Abstract: A continuous hot-dip galvanizing apparatus has a vertical annealing furnace, one or more hearth rolls, a hot-dip galvanizing apparatus, an alloying line, and humidified gas supply ports. When the steel sheet having a Si content of 0.2 mass % or more is conveyed inside the annealing furnace, the humidified gas supply ports positioned in a latter part of the soaking zone supply the humidified gas to the soaking zone and the at least one dry gas supply port supplies the dry gas to the soaking zone. When the steel sheet having a Si content of less than 0.2 mass % is conveyed inside the annealing furnace, the plurality of the humidified gas supply ports do not supply the humidified gas to the soaking zone and the at least one dry gas supply port supplies the dry gas to the soaking zone.

Abstract: Provided is a method for manufacturing a high-strength galvanized steel sheet. Heating in a first half of oxidizing treatment is performed at a temperature of 400° C. to 750° C. in an atmosphere having a particular O2 concentration and a particular H2O concentration, and heating in a second half of the oxidizing treatment is performed at a temperature of 600° C. to 850° C. in an atmosphere having a particular O2 concentration and a particular H2O concentration. Subsequently, heating in a heating zone for reduction annealing is performed to a temperature of 650° C. to 900° C. at a particular heating rate in an atmosphere having a particular H2 concentration and a particular H2O concentration with the balance being N2 and inevitable impurities, and soaking in a soaking zone for the reduction annealing is performed in an atmosphere having a particular H2 concentration and a particular H2O concentration with the balance being N2 and inevitable impurities.

Abstract: A continuous hot-dip galvanizing apparatus has a vertical annealing furnace, one or more hearth rolls, a hot-dip galvanizing apparatus, an alloying line, and humidified gas supply ports. When the steel sheet having a Si content of 0.2 mass % or more is conveyed inside the annealing furnace, the humidified gas supply ports positioned in a latter part of the soaking zone supply the humidified gas to the soaking zone and the at least one dry gas supply port supplies the dry gas to the soaking zone. When the steel sheet having a Si content of less than 0.2 mass % is conveyed inside the annealing furnace, the plurality of the humidified gas supply ports do not supply the humidified gas to the soaking zone and the at least one dry gas supply port supplies the dry gas to the soaking zone.

Abstract: Provided is a method for producing a galvannealed steel sheet. When the steel sheet passing through the soaking zone is a type of steel containing 0.2 mass % or more of Si, both dry gas and humidified gas are supplied to the soaking zone, where the humidified gas is supplied only from the humidified gas supply port positioned in a latter part of the soaking zone among a plurality of humidified gas supply ports, where the latter part of the soaking zone is determined considering a sheet passing speed V and a target temperature T on the exit side of the soaking zone.

Abstract: A high-strength galvanized steel sheet having improved post-work impact resistance, a method for producing the high-strength galvanized steel sheet, and a high-strength member produced using the steel sheet. The high-strength galvanized steel sheet includes a steel sheet having a microstructure including ferrite and carbide-free bainite, martensite and carbide-containing bainite, and retained austenite, the total area fraction of ferrite and carbide-free bainite being 0% to 55%, the total area fraction of martensite and carbide-containing bainite being 45% to 100%, and the area fraction of retained austenite being 0% to 5%. Additionally, a galvanizing layer is disposed on the steel sheet. The density of gaps that cut across the entire thickness of the galvanizing layer in a cross section of the galvanizing layer, which is taken in the thickness direction so as to be perpendicular to the rolling direction, is 10 gaps/mm or more.

Abstract: Provided are a steel sheet having a tensile strength of 950 MPa or more and good toughness and a method for manufacturing the same. The steel sheet has a specific composition and a metallographic structure containing: a ferrite area fraction of 30% or less (including 0%), a tempered martensite area fraction of 70% or more (including 100%), and a retained austenite area fraction of 4.5% or less (including 0%), wherein the average aspect ratio of an iron based carbide, precipitated in tempered martensite grains, having a grain size in the largest 10% is 3.5 or more.

Abstract: A high-strength steel sheet contains, in mass %, C: 0.07 to 0.14%, Si: 0.65 to 1.65%, Mn: 1.8 to 2.6%, P: 0.05% or less, S: 0.005% or less, Al: 0.08% or less, N: 0.0060% or less, Ti: 0.005 to 0.030%, B: 0.0002 to 0.0030%, and either or both of Cr: 0.01 to 0.40% and Mo: 0.01 to 0.50% and satisfies the expression (1); where: an average grain size of a ferrite phase is 1.5 ?m or less; an area ratio of the ferrite phase is 2% or more and 15% or less; an area ratio of a tempered martensite phase is 75% or more and 96% or less; and a total length per unit area of an interface between an untempered martensite phase and the ferrite phase and an interface between the untempered martensite phase and the tempered martensite phase is 6.3×108 ?m/m2 to 5.0×1011 ?m/m2.

Abstract: High strength steel sheets that have excellent ductility and low-temperature toughness and methods for producing such high strength steel sheets. A high strength steel sheet includes a composition containing, on a mass % basis, C: 0.05% to 0.30%, Si: 0.5% to 2.5%, Mn: 0.5% to 3.5%, P: 0.003% to 0.100%, S: 0.02% or less, Al: 0.010% to 1.5%, and N: 0.01% or less, the balance being Fe and unavoidable impurities, and a steel microstructure including a ferrite phase with an area fraction of 10% to 70%, a hard second phase with an area fraction of 30% to 90%, and a carbide that is at an interface between a ferrite phase and a hard second phase and that has an average equivalent-circle diameter of 200 nm or less.

Abstract: A high-strength steel sheet contains, in mass %, C: 0.07 to 0.14%, Si: 0.65 to 1.65%, Mn: 1.8 to 2.6%, P: 0.05% or less, S: 0.005% or less, Al: 0.08% or less, N: 0.0060% or less, Ti: 0.005 to 0.030%, B: 0.0002 to 0.0030%, and either or both of Cr: 0.01 to 0.40% and Mo: 0.01 to 0.50% and satisfies the expression (1); where: an average grain size of a ferrite phase is 1.5 ?m or less; an area ratio of the ferrite phase is 2% or more and 15% or less; an area ratio of a tempered martensite phase is 75% or more and 96% or less; and a total length per unit area of an interface between an untempered martensite phase and the ferrite phase and an interface between the untempered martensite phase and the tempered martensite phase is 6.3×108 ?m/m2 to 5.0×1011 ?m/m2.

Abstract: Provided is a method for producing a galvannealed steel sheet. When the steel sheet passing through the soaking zone is a type of steel containing 0.2 mass % or more of Si, both dry gas and humidified gas are supplied to the soaking zone, where the humidified gas is supplied only from the humidified gas supply port positioned in a latter part of the soaking zone among a plurality of humidified gas supply ports, where the latter part of the soaking zone is determined considering a sheet passing speed V and a target temperature T on the exit side of the soaking zone.

Abstract: Provided is a method for manufacturing a high-strength galvanized steel sheet. Heating in a first half of oxidizing treatment is performed at a temperature of 400° C. to 750° C. in an atmosphere having a particular O2 concentration and a particular H2O concentration, and heating in a second half of the oxidizing treatment is performed at a temperature of 600° C. to 850° C. in an atmosphere having a particular O2 concentration and a particular H2O concentration. Subsequently, heating in a heating zone for reduction annealing is performed to a temperature of 650° C. to 900° C. at a particular heating rate in an atmosphere having a particular H2 concentration and a particular H2O concentration with the balance being N2 and inevitable impurities, and soaking in a soaking zone for the reduction annealing is performed in an atmosphere having a particular H2 concentration and a particular H2O concentration with the balance being N2 and inevitable impurities.

Abstract: Provided are a steel sheet having a tensile strength of 950 MPa or more and good toughness and a method for manufacturing the same. The steel sheet has a specific composition and a metallographic structure containing: a ferrite area fraction of 30% or less (including 0%), a tempered martensite area fraction of 70% or more (including 100%), and a retained austenite area fraction of 4.5% or less (including 0%), wherein the average aspect ratio of an iron based carbide, precipitated in tempered martensite grains, having a grain size in the largest 10% is 3.5 or more.

Abstract: A high-strength galvanized steel sheet having improved post-work impact resistance, a method for producing the high-strength galvanized steel sheet, and a high-strength member produced using the steel sheet. The high-strength galvanized steel sheet includes a steel sheet having a microstructure including ferrite and carbide-free bainite, martensite and carbide-containing bainite, and retained austenite, the total area fraction of ferrite and carbide-free bainite being 0% to 55%, the total area fraction of martensite and carbide-containing bainite being 45% to 100%, and the area fraction of retained austenite being 0% to 5%. Additionally, a galvanizing layer is disposed on the steel sheet. The density of gaps that cut across the entire thickness of the galvanizing layer in a cross section of the galvanizing layer, which is taken in the thickness direction so as to be perpendicular to the rolling direction, is 10 gaps/mm or more.

Abstract: High strength steel sheets that have excellent ductility and low-temperature toughness and methods for producing such high strength steel sheets. A high strength steel sheet includes a composition containing, on a mass % basis, C: 0.05% to 0.30%, Si: 0.5% to 2.5%, Mn: 0.5% to 3.5%, P: 0.003% to 0.100%, S: 0.02% or less, Al: 0.010% to 1.5%, and N: 0.01% or less, the balance being Fe and unavoidable impurities, and a steel microstructure including a ferrite phase with an area fraction of 10% to 70%, a hard second phase with an area fraction of 30% to 90%, and a carbide that is at an interface between a ferrite phase and a hard second phase and that has an average equivalent-circle diameter of 200 nm or less.

Abstract: A method includes: annealing a steel strip by conveying the steel strip through a heating zone, a soaking zone, and a cooling zone in this order inside an annealing furnace; and applying a hot-dip galvanized coating onto the steel strip discharged from the cooling zone. Reducing gas or non-oxidizing gas supplied into the soaking zone includes humidified gas and dry gas. While a width and a sheet passing speed of the steel strip passing through the soaking zone are constant, a variation of pressure in the annealing furnace is suppressed by adjusting a flow rate of the dry gas, and a variation range of an amount of moisture supplied into the soaking zone by the humidified gas is limited to 20% or less.