Patents by Inventor Kazuo Hikida

Kazuo Hikida has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 11904573
    Abstract: A hot-stamped article according to the present invention has a plating layer being attached to a single surface in an amount of 10 g/m2 or more and 90 g/m2 or less and having a Ni content of 10 mass % or more and 25 mass % or less with a remainder including Zn and impurities on a surface of a base steel sheet having a predetermined chemical composition, in a surface layer region, a metallographic structure includes 80.0% or more of martensite and 8.0% or more of residual austenite in terms of area percentage, and the concentration of Ni in the surface layer region is 8 mass % or more.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2024
    Assignee: NIPPON STEEL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yuji Sakiyama, Yuri Toda, Kazuo Hikida
  • Patent number: 11905581
    Abstract: A hot-stamped article according to the present invention has a plating layer being attached in an amount of 10 g/m2 or more and 90 g/m2 or less and having a Ni content of 10 mass % or more and 25 mass % or less with a remainder including Zn and an impurity on a surface of a base steel sheet having a predetermined chemical composition, a surface layer region includes 90.0% or more of martensite in terms of area percentage, and a concentration of Ni in a prior austenite grain boundary in the surface layer region is 5.5 mass % or more.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2024
    Assignee: NIPPON STEEL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yuji Sakiyama, Yuri Toda, Tomohito Tanaka, Kazuo Hikida
  • Patent number: 11884989
    Abstract: A hot-stamping formed body includes: a steel sheet having a predetermined chemical composition; and a plating layer provided on a surface of the steel sheet, the plating layer having an adhesion amount of 10 g/m2 to 90 g/m2 and a Ni content of 10 mass % to 25 mass %, and containing a remainder consisting of Zn and impurities. The hot-stamping formed body includes, in a surface layer region of the steel sheet, an average grain size of prior austenite grains to 10.0 ?m or less, a Ni concentration per unit area at grain boundaries having an average crystal orientation difference of 15° or more is 1.5 mass %/?m2 or more.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2024
    Assignee: NIPPON STEEL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Daisuke Maeda, Yuri Toda, Tomohito Tanaka, Kazuo Hikida
  • Patent number: 11713497
    Abstract: A steel member according to an aspect of the present invention has a predetermined chemical composition, in which a metallographic structure includes, by a volume %, 60.0% to 85.0% of martensite, 10.0% to 30.0% of bainite, 5.0% to 15.0% of residual austenite, and 0% to 4.0% of a remainder in microstructure. A length of a maximum minor axis of the residual austenite is 30 nm or longer. A number density of a carbide which exist in the steel member and has a circle equivalent diameter of 0.1 ?m or more and an aspect ratio of 2.5 or less is 4.0×103 pieces/mm2 or less.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2023
    Assignee: NIPPON STEEL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shinichiro Tabata, Yoshihiro Suwa, Kazuo Hikida, Kazuhisa Kusumi
  • Patent number: 11702726
    Abstract: A hot stamped article having excellent shock absorption having a predetermined chemical composition, having a microstructure containing prior austenite having an average grain size of 3 ?m or less and further containing at least one of lower bainite, martensite, and tempered martensite in an area ratio of 90% or more, and having a grain boundary solid solution ratio Z defined by Z=(mass % of one or both of Nb and Mo at grain boundaries)/(mass % of one or both of Nb and Mo at time of melting) of 0.3 or more.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2023
    Assignee: NIPPON STEEL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yuri Toda, Kazuo Hikida, Shingo Fujinaka, Tomohito Tanaka
  • Patent number: 11639536
    Abstract: [Object] To provide a steel sheet for carburizing that demonstrates improved ductility, and a method for manufacturing the same. [Solution] A steel sheet consisting of, in mass %, C: more than or equal to 0.02%, and less than 0.30%, Si: more than or equal to 0.005%, and less than 0.5%, Mn: more than or equal to 0.01%, and less than 3.0%, P: less than or equal to 0.1%, S: less than or equal to 0.1%, sol. Al: more than or equal to 0.0002%, and less than or equal to 3.0%, N: less than or equal to 0.2%, Ti: more than or equal to 0.010%, and less than or equal to 0.150%, and the balance: Fe and impurities, in which the number of carbides per 1000 ?m2 is 100 or less, percentage of number of carbides with an aspect ratio of 2.0 or smaller is 10% or larger relative to the total carbides, average equivalent circle diameter of carbide is 5.0 ?m or smaller, and average crystal grain size of ferrite is 10 ?m or smaller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2023
    Assignee: NIPPON STEEL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Motonori Hashimoto, Kazuo Hikida, Yuri Toda
  • Publication number: 20230065607
    Abstract: A steel sheet including a chemical composition in mass %: C: 0.14-0.60%, Si+Al?3.00, P 0.030%, S?0.0050%, N 0.015%, B?0.0050%, C×Mn?0.80, Mn+Ni+Cu+1.3Cr+4(Mo+W)?0.80, 0.003?Ti+Zr+Hf+V+Nb+Ta+Sc+Y?0.20, Sn+As+Sb+Bi?0.020, Mg: 0 to 0.005%, Ca: 0 to 0.005%, REM: 0 to 0.005%, with the balance: Fe and impurities, and satisfying Ms=546 ×exp(?1.362 x C)?11 ×Si?30 ×Mn?18 ×Ni?20 ×Cu?12×Cr ?8(Mo+W)?200.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 19, 2021
    Publication date: March 2, 2023
    Applicant: NIPPON STEEL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Naoki MARUYAMA, Kazuo HIKIDA, Shinichiro TABATA
  • Patent number: 11591675
    Abstract: Steel sheet low in cost and improved in fatigue characteristics without causing a drop in the cold formability, characterized in that it comprises an inner layer and a hard layer on one or both surfaces of the inner layer, a thickness of the hard layer is 20 ?m or more and 40% or less of the thickness of the steel sheet, an average micro-Vickers hardness of the hard layer is 240 HV or more and less than 400 HV, an amount of C of the hard layer is 0.4 mass % or less, an amount of N is 0.02 mass % or less, a variation of hardness measured by a nanoindenter at a depth of 10 from the surface of the hard layer is a standard deviation of 2.0 or less, an average micro-Vickers hardness of the inner layer is 80 HV or more and less than 400 HV, a volume rate of carbides contained in the inner layer is less than 2.00%, and the average micro-Vickers hardness of the hard layer is 1.05 times or more the average micro-Vickers hardness of the inner layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2023
    Assignee: NIPPON STEEL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kengo Takeda, Riki Okamoto, Kazuo Hikida, Katsuya Nakano, Yuya Suzuki, Genki Abukawa
  • Publication number: 20230040050
    Abstract: A hot-stamping formed body has a predetermined chemical composition and includes microstructure which includes residual austenite of which an area ratio is in a range of 20% to 30%. Among grain boundaries of crystal grains of bainite and tempered martensite in the microstructure, a ratio of a length of a grain boundary having a rotation angle in a range of 55° to 75° to a total length of a grain boundary having a rotation angle in a range of 4° to 12°, a grain boundary having a rotation angle in a range of 49° to 54°, and a grain boundary having a rotation angle in a range of 55° to 75° to the <011> direction as a rotation axis is 30% or more.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 8, 2021
    Publication date: February 9, 2023
    Applicant: NIPPON STEEL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yuri TODA, Kodai MURASAWA, Daisuke MAEDA, Kazuo HIKIDA
  • Patent number: 11565299
    Abstract: The entirety or a part of this hot stamped product includes, as a chemical composition, by mass %, C: 0.001% or more and less than 0.080%, Si: 2.50% or less, Mn: 0.01% or more and less than 0.50%, P: 0.200% or less, S: 0.0200% or less, sol.Al: 0.001% to 2.500%, N: 0.0200% or less, Cr: 0.30% or more and less than 2.00%, and a remainder: Fe and impurities, in which a metallographic structure contains, by vol %, ferrite: more than 60.0%, martensite: 0% or more and less than 10.0%, and bainite: 0% or more and less than 20.0%, a tensile strength is less than 700 MPa, and ?TS, which is a decrease in the tensile strength after a heat treatment at 170° C. for 20 minutes, is 100 MPa or less.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2023
    Assignee: NIPPON STEEL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Jun Haga, Kazuo Hikida
  • Publication number: 20230001466
    Abstract: A hot-stamping formed body has a predetermined chemical composition and includes microstructure which includes residual austenite of which an area ratio is 10% or more and less than 20%, Among grain boundaries of crystal grains of bainite and tempered martensite a ratio of a length of a grain boundary having a rotation angle in a range of 55° to 75° to a total length of a grain boundary having a rotation angle in a range of 4° to 12°, a grain boundary having a rotation angle in a range of 49° to 54°, and the grain boundary having a rotation angle in, a range of 55° to 75° to the <011> direction as a rotation axis is 30% or more.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 8, 2021
    Publication date: January 5, 2023
    Applicant: NIPPON STEEL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yuri TODA, Kodai MURASAWA, Daisuke MAEDA, Kazuo HIKIDA
  • Publication number: 20230002874
    Abstract: A hot-stamping formed body has a predetermined chemical composition and includes microstructure which includes residual austenite of which an area ratio is 5% or more and less than 10%. Among grain boundaries of crystal grains of bainite and tempered martensite in the microstructure, a ratio of a length of a grain boundary having a rotation angle in a range of 55° to 75° to a total length of a grain boundary having a rotation angle in a range of 4° to 12°, a grain boundary having a rotation angle in a range of 49° to 54°, and a grain boundary having a rotation angle in a range of 55° to 75° to the <011> direction as a rotation axis is 30% or more. The tensile strength of the hot-stamping formed body is 1500 MPa or more.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 8, 2021
    Publication date: January 5, 2023
    Applicant: NIPPON STEEL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yuri TODA, Shinichiro TABATA, Kodai MURASAWA, Daisuke MAEDA, Kazuo HIKIDA
  • Patent number: 11505846
    Abstract: A blank material is formed from a steel sheet, a first quenching of the blank material is performed, and a second quenching of the blank material is performed after the first quenching. When the first quenching is performed, the blank material is heated to a first temperature of not lower than (Ac3 point—50)° C. nor higher than 1200° C. at an average heating rate of 2° C./sec or more, and the blank material is cooled from the first temperature to a second temperature of 250° C. or lower. When the second quenching is performed, the blank material is heated from the second temperature to a third temperature of not lower than (Ac3 point—50)° C. nor higher than 1200° C. at an average heating rate of 2° C./sec or more, and the blank material is cooled from the third temperature to a fourth temperature of 250° C. or lower. Forming of the blank material is performed in the first quenching or the second quenching or both of the above.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 17, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2022
    Assignee: NIPPON STEEL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Genki Abukawa, Kunio Hayashi, Kazuo Hikida, Kaoru Kawasaki
  • Patent number: 11499202
    Abstract: A cooling method for a workpiece includes placing entirety of the workpiece in an inner space of a recess provided on a molding surface of a lower mold, pressing or restraining the workpiece by a mold including the lower mold and an upper mold in which a protrusion corresponding to the recess of the lower mold is provided on a molding surface, supplying a liquid coolant to the inner space of the recess through a coolant supply passage provided in at least one of the lower mold and the upper mold by a pump, and discharging air in the inner space of the recess upward through an air escape passage, and cooling the workpiece by immersing the entirety of the workpiece, which has been heated, in the liquid coolant that fills the recess.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2022
    Assignee: AISIN FUKUI CORPORATION
    Inventors: Akihiro Seki, Nobuyuki Naito, Yoichi Jinza, Hiroshi Fukuchi, Kazuo Hikida, Ken Takata, Naruhiko Nomura
  • Patent number: 11453935
    Abstract: A steel sheet for hot stamping use used as a material for a hot stamped article excellent in strength or bending deformability, having a predetermined chemical composition, having a microstructure containing at least one of lower bainite, martensite, and tempered martensite in an area ratio of 90% or more, having an X-ray random intensity ratio of {112}<111> of the crystal grains forming the above lower bainite, martensite, or tempered martensite of 2.8 or more, having a number density of grain size 50 nm or less cementite or epsilon carbides in the microstructure of 1×1016/cm3 or more, and having a grain boundary solid solution ratio Z defined by Z=(mass % of one or both of Nb and Mo at grain boundaries)/(mass % of one or both of Nb and Mo at time of melting) of 0.4 or more.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 27, 2022
    Assignee: NIPPON STEEL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yuri Toda, Kazuo Hikida, Shingo Fujinaka, Tomohito Tanaka
  • Patent number: 11408045
    Abstract: There is provided a steel sheet including an inner layer and a hard layer formed on one or both surfaces of the inner layer, wherein each content of C and Mn in the hard layer is more than each content of C and Mn in the inner layer, a thickness of the hard layer is 20 ?m or more and a total of the thickness of the hard layer is ? or less of the entire sheet thickness, an average micro-Vickers hardness of the hard layer is 400 HV or more and less than 800 HV, an average micro-Vickers hardness of the inner layer is 350 HV or more and is 50 HV or more smaller than a hardness of the hard layer, and a screw dislocation density of the inner layer is 2.0×1013 m/m3 or more.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 9, 2022
    Assignee: NIPPON STEEL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kengo Takeda, Riki Okamoto, Kazuo Hikida, Katsuya Nakano, Yuya Suzuki, Genki Abukawa
  • Publication number: 20220234330
    Abstract: A hot-stamped article according to the present invention has a plating layer being attached to a single surface in an amount of 10 g/m2 or more and 90 g/m2 or less and having a Ni content of 10 mass % or more and 25 mass % or less with a remainder including Zn and impurities on a surface of a base steel sheet having a predetermined chemical composition, in a surface layer region, a metallographic structure includes 80.0% or more of martensite and 8.0% or more of residual austenite in terms of area percentage, and the concentration of Ni in the surface layer region is 8 mass % or more.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 28, 2020
    Publication date: July 28, 2022
    Applicant: NIPPON STEEL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yuji SAKIYAMA, Yuri TODA, Kazuo HIKIDA
  • Publication number: 20220228244
    Abstract: A hot-stamped article according to the present invention has a plating layer being attached in an amount of 10 g/m2 or more and 90 g/m2 or less and having a Ni content of 10 mass % or more and 25 mass % or less with a remainder including Zn and an impurity on a surface of a base steel sheet having a predetermined chemical composition, a surface layer region includes 90.0 % or more of martensite in terms of area percentage, and a concentration of Ni in a prior austenite grain boundary in the surface layer region is 5.5 mass % or more.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 28, 2020
    Publication date: July 21, 2022
    Applicant: NIPPON STEEL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yuji SAKIYAMA, Yuri TODA, Tomohito TANAKA, Kazuo HIKIDA
  • Publication number: 20220227105
    Abstract: A steel sheet for hot stamping according to the present invention has a plating layer being attached in an amount of 10 g/m2 or more and 90 g/m2 or less and having a Ni content of 10 mass % or more and 25 mass % or less with a remainder including Zn and impurities on a surface of a base steel sheet having a predetermined chemical composition, in a surface layer region, 15.0% or more of the crystal grains of one or two kinds of unauto-tempered martensite and lower bainite are included in terms of area percentage, and the average dislocation density is 4×1015 m/m3.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 28, 2020
    Publication date: July 21, 2022
    Applicant: NIPPON STEEL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yuji SAKIYAMA, Yuri TODA, Kazuo HIKIDA
  • Publication number: 20220195557
    Abstract: A hot-stamping formed body includes: a steel sheet having a predetermined chemical composition; and a plating layer provided on a surface of the steel sheet, the plating layer having an adhesion amount of 10 g/m2 to 90 g/m2 and a Ni content of 10 mass % to 25 mass %, and containing a remainder consisting of Zn and impurities. The hot-stamping formed body includes, in a surface layer region of the steel sheet, an average grain size of prior austenite grains to 10.0 ?m or less, a Ni concentration per unit area at grain boundaries having an average crystal orientation difference of 15° or more is 1.5 mass %/?m2 or more.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 13, 2020
    Publication date: June 23, 2022
    Applicant: NIPPON STEEL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Daisuke MAEDA, Yuri TODA, Tomohito TANAKA, Kazuo HIKIDA