The present invention relates to a ferritic stainless steel according to the present invention, containing, in mass %: 0.001%C0.020%, 0.05%Si0.50%, 0.1%Mn1.0%, 15.0%Cr25.0%, Mo<0.50%, 0.50%W5.00%, and 0.01%Nb0.50%, with a balance being Fe and unavoidable impurities, having a content (coarse Laves phase ratio) of coarse Laves phase having a diameter of 0.50 m or more being 0.1% or less, and having an average grain size being 30 m or more and 200 m or less.

A nitrogen-containing microalloyed spring steel and a preparation method thereof are provided. The chemical components are: 0.45-0.52% of carbon, 0.15-0.35% of silicon, 0.90-1.10% of manganese, 0.90-1.15% of chromium, 0.10-0.25% of molybdenum, 0.10-0.20% of vanadium, 0.025-0.04% of niobium, 0.007-0.012% of nitrogen, less than or equal to 0.03% of lead, tin, zinc, antimony, and bismuth, less than or equal to 25 ppm of oxygen and hydrogen, less than or equal to 0.02% of sulfur and phosphorus, less than or equal to 0.2% of copper, less than or equal to 0.35% nickel, and a balance of iron. The spring steel has significantly improved properties, including high mechanical strength, large elongation, high reduction of area, and good anti-fatigue performance.

A nitrogen-containing microalloyed spring steel and a preparation method thereof are provided. The chemical components are: 0.45-0.52% of carbon, 0.15-0.35% of silicon, 0.90-1.10% of manganese, 0.90-1.15% of chromium, 0.10-0.25% of molybdenum, 0.10-0.20% of vanadium, 0.025-0.04% of niobium, 0.007-0.012% of nitrogen, less than or equal to 0.03% of lead, tin, zinc, antimony, and bismuth, less than or equal to 25 ppm of oxygen and hydrogen, less than or equal to 0.02% of sulfur and phosphorus, less than or equal to 0.2% of copper, less than or equal to 0.35% nickel, and a balance of iron. The spring steel has significantly improved properties, including high mechanical strength, large elongation, high reduction of area, and good anti-fatigue performance.

A method of producing a coil spring including a part of high hardness and a softening part of lower hardness than the part, the method including: a step of heating a wire rod; a step of forming the wire rod heated into a spiral shape; a step of quenching and tempering the wire rod spirally formed; and a step of carrying out electrical heating to a part that is the softening part on the wire rod quenched and tempered, with a pair of electrodes applied to both faces of the softening part.

A method of producing a coil spring including a part of high hardness and a softening part of lower hardness than the part, the method including: a step of heating a wire rod; a step of forming the wire rod heated into a spiral shape; a step of quenching and tempering the wire rod spirally formed; and a step of carrying out electrical heating to a part that is the softening part on the wire rod quenched and tempered, with a pair of electrodes applied to both faces of the softening part.

A rolled wire rod for spring steel contains, as a chemical composition, by mass %: C: 0.42% to 0.60%; Si: 0.90% to 3.00%; Mn: 0.10% to 1.50%; Cr: 0.10% to 1.50%; B: 0.0010% to 0.0060%; N: 0.0010% to 0.0070%; Mo: 0% to 1.00%; V: 0% to 1.00%; Ni: 0% to 1.00%; Cu: 0% to 0.50%; Al: 0% to 0.100%; Ti: 0% to 0.100%; Nb: 0% to 0.100%; P: limited to less than 0.020%; S: limited to less than 0.020%; and a remainder including Fe and impurities, the carbon equivalent (Ceq) is 0.75% to 1.00%, the area fraction of tempered martensite and bainite included in a microstructure is 90% or greater, the tensile strength is 1,350 MPa or less, and the reduction of area is 40% or greater.

A canted coil spring includes a core wire 10 formed of steel having a pearlite structure; and a copper plating layer 20 formed of copper or a copper alloy and covering an outer circumferential surface 11 of the core wire 10. The steel contains 0.5 mass % or more and 1.0 mass % or less carbon, 0.1 mass % or more and 2.5 mass % or less silicon, and 0.3 mass % or more and 0.9 mass % or less manganese, with the balance being iron and inevitable impurities. The copper plating layer 20 has a crystallite size of 22050 .

A canted coil spring includes a core wire 10 formed of steel having a pearlite structure; and a copper plating layer 20 formed of copper or a copper alloy and covering an outer circumferential surface 11 of the core wire 10. The steel contains 0.5 mass % or more and 1.0 mass % or less carbon, 0.1 mass % or more and 2.5 mass % or less silicon, and 0.3 mass % or more and 0.9 mass % or less manganese, with the balance being iron and inevitable impurities. The copper plating layer 20 has a crystallite size of 22050 .

A method of manufacturing a suspension coil spring includes forming first shot peening indentations on a surface of a wire by projecting first shots toward the wire and forming a compressive residual stress portion to which a compressive residual stress is imparted from the surface of the wire to a first depth, and projecting ball shots as second shots toward a lower end turn portion by an ultrasonic apparatus. A size of each ball shot is larger than a size of each first shot. The method includes forming second shot peening indentations on a surface of the lower end turn portion, and a deep residual stress portion in the lower end turn portion, a compressive residual stress of the deep residual stress portion imparted from the surface of the wire to a second depth that is deeper than the first depth.

A carburization device includes a heating furnace which heats a material, a transfer mechanism, an alcohol vapor generator, an alcohol vapor spraying portion, a quenching tank, and an exhaust heat intake tube. The transfer mechanism moves a plurality of materials. The alcohol vapor generator uses part of heat generated by the heating furnace as a heat source. As the alcohol vapor spraying portion repeats a vapor spraying step and a diffusion step a plurality of times in the heating furnace. In the vapor spraying step, by spraying alcohol vapor on the material which moves inside the heating furnace, carbon in the alcohol is adsorbed to the material. In the diffusion step, an interval for diffusing the carbon adsorbed to the material is taken.