Method for producing direct reduced metal material, comprising the steps: a) charging metal material (142) to be reduced into a furnace space (120); b) providing heat and a reducing gas into the furnace space (120), so that heated reducing gas heats the charged metal material (142) to a temperature high enough so that metal oxides present in the charged metal material (142) are reduced, in turn causing water vapour to be formed; and c) condensing and collecting the water vapour formed in step c in a condenser (280); The method is characterised in that, in step a), the metal material (142) is charged onto a gas-permeable floor (151), in that the reducing gas is circulated in a closed loop upwards through said floor (151), through the charged metal material (142), and further via said condenser (280) and a gas forced circulation device (250), and in that the method further comprises the step d) supplying additional reducing gas to achieve and/or maintain a predetermined pressure in said furnace space (120). The invention also relates to a system.

Method and system for producing direct reduced metal material, comprising the steps: a) charging metal material to be reduced into a furnace space (120); b) evacuating an existing atmosphere from the furnace space to achieve a gas pressure of less than 1 bar therein, c) providing heat and hydrogen gas into the furnace space, so that heated hydrogen gas heats the charged metal material to a temperature high enough so that metal oxides present in the metal material are reduced, in turn causing water vapour to be formed, which hydrogen gas provision is performed so that a pressure of more than 1 bar builds up inside the furnace space; and d) before evacuating the built up overpressure, condensing and collecting the water vapour formed in step c in a condenser (160) below the charged metal material. The invention is characterised in that it further comprises the step e) before evacuating the build up overpressure, providing a carbon-containing gas to the furnace space, so that the heated and reduced metal material is carburized by said carbon-containing gas.

Method and system for producing direct reduced metal material, comprising the steps: a) charging metal material to be reduced into a furnace space (120); b) evacuating an existing atmosphere from the furnace space to achieve a gas pressure of less than 1 bar therein, c) providing heat and hydrogen gas into the furnace space, so that heated hydrogen gas heats the charged metal material to a temperature high enough so that metal oxides present in the metal material are reduced, in turn causing water vapour to be formed, which hydrogen gas provision is performed so that a pressure of more than 1 bar builds up inside the furnace space; and d) before evacuating the built up overpressure, condensing and collecting the water vapour formed in step c in a condenser (160) below the charged metal material. The invention is characterised in that it further comprises the step e) before evacuating the build up overpressure, providing a carbon-containing gas to the furnace space, so that the heated and reduced metal material is carburized by said carbon-containing gas.

A cemented carbide having an eta phase and a Ni—Al binder is provided. The binder includes intermetallic γ′-Ni.sub.3Al-precipitates embedded in a substitutional solid solution matrix including Al and Ni. Further, the cemented carbide has a surface zone free from eta phase. A method of making a cutting tool is also provided.

A case hardening steel having excellent fatigue resistance is provided at relatively low production cost. A case hardening steel has a chemical composition containing C: 0.10% to 0.30%, Si: 0.10% to 1.20%, Mn: 0.30% to 1.50%, S: 0.010% to 0.030%, Cr: 0.10% to 1.00%, B: 0.0005% to 0.0050%, Sb: 0.005% to 0.020%, and N: 0.0150% or less in a predetermined range, and further containing Al: 0.010%≤Al≤0.120% in the case where B−(10.8/14)N≥0.0003%, and 27/14[N−(14/10.8)B+0.030]≤Al≤0.120% in the case where B−(10.8/14)N<0.0003%.

A case hardening steel having excellent fatigue resistance is provided at relatively low production cost. A case hardening steel has a chemical composition containing C: 0.10% to 0.30%, Si: 0.10% to 1.20%, Mn: 0.30% to 1.50%, S: 0.010% to 0.030%, Cr: 0.10% to 1.00%, B: 0.0005% to 0.0050%, Sb: 0.005% to 0.020%, and N: 0.0150% or less in a predetermined range, and further containing Al: 0.010%≤Al≤0.120% in the case where B−(10.8/14)N≥0.0003%, and 27/14[N−(14/10.8)B+0.030]≤Al≤0.120% in the case where B−(10.8/14)N<0.0003%.

A carburized steel component, comprising a steel base including, by weight percent, from 0.08% to 0.35% carbon, 0.5% to 1.3% manganese, 0% to 0.35% silicon, 0.2% to 2.0% chromium, 0% to 4% nickel, 0% to 0.50% molybdenum, 0% to 0.06% niobium, and a remaining weight percent of iron, and a carburized layer of above 0.35% by weight carbon from a surface of the carburized layer to a carburized layer depth, wherein the carburized layer depth is from 0.5 mm to 3.0 mm, wherein the carburized layer comprises a microstructure including martensite, retained austenite, carbide, and less than 2% by volume non-martensitic transformation products (NMTP), and wherein the carburized layer includes a prior austenite average grain size of 3.0-8.0 microns from the surface to a depth of at least 0.2 mm.

A carburized steel component, comprising a steel base including, by weight percent, from 0.08% to 0.35% carbon, 0.5% to 1.3% manganese, 0% to 0.35% silicon, 0.2% to 2.0% chromium, 0% to 4% nickel, 0% to 0.50% molybdenum, 0% to 0.06% niobium, and a remaining weight percent of iron, and a carburized layer of above 0.35% by weight carbon from a surface of the carburized layer to a carburized layer depth, wherein the carburized layer depth is from 0.5 mm to 3.0 mm, wherein the carburized layer comprises a microstructure including martensite, retained austenite, carbide, and less than 2% by volume non-martensitic transformation products (NMTP), and wherein the carburized layer includes a prior austenite average grain size of 3.0-8.0 microns from the surface to a depth of at least 0.2 mm.

A case hardening steel includes a chemical composition containing C: 0.10 mass % to 0.35 mass %, Si: 0.01 mass % to 0.13 mass %, Mn: 0.30 mass % to 0.80 mass %, P: 0.02 mass % or less, S: 0.03 mass % or less, Al: 0.01 mass % to 0.045 mass %, Cr: 0.5 mass % to 3.0 mass %, B: 0.0005 mass % to 0.0040 mass %, Nb: 0.003 mass % to 0.080 mass %, N: 0.0080 mass % or less, Ti as an impurity: 0.005 mass % or less, and the balance being Fe and incidental impurities, and satisfying Formulae (1) and (2):
3.0[% Si]+9.2[% Cr]+10.3[% Mn]≥10.0  (1)
3.0[% Si]+1.0[% Mn]<1.0  (2) where [% M] represents the content of element M (mass %).

A case hardening steel includes a chemical composition containing C: 0.10 mass % to 0.35 mass %, Si: 0.01 mass % to 0.13 mass %, Mn: 0.30 mass % to 0.80 mass %, P: 0.02 mass % or less, S: 0.03 mass % or less, Al: 0.01 mass % to 0.045 mass %, Cr: 0.5 mass % to 3.0 mass %, B: 0.0005 mass % to 0.0040 mass %, Nb: 0.003 mass % to 0.080 mass %, N: 0.0080 mass % or less, Ti as an impurity: 0.005 mass % or less, and the balance being Fe and incidental impurities, and satisfying Formulae (1) and (2):
3.0[% Si]+9.2[% Cr]+10.3[% Mn]≥10.0  (1)
3.0[% Si]+1.0[% Mn]<1.0  (2) where [% M] represents the content of element M (mass %).