Abstract: Disclosed are methods and apparatus for impressing a temperature profile onto a sheet steel component, wherein in one or more first areas, a temperature below the AC3 temperature can be impressed on the sheet steel component, and in one or more second areas, a temperature above the AC3 temperature can be impressed on the sheet steel component, and is characterized in that the sheet steel component is firstly preheated in a production furnace, and is then transferred into the thermal re-treatment station, wherein a radiation heat source is moved over the component in the thermal re-treatment station, by means of which the one or more first areas of the sheet steel component can be kept at a temperature below the AC3 temperature or cooled down further, and the one or more second areas can be heated to or kept at a temperature above the AC3 temperature.

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.