A die apparatus including a first die element, a plurality of second die elements, a plurality of actuators, and a controller is provided. Each of the plurality of actuators is mounted to one of the plurality of second die elements. The controller is programmed to activate the actuators to contact and compress portions of a blank disposed between the die elements at separate pressures to influence microstructure forming for one of a geometry transition region, a deformation region, and a joining region. One of the separate pressures applied to one of the portions of the blank may be approximately 5 N/mm.sup.2 or less to form a soft strength zone. The pressure of approximately 5 N/mm.sup.2 or less may be applied to the one of the portions of the blank for approximately one to two seconds.

A martensitic steel including the following elements, expressed in percentage by weight 0.1%≤C≤0.4%; 0.2%≤Mn≤2%; 0.4%≤Si≤2%; 0.2%≤Cr≤1%; 0.01%≤Al≤1%; 0%≤S≤0.09%; 0%≤P≤0.09%; 0%≤N≤0.09%; and can contain one or more of the following optional elements 0%≤Ni≤1%; 0%≤Cu≤1%; 0%≤Mo≤0.1%; 0%≤Nb≤0.1%; 0%≤Ti≤0.1%; 0%≤V≤0.1%; 0.0015%≤B≤0.005%; 0%≤Sn≤0.1%; 0%≤Pb≤0.1%; 0%≤Sb≤0.1%; 0%≤Ca≤0.1%; the remainder composition being composed of iron and unavoidable impurities caused by processing, the microstructure of said steel having microstructure by area percentage including cumulative presence of residual austenite and bainite between 0% and 25%, the remaining microstructure being martensite at least 70%, and with an optional presence of ferrite between 0% and 10%.

A dual pass seam welding method for steels having a Ceq of greater than about 0.45. The first pass welds the immediately anneals the weld. On the second pass, the welder is disengaged, and the weld is subjected to a second anneal.

A method for hot forming a semifinished product in sheet form for a motor vehicle component. The method includes heating the semifinished product to be formed in a heating process and forming the heated semifinished product in a shaping forming process. During the heating process the semifinished product undergoes an input of heat from at least one heat source. During the heating of the semifinished product, a shielding device is arranged between the heat source and the semifinished product, such that the semifinished product is thermally shielded at least in certain portions in such a way that a first semifinished-product portion is heated differently than a second semifinished-product portion.

A horseshoe nail for nailing a horseshoe to a hoof. The horseshoe nail is made from steel with a carbon weight percentage between 0.18 and 0.25. The horseshoe nail contains a shank with a tip at one end and a widened head at the other end. The head is at least hardened over a part of its length from its free end. The shank is not hardened over its entire or almost entire length from the tip.

The present invention suppresses leakage of combustion gas from a contact surface. A cylinder head (20) is attached to a cylinder block. The surface (26) of the side of the cylinder head (20) that is attached to the cylinder block includes a first region (AH1) and a second region (AH2) that has higher hardness than the first region (AH1).

A stud-weldable rebar and a method for making the rebar are disclosed. The rebar has a steel body with a weld end and a diameter that is substantially uniform along a length of the body. A tip portion at the weld end includes a hardened zone and a base portion is formed of the remaining steel body. The hardened zone has a hardness that is about 1.5-3.0 times greater than a hardness of the base portion. Induction hardening is used to form the hardened zone.

A high strength member according to the present invention is the high strength member having a bending ridge line portion formed from a steel sheet, the member having a tensile strength of 1470 MPa or higher, a residual stress of 300 MPa or lower in an end surface of the bending ridge line portion, and a Vickers hardness (HV) of 200 or higher and 450 or lower in the end surface of the bending ridge line portion.

A method for heat treatment of an object of sheet metal, includes the step of heating at least one selected portion of the object using an energy beam. The beam is projected onto a surface of the object so as to produce a primary spot on the object, the beam being repetitively scanned in two dimensions in accordance with a scanning pattern so as to establish an effective spot on the object, the effective spot having a two-dimensional energy distribution. The effective spot is displaced in relation to the surface of the object to progressively heat the at least one selected portion of the object. The scanning pattern includes interconnected curved segments.

Disclosed is a tempering station for the partial heat treatment of a metal component, the station including a processing plane arranged in the tempering station, at least one nozzle, aligned to the processing plane, for discharging of a fluid flow for the cooling of at least a first sub-area of the component, and at least one nozzle box, arranged above the processing plane. The at least one nozzle box forms at least one nozzle area in which the at least one nozzle is at least partially arrangeable and/or which at least partially delimits a propagation of the fluid flow, with the at least one nozzle box being at least partially formed with a ceramic material. The tempering station permits a sufficiently reliable thermal delimitation of heat treatment measures partially acting on the component and/or a sufficiently reliable thermal separation of different heat treatment procedures partially acting on the component.