A valve spring which has an excellent fatigue limit is provided. A chemical composition of the valve spring according to the present embodiment contains, in mass %, C: 0.50 to 0.80%, Si: 1.20 to less than 2.50%, Mn: 0.25 to 1.00%, P: 0.020% or less. S: 0.020% or less: Cr: 0.40 to 1.90%, V: 0.05 to 0.60%, Ca: 0.0001 to 0.0050%, and N: 0.0100% or less, with the balance being Fe and impurities. In the valve spring, a number density of V-based precipitates having a maximum diameter ranging from 2 to 10 nm is 5000 to 80000 pieces/μm.sup.3, and a numerical proportion of Ca sulfides with respect to a total number of oxide-based inclusions and sulfide-based inclusions is 0.20% or less.

The present invention provides steel sheet having both bendability and hydrogen embrittlement resistance. The steel sheet of the present invention includes a central part of sheet thickness and a surface sort part formed at one side or both sides of the central part of sheet thickness. The microstructure of the central part of sheet thickness comprises, by volume ratio, 60% or more of tempered martensite, respectively less than 30% of ferrite, bainite, pearlite, and retained austenite, and less than 5% of as-quenched martensite. A thickness of the surface soft part is more than 10 μm per side and 15% or less of a thickness of the central part of sheet thickness, an average hardness of the surface soft part is 0.90 time or less of an average hardness of the central part of sheet thickness, the surface soft part includes carbides in a number density of 1×10.sup.4/mm.sup.2 or more, an average particle size of the carbides is 0.250 μm or less, and a standard deviation of a log of a particle size is 0.05 or less.

This hot-stamping formed body has a predetermined chemical composition and has a metallographic structure consisting of, by area ratio, a total of 10% to 30% of ferrite and granular bainite and a remainder in microstructure consisting of one or more of martensite, bainite, and tempered martensite, and, in textures of a surface layer region and an inside region, ratios between a pole density of an orientation group consisting of {001}<1-10> to {001}<−1-10> and a pole density of an orientation group consisting of {111}<1-10> to {111}<−1-12> are controlled.

A heat treated cold rolled steel sheet having a composition comprising of the following elements, 0.1%≤Carbon≤0.25, 2.15%≤Manganese≤3.0%, 1%≤Silicon≤0.8%, 0.1%≤Aluminum≤0.9%, 0.05%≤Chromium≤0.5%, 0%≤, Phosphorus≤0.09%, 0%≤Sulfur≤0.09%, 0%≤Nitrogen≤0.09%, 2.4%≤C+Mn≤3%, 0%≤Niobium≤0.1%, 0% ≤Titanium≤0.1%, 0%≤Vanadium≤0.1%, 0%≤Molybdenum≤1%, 0%≤Nickel≤1%, 0%≤Calcium≤0.005%, 0%≤Boron≤0.01%, 0%≤Cerium≤0.1%, 0%≤Magnesium≤0.05%, 0%≤Zirconium≤0.05% the remainder being composed of iron and unavoidable impurities, the microstructure of said steel sheet including, 20% to 70% Martensite, 5 to 60% of Inter-critical Ferrite, 5 to 30% of Transformed Ferrite, 8% to 20% of Residual Austenite and 1 to 20% Bainite, wherein the cumulated amount of Inter-critical and Transformed Ferrite is between 15% and 65%.

A high-strength cold-rolled steel sheet having a high yield ratio and excellent stretch flangeability and a method for manufacturing the steel sheet. The high-strength cold-rolled steel sheet has a chemical composition including, by mass %, C: 0.10 to 0.30%, Si: 0.50 to 2.00%, Mn: 2.5 to 4.0%, P: 0.050% or less, S: 0.020% or less, Al: 0.10% or less, N: 0.01% or less, Ti: 0.100% or less, and B: 0.0003 to 0.0030%, with the balance being Fe and incidental impurities. N and Ti satisfy a specified formula, and the total area fraction of martensite and bainite is 95% or more. The number density of bainite grains having an area of 3 μm.sup.2 or more and a carbon concentration of less than 0.7C is 1200 grains/mm.sup.2 or less.

The present invention is to provide a steel plate with physical properties superior to existing steel plates used in fields such as industrial machinery, especially excellent low-temperature impact toughness along with high strength and high hardness, and a method for manufacturing same.

Provided are: steel for knives, having a higher hardness and better corrosion resistance than conventional steel for knives; a knife; steel for martensitic knives; and a production method for same. The steel for knives comprises a component composition containing, in mass %, 0.45%-1.00% C, 0.1%-1.5% Si, 0.1%-1.5% Mn, 7.5%-11.0% Cr, and 0.5%-3.0% of either Mo or W or a complex of both (Mo+W/2), with the remainder being Fe and unavoidable impurities. Also provided are steel for martensitic knives and a knife. A production method for steel for martensitic knives is also provided that includes a quenching temperature at quenching of 1,050-1,250° C., a processing temperature for subzero processing of no more than −50° C., and a tempering temperature at tempering of 100-400° C., and obtains steel for martensitic knives that has a hardness of at least 700 HV.

Methods for forming a dual-phase magnetic component from an initial component comprising a non-magnetic austenite composition are provided. The method may include: forming a coating on a portion of the surface of the initial component to form a masked area while leaving an unmasked area thereon. Thereafter the initial component may be heated to a treatment temperature such that nitrogen diffuses out of the unmasked area of the initial component to transform the non-magnetic austenite composition to a magnetic phase in the unmasked area. Thereafter, the initial component may be cooled from the treatment temperature to form a dual-phase magnetic component having a magnetic region corresponding to the unmasked area and a non-magnetic region corresponding to the masked area.

Provided are a cryogenic steel plate and a method for manufacturing the same, the cryogenic steel plate comprising, in wt %, 0.04 to 0.08% carbon (C), 8.9 to 9.3% nickel (Ni), 0.6 to 0.7% manganese (Mn), and 0.2 to 0.3% silicon (Si), and 50 ppm or less of P, 10 ppm or less of S, and the remainder in iron (Fe) and various unavoidable impurities, and the microstructure at a ¼t location of the steel plate, where t is a thickness of the steel plate, comprising, in % surface area, 10% or more of tempered bainite, 10% or less of residual austenite, and the remainder of tempered martensite.

Provided are maraging steel alloys having improved microstructures. Some variations provide maraging steel alloys including a base maraging steel alloy, a grain refiner, and optionally, a strengthening element. The base maraging steel alloy is surface-functionalized with the grain refiner. Other variations provide a method of method of manufacturing maraging steel including mixing a base maraging steel alloy with a grain refiner resulting in a maraging steel mixture, melting the maraging steel mixture, and solidifying the maraging steel mixture forming an equiaxed microstructure.