The high-strength steel for steel forgings according to the present invention has a composition that includes, as basic components, C: 0.35 mass % to 0.47 mass %; Si: 0 mass % to 0.4 mass %; Mn: 0.6 mass % to 1.5 mass %; Ni: more than 0 mass % up to 2.0 mass %; Cr: 0.8 mass % to 2.5 mass %; Mo: 0.10 mass % to 0.7 mass %; V: 0.035 mass % to 0.20 mass %; Al: 0.015 mass % to 0.050 mass %; N: 30 ppm to 100 ppm, and O: more than 0 ppm up to 30 ppm, the balance being Fe and inevitable impurities. The metal structure is mainly bainite, martensite or a mixed structure of bainite and martensite. Among cubic B1-type precipitates, the number of coherent precipitates having a diameter equal to or smaller than 30 nm is equal to or smaller than 50/μm.sup.2.

The present invention provides a method for obtaining a carburized part using steel high in content of Cr and realizing bending fatigue strength at an extremely high level by vacuum carburizing. The carburized part is obtained by treating a steel material having a predetermined chemical composition by vacuum carburizing provided with a carburizing period of 10 to 200 minutes at 850 to 1100° C. and a diffusion period of 15 to 300 minutes at 850 to 1100° C., then quenching and tempering it.

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.

This hot-rolled wire rod includes, as a chemical composition, by mass %: C: 0.90% to 1.10%; Si: 0.50% to 0.80%; Mn: 0.10% to 0.70%; Cr: 0.10% to 0.40%; P: 0.020% or less; S: 0.015% or less; N: 0.0060% or less; O: 0.0040% or less; and a remainder consisting of Fe and impurities, in which Formulas (1) and (2) are satisfied by mass %, the structure of the hot-rolled wire rod consists of pearlite in an area ratio of 95.0% or more and a remainder, and TS, which is a tensile strength in unit of MPa, and TS*, which is determined from the C content, the Si content, and the Cr content, satisfy Formula (3),

0.50≤[Si]+[Cr]≤0.90  (1)

0.40≤[Cr]+[Mn]≤0.80  (2)

−50<TS−TS*<50  (3) where the TS* is calculated by Formula (3′),

TS*=1000×[C]+100×[Si]+125×[Cr]+150  (3′).

A steel with high hardness and excellent toughness contains, in mass %, 0.55-1.10% C, 0.10-2.00% Si, 0.10-2.00% Mn, 0.030% or less P, 0.030% or less S, 1.10-2.50% Cr, and 0.010-0.10% Al, with the balance consisting of Fe and unavoidable impurities. The structure of the steel after quenching is a dual phase structure of martensitic structure and spheroidized carbide. Spheroidized cementite particles with an aspect ratio of 1.5 or less constitute at least 90% of all cementite particles. The proportion of the number of spheroidized cementite particles on the prior austenite grain boundaries to a total number of cementite particles is 20% or less.

A method for manufacturing a bainite high-strength seamless steel tube, comprising the following steps: smelting, manufacturing a billet, heating, perforating, rolling, stretch reducing or sizing to obtain tube, and cooling. In the cooling step, the quenching starting temperature is controlled to be at least 20° C. higher than the Ar3 temperature of the steel grade; the finish cooling temperature is controlled to be within a range between T1 and T2, where T1=519-423 C-30.4Mn, T2=780-270 C-90Mn, and the units of the T1 and the T2 are ° C.; in the formulas, C and Mn respectively represent the mass percents of element C and element Mn of the steel grade, the content of the element C is 0.06-0.2%, and the content of the element Mn is 1-2.5%; the cooling rate is controlled to be 15-80° C./s; and the finished product of the bainite high-strength seamless steel tube is directly obtained after the cooling step. The manufacturing of a bainite high-strength seamless steel tube using the method requires neither the addition of precious alloying elements nor the subsequent heat treatment. Therefore the production costs are low.

A high-strength steel sheet having a chemical composition containing, by mass %, C: 0.15% to 0.25%, Si: 1.00% to 2.20%, Mn: 2.00% to 3.50%, P: 0.05% or less, S: 0.005% or less, Al: 0.01% to 0.50%, N: 0.010% or less, B: 0.0003% to 0.0050%, one, two, or more selected from Ti: 0.005% to 0.05%, Cu: 0.003% to 0.50%, Ni: 0.003% to 0.50%, Sn: 0.003% to 0.50%, Co: 0.003% to 0.05%, and Mo: 0.003% to 0.50%, and the balance being Fe and inevitable impurities and a microstructure including, in terms of volume fraction, 15% or less (including 0%) of ferrite, 2% to 15% of retained austenite, 10% or less (including 0%) of martensite, and the balance being bainite and tempered martensite, in which the average number of cementite grains having a grain diameter of 0.04 μm or more existing in the bainite and tempered martensite grains is 10 or more.

A bearing component composed of a chromium-molybdenum-vanadium alloyed tool steel is produced by a process that includes: (i) performing a first preheating within a temperature range of 600-650° C., (ii) performing a second preheating within a temperature range of 850-900° C., (iii) austenitizing in vacuum at 1000-1180° C. for 20-40 min, (iv) gas quenching at a minimum of 4-5 bar overpressure, and (v) tempering by performing either a double temper at 520-560° C. for 1.5-2.5 hours in each temper, or a triple temper at 520-560° C. for 0.5-1.5 hours in each temper. The steel alloy may be composed (in mass percent) of 1.32-1.45 C, 0.32-0.50 Si, 0.26-0.48 Mn, 4.0-4.85 Cr, 3.35-3.55 Mo, 3.55-3.85 V, 0-0.13 W, 0-0.20 Ni, 0-0.15 Cu, 0-0.8 Co, 0-0.03 P, and 0-0.03 S, the balance being iron and unavoidable impurities. Mo may be replaced with W or vice versa in a replacement ratio Mo:W of 1:2.

A high-carbon cold rolled steel sheet having a specified chemical composition, and a method for manufacturing the same. The method includes forming a hot rolled steel sheet, performing cooling at an average cooling rate of 30° C./s or more and 70° C./s or less through a temperature range of a finish rolling end temperature to 660° C., coiling a hot rolled steel sheet at a temperature of 500° C. or more and 660° C. or less, and, optionally, pickling the coiled hot rolled steel sheet, and then performing a first box-annealing of holding at an annealing temperature in a temperature range of 650 to 720° C., then performing cold rolling at a rolling reduction ratio of 20 to 50%, and then performing a second box-annealing of holding at an annealing temperature in a temperature range of 650 to 720° C.

A high-carbon hot-rolled steel sheet and a method for manufacturing the steel sheet are provided. The high-carbon hot-rolled steel sheet has a particular chemical composition. The microstructure of the steel sheet includes ferrite, cementite, and pearlite that accounts for 6.5% or less of the entire microstructure by area fraction. The proportion of the number of cementite grains having an equivalent circle diameter of 0.1 μm or less to the total number of cementite grains is 20% or less, the average cementite grain size is 2.5 μm or less, and the cementite accounts for 3.5% or more and 10.0% or less of the entire microstructure by area fraction. The average concentration of solute B in a region extending from a surface layer to a depth of 100 μm is 10 mass ppm or more. The average concentration of N present as AlN in the region is 70 mass ppm or less.