Abstract: The invention relates to a method and an apparatus for the targeted heat treatment of specific component zones of a steel component. A predominantly austenitic structure can be created in the steel component in one or more first regions, from which, by quenching, a majority martensitic microstructure can be created; and in one or more second regions, a majority bainitic microstructure can be created, wherein the steel component is initially heated in a furnace to a temperature above the AC3 temperature, the steel component is subsequently transferred into a treatment station, and can cool down during the transfer, and in the treatment station, the one or more second regions of the steel component are cooled down to a cooling finish temperature ?2 during a treatment time.

Abstract: Disclosed is a tempering station for the partial heat treatment of a metal component, the station including a processing plane arranged in the tempering station, at least one nozzle, aligned to the processing plane, for discharging of a fluid flow for the cooling of at least a first sub-area of the component, and at least one nozzle box, arranged above the processing plane. The at least one nozzle box forms at least one nozzle area in which the at least one nozzle is at least partially arrangeable and/or which at least partially delimits a propagation of the fluid flow, with the at least one nozzle box being at least partially formed with a ceramic material. The tempering station permits a sufficiently reliable thermal delimitation of heat treatment measures partially acting on the component and/or a sufficiently reliable thermal separation of different heat treatment procedures partially acting on the component.

Abstract: The invention relates to an apparatus and a tempering station for the partial heat treatment of a metal component, and the use of at least one tangential nozzle in a tempering station for the partial heat treatment of a metal component. The tempering station comprises a processing plane disposed in the tempering station, the component being able to be disposed in said plane, and at least one nozzle which points to the processing plane and is provided and adapted for discharging a fluid stream for cooling at least a first sub-area of the component, wherein the at least one nozzle is a tangential nozzle. The tempering station and the apparatus make it possible in particular to adjust, as reliably and/or precisely as possible, a transition region between the different heat-treated sub-areas of the component, in particular to keep said region as small as possible.

Abstract: A rear muffler assembly for an internal combustion engine has a first and a second muffler through which exhaust gases flow and which are separated from one another. The first and second mufflers have in each case an exhaust gas delivery and discharge through an exhaust gas routing pipe issuing into an exhaust pipe which follows downstream and in which an exhaust gas shutoff flap which can be closed temporarily is disposed. The rear muffler assembly contains two exhaust gas routing pipes, the first exhaust gas routing pipe having within the rear muffler an issue orifice for exhaust gases positively emerging from the second exhaust gas routing pipe, with the exhaust gas shutoff flap closed, into which first exhaust gas routing pipe the exhaust gases from the internal combustion engine flow directly.