Provided are coated metal, the metal having improved properties due to a novel coating, a coating-forming treatment solution for forming the novel coating, and a method for producing the coated metal that has the novel coating. The coated metal includes metal and a coating formed on the metal. The coating includes Si, P, and O, and at least one selected from the group consisting of Mg, Ca, Ba, Sr, Zn, Al, and Mn. The coating includes a compound having a NASICON-type crystal structure represented by the general formula M.sup.IM.sup.IV.sub.2(M.sup.VO.sub.4).sub.3.

Provided are coated metal, the metal having improved properties due to a novel coating, a coating-forming treatment solution for forming the novel coating, and a method for producing the coated metal that has the novel coating. The coated metal includes metal and a coating formed on the metal. The coating includes Si, P, and O, and at least one selected from the group consisting of Mg, Ca, Ba, Sr, Zn, Al, and Mn. The coating includes a compound having a NASICON-type crystal structure represented by the general formula M.sup.IM.sup.IV.sub.2(M.sup.VO.sub.4).sub.3.

Provided are: an oriented electrical steel sheet having a high tension applied to a steel sheet and excellent adhesion to a film; and a method for producing the same. This oriented electrical steel sheet includes: a steel sheet; a film A containing a crystalline material disposed on the steel sheet; and a film B containing a vitreous material disposed on the film A, wherein an element profile, which is obtained by using a high-frequency glow discharge light-emission surface analysis method, in the direction from the film B to the steel sheet satisfies formulae (1) and (2). 0.35≤(t.sub.A/t.sub.Fe/2)≤0.75 . . . (1), 0.25≤(t.sub.A/2/t.sub.Fe/2)≤1.00 . . . (2), where t.sub.A represents the peak time of an alkali metal element profile, t.sub.A/2 represents the half time of an alkali metal.

Methods for reducing a concentration of hexavalent chromium within a first aluminum slurry by adding a reducing agent to form a second aluminum slurry are provided. The reducing agent causes a chemical reduction reaction with the hexavalent chromium compound of the first aluminum slurry to form a trivalent chromium compound within the second aluminum slurry such that a first weight ratio of hexavalent chromium to trivalent chromium in the first aluminum slurry is decreased to a second weight ratio of hexavalent chromium to trivalent chromium in the second aluminum slurry, with the second weight ratio being less than the first weight ratio.

A grain-oriented electrical steel sheet has a base film composed mainly of forsterite on a surface of the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet and an insulating film containing mainly silicate-phosphate glass which is formed on a surface of the base film, in which, by controlling concentrations of Sr, Ca, and Ba in the base film and the insulating film to have specified gradients, the adhesion property and film tension of the insulating film are improved.

In a method of producing a grain-oriented electrical steel sheet by hot rolling a steel slab comprising C: 0.001˜0.10 mass %, Si: 1.0˜5.0 mass %, Mn: 0.01˜1.0 mass %, one or two of S and Se: 0.01˜0.05 mass % in total, sol. Al: 0.003˜0.050 mass % and N: 0.001˜0.020 mass %, cold rolling, subjecting to primary recrystallization annealing, applying an annealing separator and finally subjecting to final annealing, the primary recrystallization annealing is conducted so as to control a heating rate S1 between 500 and 600° C. to not less than 100° C./s and a heating rate S2 between 600 and 700° C. to not less than 30° C./s but not more than 0.6×S1, and as a main ingredient of the annealing separator is used MgO having an expected value μ(A) of citric acid activity distribution of 3.5˜3.8, a cumulative frequency F of 25˜45% when an activity A is not less than 4.0.

In a method of producing a grain-oriented electrical steel sheet by hot rolling a steel slab comprising C: 0.001˜0.10 mass %, Si: 1.0˜5.0 mass %, Mn: 0.01˜1.0 mass %, one or two of S and Se: 0.01˜0.05 mass % in total, sol. Al: 0.003˜0.050 mass % and N: 0.001˜0.020 mass %, cold rolling, subjecting to primary recrystallization annealing, applying an annealing separator and finally subjecting to final annealing, the primary recrystallization annealing is conducted so as to control a heating rate S1 between 500 and 600° C. to not less than 100° C./s and a heating rate S2 between 600 and 700° C. to not less than 30° C./s but not more than 0.6×S1, and as a main ingredient of the annealing separator is used MgO having an expected value μ(A) of citric acid activity distribution of 3.5˜3.8, a cumulative frequency F of 25˜45% when an activity A is not less than 4.0.

The present invention provides a hearth roll for heat treatment furnaces, which has excellent build-up resistance, has a hexavalent-chromium-free thermal spray coating film formed on the roll surface thereof and is safe for the environment. A method for manufacturing a hearth roll for continuous annealing furnaces includes a first step of applying an aqueous solution containing chromium phosphate onto a thermal spray coating film formed on the roll surface of a hearth roll or impregnating the thermal spray coating film with the aqueous solution; and a second step of burning the hearth roll.

The present invention provides a hearth roll for heat treatment furnaces, which has excellent build-up resistance, has a hexavalent-chromium-free thermal spray coating film formed on the roll surface thereof and is safe for the environment. A method for manufacturing a hearth roll for continuous annealing furnaces includes a first step of applying an aqueous solution containing chromium phosphate onto a thermal spray coating film formed on the roll surface of a hearth roll or impregnating the thermal spray coating film with the aqueous solution; and a second step of burning the hearth roll.

A trivalent-chromium chemical conversion coating from which substantially no hexavalent chromium is released. The trivalent-chromium chemical conversion coating is one formed on the surface of a zinc or zinc-alloy deposit. In a brine spray test, the chemical conversion coating has unsusceptibility to corrosion (time required for white-rust formation) of 96 hours or longer. The chemical conversion coating has a hexavalent-chromium concentration less than 0.01 μg/cm.sup.2 in terms of metal atom amount. The amount of hexavalent chromium released after 30-day standing in a thermo-hygrostatic chamber at a temperature of 80° C. and a humidity of 95% (amount of hexavalent chromium released when the coating is immersed in 100° C. water for 10 minutes) is smaller than 0.05 μg/cm.sup.2.