensite 50-90, c) a tensile strength (Rm) 1180-1300 MPa, a yield strength (R.sub.p0.2) 800-970 MPa, an elongation (A50) ≥8%, or an elongation (A80) ≥6%, and d) a bendability value Ri/t of ≤4 for a sample having the size of 35 mm×100 mm, wherein Ri is the bending radius in mm and t is the thickness in mm of the steel sheet.

A steel sheet includes, by mass %: C: 0.020% to 0.080%; Si: 0.01% to 0.10%; Mn: 0.80% to 1.80%; and Al: more than 0.10% and less than 0.40%; and further includes: Nb: 0.005% to 0.095%; and Ti: 0.005% to 0.095%, in which a total amount of Nb and Ti is 0.030% to 0.100%, and the steel sheet includes, as a metallographic structure, ferrite, bainite, and other phases, an area fraction of the ferrite is 80% to 95%, an area fraction of the bainite is 5% to 20%, a total fraction of the other phases is less than 3%, a tensile strength is 590 MPa or more, and a fatigue strength ratio as a fatigue strength to the tensile strength is 0.45 or more.

A surface-finished steel sheet, in some examples cold-rolled thin steel sheet, includes a metallic corrosion-resistant layer that may comprise more than 40% by weight aluminum and iron. So that that corrosion-resistant layer has high formability, especially cold formability, and hence significantly improved adhesion on forming, the corrosion-resistant layer may comprises nickel, wherein nickel-containing phases are located at a transition from the corrosion-resistant layer to a base material of the steel sheet. The nickel content of the corrosion resistant layer may be in a range from 5 to 30% by weight. Further, a method for producing a surface-finished steel sheet of this kind is also disclosed. In some examples, a nickel layer may be applied to a steel sheet, preferably cold-rolled thin steel sheet in the form of flat steel product, prior to hot-dip coating the steel sheet with a liquid aluminum melt or with a liquid melt of aluminum-based alloy.

A method for manufacturing a high-strength galvanized steel sheet having excellent strength-elongation balance, coating adhesiveness, and surface appearance. The method includes: (i) a first heating process of heating a steel sheet having a predetermined chemical composition, (ii) a first pickling process of pickling the steel sheet which was subjected to the first heating process in an oxidizing acidic aqueous solution, (iii) a second pickling process of pickling the steel sheet which was subjected to the first pickling process in a non-oxidizing acidic aqueous solution, (iv) a second heating process of holding the steel sheet, which was subjected to the second pickling process, at a temperature range of 700° C. or higher and 900° C. or lower in a hydrogen-containing atmosphere for 20 seconds or more and 300 seconds or less, and (v) performing a galvanizing treatment on the steel sheet which was subjected to the second heating process.

A cold-rolled sheet is provided. The cold-rolled sheet includes a steel substrate with a carbon content C.sub.0 between 0.07% and 0.5%, expressed by weight, and a metal pre-coating on at least the two principal faces of the steel substrate. The substrate has a decarburized area on the surface of each of the two principal faces. The depth p.sub.50% of the decarburized area is between 6 and 30 micrometers, and p.sub.50% is the depth at which the carbon content is equal to 50% of the content C.sub.0. The sheet does not contain a layer of iron oxide between the substrate and the metal pre-coating.

A high strength steel sheet including, by mass, C: 0.03% or more and 0.25% or less, Si: 0.4% or more and 2.5% or less, Mn: 3.5% or more and 10.0% or less, P: 0.1% or less, S: 0.01% or less, Al: 0.01% or more and 2.5% or less, N: 0.008% or less, Si+Al: 1.0% or more, the balance being Fe and inevitable impurities. The area ratio of ferrite is 30% or more and 80% or less, the area ratio of martensite is 0% or more and 17% or less, the volume fraction of retained austenite is 8% or more, and the average grain size of retained austenite is 2 μm or less.

A continuous annealing furnace for annealing steel strips that is a vertical-type annealing furnace is configured so that part of gas inside the furnace is drawn and introduced to a refiner disposed outside the furnace including an oxygen removing apparatus and a dehumidifying apparatus, oxygen and moisture contained in the gas are removed to lower the dew point of the gas, and the gas having a lowered dew point is put back into the furnace. At least one gas inlet through which gas is drawn from the furnace into the refiner is disposed in the vicinity of the entry side of the furnace at a distance of 6 m or less in the vertical direction and 3 m or less in the furnace-length direction from the steel-strip-introduction section located at the lower part of the heating zone.

A method for producing high-strength galvanized steel sheets having excellent coating adhesion, workability and appearance. The method comprises hot rolling a slab comprising, by mass %, C: 0.05 to 0.30%, Si: 0.1 to 2.0% and Mn: 1.0 to 4.0%, then coiling the steel sheet into a coil at a specific temperature T.sub.C, and pickling the steel sheet, cold rolling the hot-rolled steel sheet resulting from the hot rolling, annealing the cold-rolled steel sheet resulting from the cold rolling under specific conditions, and galvanizing the annealed sheet resulting from the annealing in a galvanizing bath containing 0.12 to 0.22 mass % Al.

Provided is a galvanized steel sheet having excellent spot weldability; and a method for producing same. The galvanized steel sheet includes a base steel sheet and a zinc-based plating layer formed on the base steel sheet, wherein the surface layer of the base steel sheet may have a decarburization rate of at least 30% as represented by equation 1. [Equation 1]: Decarburization rate (%) of surface layer=(1−average carbon concentration in surface layer/bulk carbon concentration)*100, where the surface layer refers to a region extending to a depth of 35 μm from the surface of the base steel sheet.

A high-strength cold-rolled steel sheet has a component composition containing, on a percent by mass basis, C: 0.12% or more and 0.25% or less, Si: less than 0.5%, Mn: 2.0% or more and 3.0% or less, P: 0.05% or less, S: 0.005% or less, Al: 0.01% or more and 0.10% or less, and N: 0.010% or less, the balance being Fe and incidental impurities, the total area percentage of martensite and tempered martensite satisfying 20% or more and 90% or less, the area percentage of ferrite satisfying 10% or less, the area percentage of bainite satisfying 10% or more and 80% or less, the area percentage of a martensite-austenite constituent in the bainite being 1% or more and 10% or less, the area percentage of cementite having an average grain size of 1 μm or less in the bainite being 0.1% or more and 5.0% or less.