STEEL SHEET FOR TWO-PIECE CAN AND MANUFACTURING METHOD THEREFOR

Abstract

A steel sheet for two-piece cans is suitable not only for drawing and ironing, but also for forming beads or geometric shapes on a can body and can be preferably used to form a special-shaped two-piece can. The steel sheet for two-piece cans contains, in mass %, C: 0.020% to 0.080%, Si: 0.04% or less, Mn: 0.10% to 0.60%, P: 0.02% or less, S: 0.015% or less, Al: 0.010% to 0.100%, and N: 0.0005% to 0.0030%, the balance being Fe and unavoidable impurities. The steel sheet has a tensile strength of 480 MPa or more, an elongation of 7% or more, a yield elongation of 3% or less, and a ferrite grain size of less than 6 μm.

Claims

1-3. (canceled)

4. A steel sheet for two-piece cans, comprising, in mass %, C: 0.020% to 0.080%, Si: 0.04% or less, Mn: 0.10% to 0.60%, P: 0.02% or less, S: 0.015% or less, Al: 0.010% to 0.100%, and N: 0.0005% to 0.0030%, the balance being Fe and unavoidable impurities, wherein the high-strength steel sheet has a tensile strength of 480 MPa or more, an elongation of 7% or more, a yield elongation of 3% or less, and a ferrite grain size of less than 6 μm.

5. The steel sheet for two-piece cans according to claim 4, further comprising, in mass %, B: 0.0001% to 0.0030%.

6. A method of manufacturing the steel sheet for two-piece cans according to claim 4 comprising: heating a slab to a heating temperature of 1,130° C. or higher; hot rolling the slab subjected to the heating under a condition of a hot rolling finishing temperature of 820 to 930° C. to obtain a hot-rolled sheet; coiling the hot-rolled sheet obtained in the hot rolling at a coiling temperature of 640° C. or lower; pickling the hot-rolled sheet subjected to the coiling; subjecting the pickled hot-rolled sheet to primary cold rolling under a condition of a rolling reduction of 85% or more to obtain a cold-rolled sheet; subjecting the cold-rolled sheet obtained in the primary cold rolling to continuous annealing under an annealing temperature of 620° C. to 690° C. to obtain an annealed sheet; and subjecting the annealed sheet obtained in the continuous annealing to secondary cold rolling at a rolling reduction of 6 to 20%.

7. A method of manufacturing the steel sheet for two-piece cans according to claim 5 comprising: heating a slab to a heating temperature of 1,130° C. or higher; hot rolling the slab subjected to the heating under a condition of a hot rolling finishing temperature of 820 to 930° C. to obtain a hot-rolled sheet; coiling the hot-rolled sheet obtained in the hot rolling at a coiling temperature of 640° C. or lower; pickling the hot-rolled sheet subjected to the coiling; subjecting the pickled hot-rolled sheet to primary cold rolling under a condition of a rolling reduction of 85% or more to obtain a cold-rolled sheet; subjecting the cold-rolled sheet obtained in the primary cold rolling to continuous annealing under an annealing temperature of 620° C. to 690° C. to obtain an annealed sheet; and subjecting the annealed sheet obtained in the continuous annealing to secondary cold rolling at a rolling reduction of 6 to 20%.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0020] Examples will be described below. However, this disclosure is not limited to the Examples.

High-Strength Steel Sheet for Two-Piece Cans

[0021] The high-strength steel sheet for two-piece cans has a chemical composition containing, in mass %, C: 0.020% to 0.080%, Si: 0.04% or less, Mn: 0.10% to 0.60%, P: 0.02% or less, S: 0.015% or less, Al: 0.010% to 0.100%, and N: 0.0005% to 0.0030%, the balance being Fe and unavoidable impurities.

[0022] The high-strength steel sheet for two-piece cans has the following physical properties: a tensile strength of 480 MPa or more, an elongation of 7% or more, and a yield elongation of 3% or less.

[0023] The high-strength steel sheet for two-piece cans has a structure with a ferrite grain size of less than 6 μm.

[0024] The chemical composition, physical properties, and structure of the high-strength steel sheet for two-piece cans will be described in this order.

[0025] As described above, the high-strength steel sheet for two-piece cans contains, in mass %, C: 0.020% to 0.080%, Si: 0.04% or less, Mn: 0.10% to 0.60%, P: 0.02% or less, S: 0.015% or less, Al: 0.010% to 0.100%, and N: 0.0005% to 0.0030%, the balance being Fe and unavoidable impurities. The reasons that this chemical composition is used are as follows. In the following description, “%” representing the content of a component means “mass %.”

C: 0.020% to 0.080%

[0026] C is an element important to increase strength. When the content of C is 0.020% or more, the tensile strength can be 480 MPa or more. If the content of C exceeds 0.080%, elongation is reduced to less than 7% so that can manufacturability deteriorates. Therefore, the upper limit of the content of C must be 0.080%. As the content of C increases, the ferrite grain size decreases, and the strength increases. Therefore, preferably, the content of C is 0.030% or more. From the viewpoint of ensuring good canning property, it is preferable that the content of C is 0.060% or less.

Si: 0.04% or Less

[0027] When a large amount of Si is contained, surface treatability deteriorates due to surface enrichment, and this causes a reduction in corrosion resistance. Therefore, the content of Si must be 0.04% or less. Preferably, the content of Si is 0.03% or less.

Mn: 0.10% to 0.60%

[0028] Mn has the effect of increasing the hardness of the steel sheet through solid solution strengthening. Mn forms MnS, and this can prevent a reduction in hot ductility caused by S contained in the steel. To obtain these effects, the content of Mn must be 0.10% or more. Particularly, to ensure tensile strength through solid solution strengthening by Mn even when the rolling reduction during DR rolling is reduced, it is preferable that the content of Mn is 0.30% or more. If the content of Mn exceeds 0.60%, the elongation decreases significantly so that the canning property deteriorates. Therefore, the content of Mn must be 0.60% or less.

P: 0.02% or Less

[0029] If a large amount of P is contained, excessive hardening and center segregation occur, causing a reduction in formability. Moreover, if a large amount of P is contained, corrosion resistance deteriorates. Therefore, the upper limit of the content of P is 0.02%.

S: 0.015% or Less

[0030] S forms sulfide in the steel and causes deterioration in hot ductility. Therefore, the upper limit of the content of S is 0.015% or less.

Al: 0.010% to 0.100%

[0031] Al, together with N, forms AlN so that the amount of solute N in the steel is reduced. In this case, yield elongation is reduced, and stretcher strain is suppressed. Therefore, the content of Al must be 0.010% or more. From the viewpoint of reducing the yield elongation to thereby improve the canning property, the content of Al is preferably 0.050% or more and more preferably 0.060% or more. If the content of Al is excessively large, a large amount of alumina is formed. The formed alumina remains present in the steel sheet, causing deterioration in canning property. Therefore, the content of Al must be 0.100% or less. Preferably, the content of Al is 0.080% or less.

N: 0.0005% to 0.0030%

[0032] When N is present as solute N, the yield elongation increases, and stretcher strain occurs. In this case, surface appearance is poor and the canning property deteriorates. Therefore, the content of N must be 0.0030% or less. The content of N is preferably 0.0025% or less. It is difficult to reduce the content of N to less than 0.0005% in a stable manner. To achieve a N content of less than 0.0005%, the cost of manufacturing increases. Therefore, the lower limit of the content of N is 0.0005%.

[0033] Preferably, the high-strength steel sheet for two-piece cans contains, in addition to the essential components described above, B as an optional component in an amount of 0.0030% or less.

B: 0.0001 to 0.0030%

[0034] B, together with N, forms BN. In this case, the amount of solute N is reduced, and the yield elongation is reduced. Therefore, it is preferable that B is contained. To obtain the effect of the addition of B, the content of B is preferably 0.0001% or more and more preferably 0.0003% or more. Even if the content of B is excessively large, the above effect is saturated. In addition, the elongation is reduced, and anisotropy deteriorates so that the canning property deteriorates. Therefore, preferably, the upper limit of the content of B is 0.0030%.

[0035] The balance other than the above essential components and the optional component is Fe and unavoidable impurities. Examples of the unavoidable impurities include Cr: 0.08% or less, Cu: 0.02% or less, Ni: 0.02% or less, and O: 0.006% or less.

[0036] Next, the physical properties of the high-strength steel sheet for two-piece cans will be described. As described above, the high-strength steel sheet for two-piece cans has a tensile strength of 480 MPa or more, an elongation of 7% or more, and a yield elongation of 3% or less. The technological significance of each of these physical properties will be described below. However, one important technological significance is that by combining these physical properties, the chemical composition described above, and a structure described later, the high strength necessary for the can bottom and the high formability necessary for the can body can be achieved simultaneously.

Tensile Strength: 480 MPa or More

[0037] To ensure the strength of the can bottom, the tensile strength of the steel sheet must be 480 MPa or more. Preferably, the tensile strength is 490 MPa or more. A value obtained by a measurement method described in the Examples is used as the tensile strength of the steel sheet. The tensile strength is generally 580 MPa or less.

Elongation: 7% or More

[0038] To ensure formability of the can body during drawing, ironing, and also beading and the like, the elongation must be 7% or more. Preferably, the elongation is 9% or more. By setting the contents of the steel components within the prescribed ranges and using manufacturing conditions described later to reduce the ferrite grain size, a high strength of 480 MPa or more can be achieved, and also an elongation of 7% or more can be achieved so that the canning property can be ensured. A value obtained by the measurement method described in the Examples is used as the elongation of the steel sheet. Elongation is generally 25% or less.

Yield Elongation: 3% or Less

[0039] To prevent stretcher strain during can manufacturing, the yield elongation must be 3% or less. Preferably, the yield elongation is 2% or less. A value obtained by the measurement method described in the Examples is used as the yield elongation of the steel sheet.

[0040] Next, a description will be given of the structure of the high-strength steel sheet for two-piece cans. In the structure of the high-strength steel sheet for two-piece cans, the ferrite grain size is less than 6 μm.

Ferrite Grain Size: Less than 6 μm

[0041] By controlling the chemical composition of the steel sheet as described above and then reducing the ferrite grain size, the balance between strengthening and elongation is improved. Therefore, the ferrite grain size must be less than 6.0 μm. By reducing the ferrite grain size to less than 6.0 μm and reducing the yield elongation to 3% or less, the effect of improving adhesion between the surface of the steel sheet and a resin coating the steel sheet can also be obtained. From this point of view, it is preferable that the ferrite grain size is 5.5 μm or less. As will be described in the Examples, the grain size means the average crystal grain size.

[0042] The content of the ferrite phase in the structure is preferably 95 vol % or more because elongation can be improved. The content of the ferrite phase is more preferably 98 vol % or more. Examples of phases other than the ferrite phase include cementite, pearlite, martensite, and bainite.

Method of Manufacturing High-Strength Steel Sheet for Two-Piece Cans

[0043] One example of the method of manufacturing the high-strength steel sheet for two-piece cans is a manufacturing method including a heating step, a hot rolling step, a coiling step, a pickling step, a primary cold rolling step, a continuous annealing step, and a secondary cold rolling step. These steps will next be described.

Heating Step

[0044] The heating step heats a slab to a heating temperature of 1,130° C. or higher. If the heating temperature before hot rolling is excessively low, part of AlN is not molten. The non-molten AlN may cause the occurrence of coarse AlN that reduces the canning property. Therefore, the heating temperature in the heating step is 1,130° C. or higher. Preferably, the heating temperature is 1,150° C. or higher. The upper limit of the heating temperature is not particularly specified. However, if the heating temperature is excessively high, an excessive amount of scales is formed, resulting in defects on the surface of the product. Therefore, preferably, the upper limit of the heating temperature is 1,260° C.

[0045] The chemical composition of the slab corresponds to the chemical composition of the high-strength steel sheet for two-piece cans. Therefore, the chemical composition of the slab must be controlled to satisfy the chemical composition of the high-strength steel sheet for two-piece cans.

Hot Rolling Step

[0046] The hot rolling step is the step of hot rolling the slab subjected to the heating step at a hot rolling finishing temperature of 820 to 930° C. If the hot rolling finishing temperature is higher than 930° C., the ferrite grain size of the hot-rolled sheet becomes large, and the ferrite grain size of an annealed sheet also becomes large. In this case, the tensile strength decreases, and the tensile strength and the elongation are not well-balanced. Therefore, the upper limit of the hot rolling finishing temperature is set to 930° C. If the hot rolling finishing temperature is lower than 820° C., the anisotropy of tensile characteristics becomes large, and the canning property deteriorates. Therefore, the lower limit of the hot rolling finishing temperature is 820° C. The lower limit is preferably 860° C.

Coiling Step

[0047] The coiling step is the step of coiling the hot-rolled sheet obtained in the hot rolling step at a coiling temperature of 640° C. or lower. If the coiling temperature exceeds 640° C., the ferrite grain size of the hot-rolled sheet becomes large, and the ferrite grain size of the annealed sheet also becomes large. In this case, the tensile strength decreases, and the tensile strength and the elongation are not well-balanced. Therefore, the upper limit of the coiling temperature is set to 640° C. The lower limit of the coiling temperature is not particularly specified. From the viewpoint of reducing the yield elongation by forming AlN during coiling to reduce the amount of solute N, it is preferable that the coiling temperature is set to 570° C. or higher.

Pickling Step

[0048] The pickling step pickles the hot-rolled sheet subjected to the coiling step. The conditions of pickling are not particularly specified so long as surface scales can be removed. The pickling may be performed according to a routine procedure.

Primary Cold Rolling Step

[0049] The primary cold rolling step subjects the pickled hot-rolled sheet to primary cold rolling under the condition of a rolling reduction of 85% or more. The rolling reduction during the primary cold rolling must be 85% or more to reduce the ferrite grain size after annealing to thereby improve the balance between the tensile strength and formability. If the rolling reduction during the primary cold rolling is excessively large, the anisotropy of the tensile characteristics becomes large, and the canning property may deteriorate. Therefore, preferably, the rolling reduction during the primary cold rolling is 90% or less.

Continuous Annealing Step

[0050] The continuous annealing step subjects the cold-rolled sheet obtained in the primary cold rolling step to continuous annealing under the condition of an annealing temperature of 620° C. to 690° C. To ensure formability, the cold-rolled sheet must be recrystallized sufficiently during annealing. Therefore, the annealing temperature must be 620° C. or higher. If the annealing temperature is excessively high, the ferrite grain size becomes large. Therefore, the annealing temperature must be 690° C. or lower. No limitation is imposed on the annealing method. From the viewpoint of the uniformity of material quality, a continuous annealing method is preferred.

Secondary Cold Rolling Step

[0051] The secondary cold rolling step subjects the annealed sheet obtained in the continuous annealing step to secondary cold rolling under the condition of a rolling reduction of 6 to 20%. The annealed sheet is strengthened by the secondary cold rolling and is also reduced in thickness. To sufficiently achieve the strengthening, the rolling reduction must be 6% or more. As a result of the secondary cold rolling, the yield elongation decreases. If the rolling reduction during the secondary cold rolling is excessively large, formability deteriorates. Therefore, the rolling reduction must be 20% or less. When formability is particularly required, it is preferable that the rolling reduction is 15% or less.

[0052] The high-strength steel sheet for two-piece cans is obtained in the manner described above. The steel sheet may be subjected to surface treatment such as Sn plating, Ni plating, or Cr plating, may be subjected to chemical conversion, or may have an organic coating such as a laminate.

Examples

[0053] Molten steel containing components in one of steel symbols A to K shown in Table 1 with the balance being Fe and unavoidable impurities was produced, and then a steel slab was obtained. The steel slab obtained was heated, hot-rolled, coiled, pickled to remove scales, subjected to primary cold rolling, and annealed for 15 s in a continuous annealing furnace under the conditions shown in Table 2 and was then subjected to DR rolling (secondary cold rolling) at a secondary rolling reduction shown in Table 2 to thereby obtain a steel sheet (one of steel sheet symbols Nos. 1 to 18) having a sheet thickness of 0.17 to 0.19 mm. Each of the above steel sheets was subjected to surface treatment, i.e., (tin-free) chromium plating, and was coated with an organic coating to produce a laminated steel sheet.

TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 Steel symbol C Si Mn P S Al N B Remarks A 0.045 0.01 0.52 0.013 0.011 0.061 0.0025 — Example B 0.080 0.02 0.14 0.011 0.009 0.073 0.0024 — Example C 0.060 0.01 0.51 0.018 0.012 0.055 0.0020 — Example D 0.046 0.01 0.60 0.008 0.008 0.093 0.0030 — Example E 0.020 0.01 0.33 0.016 0.011 0.085 0.0016 — Example F 0.038 0.01 0.36 0.014 0.013 0.063 0.0026 0.0007 Example G 0.046 0.02 0.55 0.010 0.011 0.050 0.0025 0.0026 Example H 0.121 0.01 0.24 0.014 0.012 0.043 0.0019 — Comparative Example I 0.011 0.01 0.34 0.012 0.009 0.061 0.0025 — Comparative Example J 0.055 0.01 0.83 0.013 0.010 0.046 0.0023 — Comparative Example K 0.049 0.01 0.04 0.016 0.007 0.070 0.0027 — Comparative Example

TABLE-US-00002 TABLE 2 Primary cold Secondary Steel Heating Finishing Coiling rolling Annealing rolling Sheet sheet Steel Temperature temperature temperature reduction temperature reduction thickness symbol symbol ° C. ° C. ° C. % ° C. % mm Remarks No1 A 1160 880 620 89.9 660 10 0.190 Example No2 B 1200 890 610 89.7 680 12 0.190 Example No3 C 1180 860 570 90.0 620 10 0.180 Example No4 D 1160 880 640 89.1 650  8 0.180 Example No5 E 1170 870 620 88.9 690 15 0.170 Example No6 F 1180 910 590 88.0 650 12 0.190 Example No7 G 1210 900 600 89.2 670 12 0.190 Example No8 H 1220 880 630 89.2 660 12 0.190 Comparative Example No9 I 1160 860 600 89.4 670 10 0.190 Comparative Example No10 J 1160 870 620 89.2 670 12 0.190 Comparative Example No11 K 1160 880 640 89.8 660 12 0.180 Comparative Example No12 A 1160 880 600 89.2 600 12 0.190 Comparative Example No13 A 1160 870 610 89.4 730 10 0.190 Comparative Example No14 A 1170 870 620 90.0 670  5 0.190 Comparative Example No15 A 1170 890 600 87.3 660 25 0.190 Comparative Example No16 A 1160 870 550 89.4 670 10 0.190 Example No17 A 1150 880 700 89.2 670 12 0.190 Comparative Example No18 A 1160 880 580 90.0 660  6 0.180 Example

Tensile Strength, Elongation, and Yield Elongation

[0054] The organic coating was removed from each of the laminated steel sheets using concentrated sulfuric acid, and a JIS No. 5 tensile test piece was taken from each laminated steel sheet in its rolling direction. The tensile strength, elongation (total elongation), and yield elongation of the test piece were evaluated according to JIS Z 2241.

Ferrite Grain Size

[0055] A cross section in the rolling direction was embedded, polished, and etched with nital to allow grain boundaries to appear. Then the average crystal grain size was measured using a cutting method according to JIS G 0551 to evaluate the ferrite grain size.

Evaluation of Property Forming into a can

[0056] To evaluate the property forming into a can, one of the laminated steel sheets was punched into a circular piece, and the circular piece was subjected to deep drawing, ironing or the like to obtain a cylindrical can. Then, the cylindrical can was subjected to beading in the circumferential direction of the can at three different places including the height center of the can body and places 15 mm vertically from the height center to thereby form a can similar to a two-piece can used as a beverage can. A can with no can body breakage during can manufacturing and with almost no stretcher strain was rated “Excellent.” A can with no can body breakage but with slight stretcher strain was rated “Good.” A can with can body breakage or significant stretcher strain was rated “Poor.”

[0057] The results are shown in Table 3. In all Examples, the tensile strength was 480 MPa or more, the elongation was 7% or more, the yield elongation was 3% or less, and the ferrite grain size was less than 6.0 μm. Therefore, each of the steel sheets has excellent formability and strength. However, in Comparative Examples, at least one of the above properties was poor. For example, in steel sheet symbols Nos. 9, 11, 13, and 17, although the canning property rating was “Good,” the tensile strength of the steel sheet was low and was not sufficient for the can bottom.

TABLE-US-00003 TABLE 3 Evaluation Steel Tensile Yield Ferrite of sheet Steel strength Elongation Elongation grain size canning symbol symbol Mpa % % μm property Remarks No1 A 505 9 1.2 5.4 Excellent Example No2 B 540 8 2.3 5.1 Good Example No3 C 500 10 1.4 5.3 Excellent Example No4 D 529 11 1.3 4.8 Excellent Example No5 E 540 7 0.8 5.8 Excellent Example No6 F 520 9 0.4 5.5 Excellent Example No7 G 527 7 0.2 5.2 Excellent Example No8 H 595 5 6.1 5.2 Poor Comparative Example No9 I 458 10 1.0 7.1 Good Comparative Example No10 J 580 4 1.6 5.6 Poor Comparative Example No11 K 450 9 2.1 7.3 Good Comparative Example No12 A 590 3 0.2 5.0 Poor Comparative Example No13 A 450 12 2.8 8.1 Good Comparative Example No14 A 432 20 4.2 5.5 Poor Comparative Example No15 A 580 2 0.0 5.3 Poor Comparative Example No16 A 510 8 2.9 5.5 Good Example No17 A 460 7 2.2 6.3 Good Comparative Example No18 A 480 13 2.6 5.5 Good Example