Disclosed is an austenitic stainless steel having an increased yield ratio. The disclosed austenitic stainless steel is characterized by comprising, in percent by weight (wt %), 0.1% or less (exclusive of 0) of C, 0.2% or less (exclusive of 0) of N, 1.5 to 2.5% of Si, 6.0 to 10.0% of Mn, 15.0 to 17.0% of Cr, 0.3% or less (exclusive of 0) of Ni, 2.0 to 3.0% of Cu, and the remainder of Fe and other inevitable impurities, and satisfying Expressions (1) and (2) below.

3.2≤5.53+1.4Ni−0.16Cr+17.1(C+N)+0.722Mn+1.4Cu−5.59Si≤7  Expression (1):

551-462(C+N)−9.2Si−8.1Mn−13.7Cr−29(Ni+Cu)≤110  Expression (2): wherein C, N, Si, Mn, Cr, Ni, and Cu indicate the content (wt %) of respective elements.

A cold-rolled and heat-treated steel sheet having a microstructure of, in surface fraction: between 10% and 30% of retained austenite, said retained austenite being present as films having an aspect ratio of at least 3 and as Martensite Austenite islands, less than 8% of such Martensite Austenite islands having a size above 0.5 μm, at most 10% of fresh martensite and
recovered martensite containing precipitates of at least one element chosen among niobium, titanium and vanadium. A manufacturing method thereof is also provided.

A cold-rolled and heat-treated steel sheet having a microstructure consisting of, in surface fraction: between 10% and 30% of retained austenite, the retained austenite being present as films having an aspect ratio of at least 3 and as Martensite Austenite islands, less than 8% of the Martensite Austenite islands having a size above 0.5 μm, at most 1% of fresh martensite, at most 50% of tempered martensite, and recovered martensite containing precipitates of at least one element chosen among niobium, titanium and vanadium. A method for manufacturing the cold-rolled and heat-treated steel sheet is also described.

A low thermal expansion alloy having a high rigidity and a low thermal expansion coefficient comprising, by mass %, C: 0.040% or less, Si: 0.25% or less, Mn: 0.15 to 0.50%, Cr: 8.50 to 10.0%, Ni: 0 to 5.00%, and Co: 43.0 to 56.0%, S: 0 to 0.050%, and Se: 0 to 0.050% and having a balance of Fe and unavoidable impurities, the contents of Ni, Co, and Mn represented by [Ni], [Co], and [Mn] satisfying 55.7≤2.2[Ni]+[Co]+1.7[Mn]≤56.7 and the structure being an austenite single phase.

A high-strength galvanized steel sheet includes a steel sheet containing a predetermined component element, a mass ratio of a content amount of Si to a content amount of Mn in the steel (Si/Mn) being 0.2 or more, and a steel structure in which an average grain size of inclusions 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, oxides containing predetermined elements in an outer layer portion of the steel sheet account for 0.010 g/m.sup.2 or more per one surface, and a tensile strength is 1100 MPa or more.

Disclosed is an austenitic stainless steel alloy that includes or consists of, by weight, about 20.0% to about 21.5% chromium, about 8.5% to about 10.0% nickel, about 4.0% to about 5.0% manganese, about 0.5% to about 2.0% silicon, about 0.4% to about 0.5% carbon, about 0.2% to about 0.3% nitrogen, and a balance of iron with inevitable/unavoidable impurities. The elements niobium, tungsten, and molybdenum are excluded beyond impurity levels. Turbocharger turbine housings made of the stainless steel alloy, and methods of making the same, are also disclosed. The stainless steel alloy is suitable for use in turbocharger turbine applications for temperatures up to about 1020° C.

A low-carbon iron-chromium-molybdenum alloy comprises, in weight percent: carbon from about 0.1 to about 0.8 percent; manganese from about 0.1 to about 4 percent; silicon from about 0.1 to about 0.5 percent; chromium from 14 to about 16 percent; nickel up to about 8 percent; vanadium up to about 0.1 percent; molybdenum from 14 to about 16 percent; tungsten up to about 6 percent; niobium from about 0.1 to about 0.8 percent; cobalt up to about 0.2 percent; boron up to 0.1 percent; nitrogen up to about 0.1 percent; copper up to about 1.5 percent; sulfur up to about 0.05 percent; phosphorus up to about 0.05 percent; balance iron from about 50 to about 65 percent; and incidental impurities wherein the alloy contains a ratio of Cr/Mo of about 0.9 to about 1.1. The alloy can be used as a valve seat insert for combustion engines.

press hardening method includes the following steps: A. the provision of a steel sheet for heat-treatment, precoated with a zinc- or aluminum-based pre-coating, B. the deposition of a hydrogen barrier pre-coating over a thickness from 10 to 550 nm, and comprising at least one element chosen from among: nickel, chromium, magnesium, aluminum and yttrium, C. batch annealing of the precoated steel sheet to obtain a pre-alloyed steel sheet, the cooling after the batch annealing being performed at a speed of 29.0° C.h.sup.−1 or less, D. the cutting of the pre-alloyed steel sheet to obtain blank, E. thermal treatment of the blank to obtain a fully austenitic microstructure in the steel, F. the transfer of the blank into a press tool, G. the hot-forming of the blank to obtain a part, H. the cooling of the part obtained at step G).

Provided is a high strength steel sheet that has a predetermined chemical composition and is manufactured under optimum conditions, the high strength steel sheet having a steel microstructure including, by area, ferrite: 30% or more and 80% or less, tempered martensite: 3.0% or more and 35% or less, and retained austenite: 8% or more, wherein the quotient of the area fraction of grains of the retained austenite, the grains having an aspect ratio of 2.0 or more and a minor axis length of 1 μm or less, divided by the total area fraction of the retained austenite is 0.3 or more, wherein the quotient of the average Mn content (mass %) in the retained austenite divided by the average Mn content (mass %) in the ferrite is 1.5 or more.

Provided is a high strength steel sheet that has a predetermined chemical composition and is manufactured under optimum conditions, the high strength steel sheet having a steel microstructure including, by area, ferrite: 30% or more and 80% or less, martensite: 5% or more and 35% or less, and retained austenite: 8% or more, wherein the quotient of the area fraction of grains of the retained austenite, the grains having an aspect ratio of 2.0 or more and a minor axis length of 1 μm or less, divided by the total area fraction of the retained austenite is 0.3 or more, wherein the quotient of the average Mn content (mass %) in the retained austenite divided by the average Mn content (mass %) in the ferrite is 1.5 or more.