A pre-coated steel strip is provided. The steel strip includes a strip of base steel having a length, a width, a first side, and a second side. The length of the strip is at least 100 m and the width is at least 600 mm. An aluminum or an aluminum alloy pre-coating is on at least part of at least one of the first or second sides of the strip of base steel. A thickness t.sub.p of the pre-coating is from 20 to 33 micrometers at every location on at least one of the first or second sides. Processes, coated stamped products and land motor vehicles are also provided.

The method includes treating a metal sheet having a bcc structure and a surface satisfying conditions (a) or (b), molding the metal sheet to cause plane strain tensile deformation and biaxial tensile deformation, and allowing at least one part of the metal sheet to have a sheet thickness decrease rate of from 10% to 30%. Condition (a): an area fraction of crystal grains having a crystal orientation of 15° or less relative to a (001) plane parallel to a surface of the metal sheet is from 0.20 to 0.35. Condition (b): the area fraction of crystal grains having a crystal orientation of 15° or less relative to a (001) plane parallel to a surface of the metal sheet is 0.45 or less, the average crystal grain size thereof is 15 μm or less. The molded product satisfies conditions (a) or (b).

A coated substrate has a substrate and a coating system having one or more ceramic layers. At least a first layer of one of the one or more ceramic layers is a columnar layer having as-deposited columns and intercolumn gaps. The intercolumn gaps have a mean width at least one of: at least 4.0 micrometers; and at least 1.5% of a thickness of said first layer.

A formed sheet metal material and methods, tools and apparatus for forming the sheet metal material in which a pattern of projections and depressions are cold worked in a first portion and, simultaneously, indicia is embossed in a second portion of the sheet material. The cold worked portion is formed with the projections and depressions configured and distributed such that lines drawn on a surface of the formed sheet material between adjacent rows of projections and depressions are not rectilinear. The indicia is indicative of the alignment between the tools.

A joint structure includes: a first same-type metal member; a second same-type metal member that can be mutually welded with the first same-type metal member; and a different-type member that has a penetrating portion, is interposed between the first same-type metal member and the second same-type metal member. In the plate thickness direction of an emission region in which a laser beam is emitted toward the penetrating portion, the plate thickness at the emission region of the first same-type metal member positioned on the side on which the laser beam is emitted is a predetermined thickness corresponding to a first gap. The first same-type metal member and the second same-type metal member are fused and bonded together via the penetrating portion, and the different-type member is compressed and fixed, such that the different-type member is fixed to the first same-type metal member and the second same-type metal member.

An amorphous metal ribbon includes a plurality of laser irradiation mark rows each including a plurality of laser irradiation marks arranged in a row, in which when a distance between the laser irradiation mark rows that are adjacent to each other is set as d1, a distance between the laser irradiation marks in the laser irradiation mark row is set as d2, a diameter of the laser irradiation mark is set as d3, and a number density D of the laser irradiation marks is set as (1/d1)×(1/d2), the number density D of the laser irradiation marks is 0.05 pieces/mm.sup.2 or more and 0.50 pieces/mm.sup.2 or less, and when an area occupancy rate A of the laser irradiation marks is set as D×(d3/2).sup.2×π×100, the area occupancy rate A of the laser irradiation marks is 0.0035% or more and 0.040% or less.

A coated substrate has a substrate and a coating system having one or more ceramic layers. At least a first layer of one of the one or more ceramic layers is a columnar layer having as-deposited columns and intercolumn gaps. The intercolumn gaps have a mean width at least one of: at least 4.0 micrometers; and at least 1.5% of a thickness of said first layer.

A method for creating a welded steel part includes providing a first steel plate having a first base, a first intermetallic alloy layer on the first base and a first metal alloy layer on the first intermetallic alloy layer; providing a second steel plate having a second base, a second intermetallic alloy layer on the second base and a second metal alloy layer on the second intermetallic alloy layer; butt welding the first and second steel plates at a weld so as to melt material from at least the first base, the first intermetallic alloy layer, the second base and the second intermetallic layer to form a molten weld material; austenizing the welded steel plates at a temperature between Ac1 and Ac3+100 degrees C. for a time greater than or equal to 20 seconds; and cooling the welded steel plates so as to render a uniform microstructure to the weld.

A pre-coated steel strip is provided. The steel strip includes a strip of base steel having a length, a width, a first side, and a second side. The length of the strip is at least 100 m and the width is at least 600 mm. An aluminum or an aluminum alloy pre-coating is on at least part of at least one of the first or second sides of the strip of base steel. A thickness t.sub.p of the pre-coating is from 20 to 33 micrometers at every location on at least one of the first or second sides. Processes, coated stamped products and land motor vehicles are also provided.

A stainless steel sheet for fuel cell separators comprises a predetermined chemical composition, wherein the stainless steel sheet has a textured structure at a surface thereof, an average interval between projected parts of the textured structure being 20 nm or more and 200 nm or less, and a ratio [Cr]/[Fe] of an atomic concentration of Cr existing in chemical form other than metal to an atomic concentration of Fe existing in chemical form other than metal at the surface of the stainless steel sheet is 2.0 or more.