Disclosed herein is a high-strength plated steel sheet having a plated layer on the surface of a base steel sheet and containing predetermined steel components. The steel sheet includes, in the order from the interface of the base steel sheet and the plated layer towards the base steel sheet: a soft layer having a Vickers hardness that is 90% or less of the Vickers hardness at a portion t/4 of the base steel sheet, where t is a sheet thickness of the base steel sheet; and a hard layer consisting of a structure which is mainly composed of martensite and bainite and in which the average grain size of prior austenite is 20 μm or less. The average depth D of the soft layer is 20 μm or greater, and the average depth d of an internal oxide layer is 4 μm or greater and smaller than D.

The high-strength plated steel sheet of the present invention has a plated layer on the surface of a base steel sheet and contains predetermined steel components. The steel sheet includes, in the order from the interface of the base steel sheet and the plated layer towards the base steel sheet: a soft layer having a Vickers hardness that is 90% or less of the Vickers hardness at a portion t/4 of the base steel sheet, where t is a sheet thickness of the base steel sheet: and a hard layer containing martensite, bainite, and ferrite in predetermined ranges. The average depth D of the soft layer is 20 μm or greater, and the average depth d of an internal oxide layer is 4 μm or greater and smaller than D.

Disclosed herein is a high-strength plated steel sheet containing an internal oxidized layer, a soft layer including the internal oxidized layer, and a hard layer including a structure having metallic structure containing a low-temperature-transformation produced phase in a proportion of 70% or more by area of the whole of the metallic structure, in which polygonal ferrite is in a proportion of 0% or more by area, and 10% or less by area of the same, and retained austenite is in a proportion of 5% or more by volume of the same. The high-strength plated steel sheet satisfies the average depth D of the soft layer is 20 μm or more, the average depth d of the internal oxidized layer is 4 μm or more and less than D, and a tensile strength of 980 MPa or more.

Disclosed herein is a high-strength plated steel sheet containing an internal oxidized layer, a soft layer including the internal oxidized layer, and a hard layer including a structure having metallic structure containing a low-temperature-transformation produced phase in a proportion of 70% or more by area of the whole of the metallic structure, in which polygonal ferrite is in a proportion of 0% or more by area, and 10% or less by area of the same, and retained austenite is in a proportion of 5% or more by volume of the same. The high-strength plated steel sheet satisfies the average depth D of the soft layer is 20 μm or more, the average depth d of the internal oxidized layer is 4 μm or more and less than D, and a tensile strength of 980 MPa or more.

Method of hot press forming an article from zinc or zinc alloy coated steel, wherein the steel is a product obtained by: casting the molten steel into slabs; reheating the slabs; hot rolling the steel into a strip, preferably with an FRT above Ar3; coiling the hot rolled steel strip; pickling the hot rolled steel strip; continuous annealing the strip; hot dip coating the steel strip with the zinc or zinc alloy whilst: using a dipping time of 3 seconds or more; maintaining in the hot dip bath a bath temperature of 420° C. to 500° C.; wherein the zinc bath contains essentially zinc, at least 0.1% Al, and optionally up to 5% Al and optionally up to 4% Mg, the rest of the bath including further elements all individually less than 0.3%, and unavoidable impurities; hot press forming the article.

Method of hot press forming an article from zinc or zinc alloy coated steel, wherein the steel is a product obtained by: casting the molten steel into slabs; reheating the slabs; hot rolling the steel into a strip, preferably with an FRT above Ar3; coiling the hot rolled steel strip; pickling the hot rolled steel strip; continuous annealing the strip; hot dip coating the steel strip with the zinc or zinc alloy whilst: using a dipping time of 3 seconds or more; maintaining in the hot dip bath a bath temperature of 420° C. to 500° C.; wherein the zinc bath contains essentially zinc, at least 0.1% Al, and optionally up to 5% Al and optionally up to 4% Mg, the rest of the bath including further elements all individually less than 0.3%, and unavoidable impurities; hot press forming the article.

The invention relates to a method and a device for rapidly cooling a metal strip and removing residues present on the strip after this cooling, wherein the residues are formed during a cooling of said metal strip by a non-oxidizing liquid solution for the metal strip and a stripping liquid solution for the oxides present on the surface of the strip, or by a mixture of this liquid solution and a gas.

The invention relates to a method and a device for rapidly cooling a metal strip and removing residues present on the strip after this cooling, wherein the residues are formed during a cooling of said metal strip by a non-oxidizing liquid solution for the metal strip and a stripping liquid solution for the oxides present on the surface of the strip, or by a mixture of this liquid solution and a gas.

Disclosed herein is an aqueous composition having a pH value at 55° C. in the range from 5 to 9, containing at least two different amino organophosphonic acid derivatives of formula (I)

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where residues R independently of each other are CH.sub.2—PO(OR″).sub.2, residues R′ independently of each other are alkylene residues with 2 to 4 carbon atoms, residues R″ independently of each other are H, Na, K, Li or NH.sub.4; and n is an integer from 0 to 4; and where the at least two different amino organophosphonic acid derivatives differ in the value of n. Further disclosed herein is a concentrate to produce such compositions, a pickling method for pickling metallic substrates making use of the compositions, a coating method for coating metallic substrates including the pickling method and a method of using the compositions for pickling metallic substrates.

A novel method of blackening surgical needles is disclosed. Surgical needles having outer surfaces are first placed into a first pretreatment bath having a novel composition. The needles are then placed into a second blackening bath having a novel composition for a sufficient period of time to effectively blacken the surfaces of the needles. The novel methods for blackening the surfaces of a stainless steel alloy surgical needle provide a chromium (VI)-free alternative to current needle manufacturing processes. Another unique feature of this novel method is its short processing time. The blackening processes of the present invention can be utilized for in-line treatment processes which can be easily incorporated into high speed needle manufacturing processes, such as strip mounted processes. In addition, the processes of the present invention are readily adaptable to batch processes. Also disclosed are novel systems for blackening surgical needles and novel blackening baths for surgical needles.