A steel sheet has a predetermined chemical composition containing, in mass %, C: more than 0.18% and less than 0.30%, Mn: more than 2.50% and 4.00% or less, and other elements. The steel micro-structure at a position at a depth of ¼ of the sheet thickness from the surface in an L cross section of the steel sheet is, in area %, tempered martensite: 25 to 90%, ferrite: 5% or less, retained austenite: 10 to 50%, and bainite: 5% or less. At a position at a depth of ¼ of the sheet thickness from the surface of the L cross section, the proportion of a total area of retained austenite grains having an area of 1 μm.sup.2 or more and having a grain shape circularity of 0.1 or more is less than 50% with respect to the entire area of retained austenite. The steel sheet satisfies the formula C.sub.Mnγ/C.sub.Mnα≥1.2.

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.

A high-strength galvanized steel sheet includes a steel sheet having a chemical composition containing a predetermined component element, a mass ratio of a content of Si to a content of Mn in the steel (Si/Mn) being 0.1 or more and less than 0.2, and the balance: Fe and incidental impurities, and a steel structure in which an average grain size of inclusions containing at least one of Al, Si, Mg, and Ca and existing in an area extending from a surface to a position of ⅓ of a sheet thickness is 50 μm or less, and an average nearest distance between ones of the inclusions is 20 μm or more; and a galvanized layer provided on a surface of the steel sheet, in which an amount of diffusible hydrogen contained in the steel is less than 0.25 mass ppm, and a tensile strength is 1100 MPa or more.

A method of forming a shaped steel object is provided. The method includes cutting a blank from an alloy composition including 0.05-0.5 wt. % carbon, 4-12 wt. % manganese, 1-8 wt. % aluminum, 0-0.4 wt. % vanadium, and a remainder balance of iron. The method also includes heating the blank until the blank is austenitized to form a heated blank, transferring the heated blank to a press, forming the heating blank into a predetermined shape to form a stamped object, and decreasing the temperature of the stamped object to a temperature between a martensite start (Ms) temperature of the alloy composition and a martensite final (Mf) temperature of the alloy composition to form a shaped steel object comprising martensite and retained austenite.

Methods of producing high strength continuously cast hot rolled steel sheet products are disclosed. The methods include continuously casting a steel slab and then hot rolling with finish rolling on a hot strip mill, quenching on the hot strip mill to form a predominantly matrensitic microstructure, and performing a thermal cycling step including soaking at an intercritical temperature followed by holding at a lower temperature. The resultant hot rolled steel sheet products have a microstructure comprising ferrite and retained austenite. Steels processed in accordance with the present invention exhibit favorable combined ultimate tensile strength and total elongation (UTS.Math.TE) properties, and may fall into the category of Generation 3 advanced high strength steels, desirable in various industries including automobile manufacturers.

A hot stamped article having excellent shock absorption having a predetermined chemical composition, having a microstructure containing prior austenite having an average grain size of 3 μm or less and further containing at least one of lower bainite, martensite, and tempered martensite in an area ratio of 90% or more, and having a grain boundary solid solution ratio Z defined by Z=(mass % of one or both of Nb and Mo at grain boundaries)/(mass % of one or both of Nb and Mo at time of melting) of 0.3 or more.

Disclosed is a bearing wire rod includes, in percent by weight (wt %), 0.8 to 1.2% of C, 0.01 to 0.6% of Si, 0.1 to 0.6% of Mn, 1.0 to 2.0% of Cr, 0.01 to 0.06% of Al, 0.02% or less (exclusive of 0) of N, and the balance of Fe and inevitable impurities, wherein a prior austenite grain size of a microstructure is from 3 to 10 μm, and a sum of lengths of high angle grain boundaries having a misorientation angle of 15° or more per unit area is from 1,000 to 4,000 mm/mm.sup.2.

Disclosed are a wire rod and a component, for cold forging, each having excellent delayed fracture resistance characteristics and applicable to high-strength bolts and the like and a manufacturing method therefor.

According to an embodiment, a heat-treated component having excellent delayed fracture resistance characteristics includes, in percent by weight (wt %), 0.3 to 0.5% of C, 0.01 to 0.3% of Si, 0.3 to 1.0% of Mn, at least two types selected from the group consisting of 0.3 to 1.5% of Cr, 0.3 to 1.5% of Mo, and 0.01 to 0.4% of V, and the balance being Fe and other impurities, includes, as a microstructure, a tempered martensite phase in an area fraction of 95% or more, and includes V-based carbides having a diameter of 300 nm or less at 10/100 μm.sup.2 or more.

A cold rolled and annealed steel sheet includes by weight: 0.6≤C≤1.3%, 15.0≤Mn≤35%, 5≤Al≤15%, Si≤2.40%, S≤0.03%, P≤0.1%, N≤0.1%, possibly one or more optional elements chosen among Ni, Cr and Cu in an respective amount of up to 4.0%, up to 3.0% and up to 3.0% and possibly one or more elements chosen among B, Ta, Zr, Nb, V, Ti, Mo, and W in a cumulated amount of up to 2.0%, the remainder of the composition making up of iron and inevitable impurities resulting from the elaboration, the microstructure of the sheet including optionally up to 3% of kappa carbides, optionally up to 10.0% of granular ferrite, the remainder being made of austenite, the average grain size and average aspect ratio of the austenite being respectively below 6 μm and comprised between 1.5 and 6 and the average grain size and average aspect ratio of the ferrite, when present, being respectively below 5 μm and below 3.0.