Abstract: A method for creating an iridescent effect on a surface through formation of wavelets on the source can include using a pulse of laser beams sent to the surface in juxtaposed optical fields of a focusing system. A scanner scans the surface using laser beams along a series of lines that follow each other in a relative direction of travel of the part and of the scanner and a series of lines that lie in continuation of each other in a direction perpendicular to the relative direction of travel. The optical fields overlap in an overlapping area having a width that is twice the diameter of the pulse laser beam up to 2 cm. Two lines lying in continuation of each other overlap at a junction and between the two series of lines follow each other in a relative direction of travel of the part and the scanner.

Abstract: A laser descaling device and process includes a first laser sending a ray to the product to be descaled, reflected rays being intercepted by sensors that send collected information into a processing unit that calculates the absorption of the ray by the surface of the product, deduces the emissivity of the oxidized surface in the direction of the reflected rays, and correlates this emissivity with reference information prerecorded inside the processing unit; a second laser sends a ray onto the surface of the product, the spots of the rays covering the entire surface to be descaled, the second laser being controlled by a control unit receiving information provided by the processing unit making it possible to determine the operating parameters to be imposed on the second laser to obtain the descaling of the surface of the product, compared with experimental results prerecorded in the control unit.

Abstract: Method for recovering Cr from a pickling bath of an aqueous solution containing sulphate and Cr from a pickled metal, the method including: -forming an aqueous two-phase system from a portion of the pickling bath and a polymer including an unhindered ether function, the proportion of polymer in the ternary mixture including the pickling bath, considered to be a unique chemical component, water and polymer, ranging between the line of the equation «weight % of polymer=100%?weight % of pickling bath» and the binodal curve of the pickling bath/polymer mixture, the two-phase aqueous system including polymer and non-polymer phases;—separating the respective phases;—allowing precipitates containing Cr to form in the polymer phase;—carrying out solid/liquid separation of the polymer phase to separate the polymer and the precipitates containing Cr;—and processing the precipitates to recover the Cr. A facility is also disclosed.

Abstract: Method for creating an iridescent visual effect on the surface of a part, using a laser beam having a pulse duration of less than a nanosecond sent onto said surface in the optical field of the focusing system of a device comprising also a laser source and a scanner, to apply wavelets having the same orientation to said surface over the pulse width. The scanner scans the surface using laser radiation along a series of consecutive lines, or a matrix of points using relative movement of said surface and the device, the width of each line or the dimension of each point of each matrix being equal to the pulse diameter. Between the carrying out of the scanning along two consecutive lines or two adjacent points the polarization of the laser beam is modified to create wavelets having different orientations on two consecutive lines or two adjacent points.

Abstract: A method for creating an iridescent effect on a surface through formation of wavelets on the source can include using a pulse of laser beams sent to the surface in juxtaposed optical fields of a focusing system. A scanner scans the surface using laser beams along a series of lines that follow each other in a relative direction of travel of the part and of the scanner and a series of lines that lie in continuation of each other in a direction perpendicular to the relative direction of travel. The optical fields overlap in an overlapping area having a width that is twice the diameter of the pulse laser beam up to 2 cm. Two lines lying in continuation of each other overlap at a junction and between the two series of lines follow each other in a relative direction of travel of the part and the scanner.

Abstract: A laser descaling device and process includes a first laser sending a ray to the product to be descaled, reflected rays being intercepted by sensors that send collected information into a processing unit that calculates the absorption of the ray by the surface of the product, deduces the emissivity of the oxidized surface in the direction of the reflected rays, and correlates this emissivity with reference information prerecorded inside the processing unit; a second laser sends a ray onto the surface of the product, the spots of the rays covering the entire surface to be descaled, the second laser being controlled by a control unit receiving information provided by the processing unit making it possible to determine the operating parameters to be imposed on the second laser to obtain the descaling of the surface of the product, compared with experimental results prerecorded in the control unit.

Abstract: Bipolar plate for assembling the elements of a fuel cell unit, consisting of a stainless-steel substrate (1) coated on at least one of the two faces thereof with a layer (5) of an electrically conductive material, characterised in that the material is selected from CrN and a bivalent or trivalent Ti compound or a mixture of such compounds, in that if the electrically conductive material is a bivalent or trivalent Ti compound or a mixture of such compounds, the layer (5) contains at most a quantity of oxygen in at. %, measured by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) on the upper 10 nm of the layer, which does not exceed 1.5 times the content in at. % of oxygen which, according to the measured content in at.

Abstract: A rolled stainless steel object has surface with a raised and indented pattern including a random juxtaposition of at least two types of polygons. Each of the polygons has at least three sides, and is made up of substantially parallel rectilinear scratches, having a depth of from 5 to 30 ?m separated by ridge lines, the axes of which are from 0.1 to 0.3 mm from each other, and a Fourier transform spectral analysis of which, carried out on a square of at least 100 mm2, shows that they have an isotropy of at least 40% between the rolling direction and the sideways direction, and two adjacent preferred angular orientations of which scratches, from among the three main preferred angular orientations thereof, are spaced apart by a minimum of 20° and a maximum of 60°.

Abstract: A rolled stainless steel object has surface with a raised and indented pattern including a random juxtaposition of at least two types of polygons. Each of the polygons has at least three sides, and is made up of substantially parallel rectilinear scratches, having a depth of from 5 to 30 ?m separated by ridge lines, the axes of which are from 0.1 to 0.3 mm from each other, and a Fourier transform spectral analysis of which, carried out on a square of at least 100 mm2, shows that they have an isotropy of at least 40% between the rolling direction and the sideways direction, and two adjacent preferred angular orientations of which scratches, from among the three main preferred angular orientations thereof, are spaced apart by a minimum of 20° and a maximum of 60°.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a metal strip or sheet, including the steps of providing a substrate made from stainless steel; and depositing a chromium-nitride layer on the substrate by physical vapor deposition (PVD) in a deposition installation comprising a deposition chamber and a chromium target arranged in the deposition chamber. The deposition chamber has a deposition area with a length strictly smaller than the length of the deposition chamber and at least a first prohibited area. During the deposition, the chromium nitride is deposited on the substrate only in the deposition area and no chromium nitride is deposited on the substrate in the prohibited area.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a metal strip or sheet comprising a substrate made from stainless steel covered with at least one layer of a chromium-nitride coating. The chromium-nitride coating layer is textured.

Abstract: The invention relates to a process for manufacturing a semi-finished product made of stabilized stainless steel, which includes a casting step by means of a hollow jet nozzle placed between a tundish and a continuous casting mould. The nozzle comprises, in its upper part, a distributing member for deflecting the liquid metal arriving at the inlet of the nozzle, thus defining an internal volume with no liquid metal in the hollow jet. A non-stabilized stainless steel containing no nitride, carbide and carbonitride precipitates, is delivered in liquid metal form into the tundish. The liquid metal is cast by means of the nozzle, simultaneously carrying out an addition of metal powder into an internal volume of the hollow jet. The metal powder contains at least one element for stabilizing the stainless steel, the addition being carried out at a temperature between Tliquidus+10° C. and Tliquidus+40° C.

Abstract: The invention has as an object a stainless steel sheet coated with a coating comprising, in the order starting from the surface of the said sheet: a barrier layer of metallic oxide or oxy-hydroxide MOx, or of metallic nitride or oxy-nitride NMx, having a thickness ranging between 5 and 1000 nm, a porous layer of titanium oxide TiOx having a thickness ranging between 5 and 1000 nm, the said TiOx layer having a voluminal porosity ranging between 10 and 50% and a mean pore size ranging between 0.5 and 100 nm and an upper layer of silicon oxide or oxy-hydroxide SiOx having a thickness ranging between 5 and 1000 nm. The invention also relates to the method for manufacture of this coated sheet.

Abstract: A metallurgical product, made of carbon steel and to be galvanized, which is in the form of a strip or of a sheet obtained from a continuously cast intermediate product having the following composition by weight: 0.0005%?C?0.15%; 0.08%?Mn?2%; Si?0.040%; Altotal?0.010%; Alsoluable?0.004%; 0.0050%?Ototal?0.0500%; P?0.20%; S?0.10%; each of Cu, Cr, Ni, Mo, W, Co?1%; each of Ti, Nb, V, Zr?0.5%; each of Sn, Sb, As?0.1%; B?0.1%; N?0.0400%; and the remainder being iron and impurities. Also, a process for obtaining a metallurgical intermediate product, which includes: producing in a ladle a liquid steel the composition of which is as above, and in which the dissolved oxygen content is maintained between 0.0050 and 0.0500% by the establishment of a chemical equilibrium between the metal and the ladle slag; and casting the steel on a continuous casting machine.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for production of a metal strip from a strip (6), cast directly from molten metal (4), whereby a trimming of the strip edges (9, 9?) of the strip (6) is carried out, characterised in that the strip edges (9, 9?) are cooled before the trimming in such way as to render said edges more brittle than the rest of the strip (6). The invention further relates to a unit for processing a thin metal strip (6), arising from the casting of thin strips directly from molten metal, characterised in comprising a unit for the controlled, exclusive or preferential cooling of the strip edges (9, 9?) of the strip (6).

Abstract: A casting roll for the continuous casting of thin metal strips, in particular steel strips in a double-roll or roll-in installation. The roll comprises a roll core with an external casing and an annular roll jacket with an internal casing. The jacket surrounds the core and is being shrunk onto the latter. To prevent migratory motion of the roll jacket in relation to the roll core, the surface of at least one of the opposing casings that form a shrinkage connection has protuberances and indentations, which are oriented at least partially in the direction of the casting roll axis and extend radially for at least 2 ?m.

Abstract: The invention relates to a side wall (1) of a plant for the continuous casting of metal strip (5) between two counter-rotating rolls (2, 2?) having horizontal axes and being internally cooled, the surfaces of which define a casting space confined laterally by two side walls (1) made of refractory, of the type comprising: a support plate (6) on the front face of which a recess (7) is made; an insert (9) made of hard material placed around the periphery of the recess (7); a lining (11) that fills the remainder of the recess (7); characterized in that the front face (12), turned towards the casting space, of the said lining (11) is set back by a maximum distance (d) from the front face (13) of the insert (9) over at least part of its length.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for continuous direct casting of a metal strip, whereby said strip is cast by solidification of liquid metal in an ingot mould with cooled moving walls and a hot rolling of said strip is carried out in line, characterised in that a product is applied to the surface of the strip on exit from the ingot, which leaves a layer of lubricant on the surface when the strip is hot rolled and which causes a gas to be given off which contributes to the protection of said surface from oxidation. The invention further relates to a continuous direct casting plant for a thin metal strip, of the type comprising an ingot mould with moving cooled walls, where the solidification of said strip takes place and an in-line hot rolling unit for said solidified strip, characterised in comprising means for application of a product to the surface of said strip at the exit from the ingot, which leaves a layer of lubricant on the surface at the entry to the hot rolling unit.

Abstract: The invention relates to a side wall (1) of a plant for the continuous casting of metal strip (5) between two counter-rotating rolls (2, 2?) having horizontal axes and being internally cooled, the surfaces of which define a casting space confined laterally by two side walls (1) made of refractory, of the type comprising: a support plate (6) on the front face of which a recess (7) is made; an insert (9) made of hard material placed around the periphery of the recess (7); a lining (11) that fills the remainder of the recess (7); characterized in that the front face (12), turned towards the casting space, of the said lining (11) is set back by a maximum distance (d) from the front face (13) of the insert (9) over at least part of its length.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for production of a metal strip from a strip (6), cast directly from molten metal (4), whereby a trimming of the strip edges (9, 9?) of the strip (6) is carried out, characterised in that the strip edges (9, 9?) are cooled before the trimming in such way as to render said edges more brittle than the rest of the strip (6). The invention further relates to a unit for processing a thin metal strip (6), arising from the casting of thin strips directly from molten metal, characterised in comprising a unit for the controlled, exclusive or preferential cooling of the strip edges (9, 9?) of the strip (6).