A process for producing R-T-B-based rare earth magnet powder having excellent coercive force and high remanent flux density. A process for producing R-T-B-based rare earth magnet powder by HDDR treatment, in which a raw material alloy for the R-T-B-based rare earth magnet powder includes R (wherein R represents at least one rare earth element including Y), T (wherein T represents Fe, or Fe and Co) and B (wherein B represents boron), and has a composition including R in an amount of between 12.0 atom % and 17.0 atom %, and B in an amount of between 4.5 atom % and 7.5 atom %; the HDDR treatment includes a DR step including a preliminary evacuation step and a complete evacuation step; and a rate of pressure reduction caused by evacuation in the preliminary evacuation step is not less than 1 kPa/min and not more than 30 kPa/min.

A zinc-plated steel sheet of an aspect of the present invention includes a steel sheet having a predetermined chemical composition and a zinc-plated layer. In the steel sheet, steel microstructures in a range of ⅛ thickness to ⅜ thickness, having the center at ¼ thickness from a steel sheet surface, include, by vol %, ferrite: 0% to 10%, bainite: 0% to 20%, tempered martensite: 70% or more, fresh martensite: 0% to 10%, retained austenite: 0% to 10%, and pearlite: 0% to 5%. In the zinc-plated steel sheet, the amount of hydrogen emitted when the steel sheet is heated to 200° C. from a room temperature after removal of the zinc-plated layer is 0.40 ppm or less per mass of the steel sheet, the tensile strength is 1470 MPa or more, and no cracking occurs in a U-shape bending test where a stress equivalent to 1000 MPa is applied for 24 hours.

A zinc-plated steel sheet of an aspect of the present invention includes a steel sheet having a predetermined chemical composition and a zinc-plated layer. In the steel sheet, steel microstructures in a range of ⅛ thickness to ⅜ thickness, having the center at ¼ thickness from a steel sheet surface, include, by vol %, ferrite: 0% to 10%, bainite: 0% to 20%, tempered martensite: 70% or more, fresh martensite: 0% to 10%, retained austenite: 0% to 10%, and pearlite: 0% to 5%. In the zinc-plated steel sheet, the amount of hydrogen emitted when the steel sheet is heated to 200° C. from a room temperature after removal of the zinc-plated layer is 0.40 ppm or less per mass of the steel sheet, the tensile strength is 1470 MPa or more, and no cracking occurs in a U-shape bending test where a stress equivalent to 1000 MPa is applied for 24 hours.

An R—Fe—B base sintered magnet is provided consisting essentially of R (which is at least two rare earth elements and essentially contains Nd and Pr), M.sub.1 which is at least two of Si, Al, Mn, Ni, Cu, Zn, Ga, Ge, Pd, Ag, Cd, In, Sn, Sb, Pt, Au, Hg, Pb, and Bi, M.sub.2 which is at least one of Ti, V, Cr, Zr, Nb, Mo, Hf, Ta, and W, boron, and the balance of Fe, and containing an intermetallic compound R.sub.2(Fe,(Co)).sub.14B as a main phase. The magnet contains an R—Fe(Co)-M.sub.1 phase as a grain boundary phase, the R—Fe(Co)-M.sub.1 phase contains A phase which is crystalline with crystallites of at least 10 nm formed at grain boundary triple junctions, and B phase which is amorphous and/or nanocrystalline with crystallites of less than 10 nm formed at intergranular grain boundaries and optionally grain boundary triple junctions.

An R—Fe—B base sintered magnet is provided consisting essentially of R (which is at least two rare earth elements and essentially contains Nd and Pr), M.sub.1 which is at least two of Si, Al, Mn, Ni, Cu, Zn, Ga, Ge, Pd, Ag, Cd, In, Sn, Sb, Pt, Au, Hg, Pb, and Bi, M.sub.2 which is at least one of Ti, V, Cr, Zr, Nb, Mo, Hf, Ta, and W, boron, and the balance of Fe, and containing an intermetallic compound R.sub.2(Fe,(Co)).sub.14B as a main phase. The magnet contains an R—Fe(Co)-M.sub.1 phase as a grain boundary phase, the R—Fe(Co)-M.sub.1 phase contains A phase which is crystalline with crystallites of at least 10 nm formed at grain boundary triple junctions, and B phase which is amorphous and/or nanocrystalline with crystallites of less than 10 nm formed at intergranular grain boundaries and optionally grain boundary triple junctions.

A production method includes producing a rare-earth magnet precursor (S′) by performing first hot working in which, in two side surfaces of a sintered body, which are parallel to a pressing direction and are opposite to each other, one side surface is brought to a constrained state to suppress deformation, and the other side surface is brought to an unconstrained state to permit deformation; and producing a rare-earth magnet by performing second hot working in which, in two side surfaces (S′1, S′2) of the rare-earth magnet precursor (S′), which are parallel to the pressing direction, a side surface (S′2), which is in the unconstrained state in the first hot working, is brought to the constrained state to suppress deformation, and a side surface (S′1), which is in the constrained state in the first hot working, is brought to the unconstrained state to permit deformation.

A production method includes producing a rare-earth magnet precursor (S′) by performing first hot working in which, in two side surfaces of a sintered body, which are parallel to a pressing direction and are opposite to each other, one side surface is brought to a constrained state to suppress deformation, and the other side surface is brought to an unconstrained state to permit deformation; and producing a rare-earth magnet by performing second hot working in which, in two side surfaces (S′1, S′2) of the rare-earth magnet precursor (S′), which are parallel to the pressing direction, a side surface (S′2), which is in the unconstrained state in the first hot working, is brought to the constrained state to suppress deformation, and a side surface (S′1), which is in the constrained state in the first hot working, is brought to the unconstrained state to permit deformation.

In a steel sheet according to the present embodiment, a Ti content and a N content satisfy Ti−3.5×N≥0.003, at a sheet thickness ¼ position, a metallographic structure includes 90% or more of martensite in terms of volume fraction, at the sheet thickness ¼ position, a number density of TiC having a circle equivalent diameter of 1 to 500 nm is 3.5×10.sup.4 particles/mm.sup.2 or more, at the sheet, thickness ¼ position, a value of a median value of a Mn concentration+3σ is 5.00% or less, and a hardness measured at the sheet thickness ¼ position is 1.30 times or more a hardness measured at a position 50 μm deep from a surface of the steel sheet.

In a steel sheet according to the present embodiment, a Ti content and a N content satisfy Ti−3.5×N≥0.003, at a sheet thickness ¼ position, a metallographic structure includes 90% or more of martensite in terms of volume fraction, at the sheet thickness ¼ position, a number density of TiC having a circle equivalent diameter of 1 to 500 nm is 3.5×10.sup.4 particles/mm.sup.2 or more, at the sheet, thickness ¼ position, a value of a median value of a Mn concentration+3σ is 5.00% or less, and a hardness measured at the sheet thickness ¼ position is 1.30 times or more a hardness measured at a position 50 μm deep from a surface of the steel sheet.

Disclosed is a mar aging steel containing, in combination in mass percent, C in a content from greater than 0% to 0.02%, Mn in a content from greater than 0% to 0.3%, Si in a content from greater than 0% to 0.3%, Ni in a content of 10% to 13%, Mo in a content of 0.5% to 3.5%, Co in a content of 9% to 12%, Cr in a content of 1.5% to 4.5%, Ti in a content of 1.5% to 4.5%, and Al in a content of 0.01% to 0.2%, where the total content of Mo and Ti is 5.0 mass percent or less, and the ratio ([Mo]/[Ti]) of the Mo content [Mo] to the Ti content [Ti] is 1.0 or less, with the remainder consisting of iron and inevitable impurities.