Patents by Inventor Mai AOYAMA
Mai AOYAMA 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).
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Patent number: 12365961Abstract: A high strength steel sheet and method for manufacturing the same. The steel sheet has a specified chemical composition and a specified microstructure. A value calculated by dividing the average Mn content in retained austenite by the average Mn content in ferrite is 1.5 or more, a value calculated by dividing the sum of the area fraction of as-quenched martensite having a circle-equivalent grain size of 3 ?m or more and the area fraction of retained austenite having a circle-equivalent grain size of 3 ?m or more by the sum of the area fraction of all the as-quenched martensite and the area fraction of all the retained austenite is less than 0.4, and a value calculated by dividing the area fraction of retained austenite grains adjacent to three or more ferrite grains having different crystal orientations by the area fraction of all the retained austenite is less than 0.6.Type: GrantFiled: December 10, 2019Date of Patent: July 22, 2025Assignee: JFE STEEL CORPORATIONInventors: Kazuki Endoh, Yoshiyasu Kawasaki, Yuki Toji, Yoshimasa Funakawa, Mai Aoyama
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Publication number: 20250223682Abstract: It is proposed a method to enable manufacturing of a steel sheet having a beautiful coated layer, when applying hot-dip galvanizing to a steel sheet containing oxidizable elements. The method comprises: an electroplating step of, in a gap between a steel sheet and an electrode plate, forming Fe-based plating on the surface of the steel sheet through electroplating, by supplying an Fe-based plating solution; an annealing step of subjecting the steel sheet to heat treatment; and a hot dip coating step of applying hot-dip galvanizing to the steel sheet, and, in the electroplating step, a plating solution discharge rate, which is the ratio of the flow rate of the plating solution flowing out to the back side that is not facing the steel sheet of the electrode plate, to the flow rate of the plating solution supplied to the steel sheet, is less than 50%.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 27, 2023Publication date: July 10, 2025Applicant: JFE STEEL CORPORATIONInventors: Gentaro TAKEDA, Mai AOYAMA, Hideyuki TAKAHASHI, Maiko WATANABE
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Patent number: 12276028Abstract: Provided is a galvanized steel sheet with excellent resistance to cracking in resistance welding at a welded portion, even if crystal orientations of an Fe-based electroplating layer and a cold-rolled steel sheet are integrated at a high ratio at the interface between the Fe-based electroplating layer and the cold-rolled steel sheet. The galvanized steel sheet has a Si-containing cold-rolled steel sheet containing Si in an amount of 0.1 mass % to 3.0 mass %; an Fe-based electroplating layer formed on at least one surface of the Si-containing cold-rolled steel sheet with a coating weight per surface of more than 20.0 g/m2, and a galvanized layer formed on the Fe-based electroplating layer, where crystal orientations of the Fe-based electroplating layer and the Si-containing cold-rolled steel sheet are integrated at a ratio of more than 50 % at the interface between the Fe-based electroplating layer and the Si-containing cold-rolled steel sheet.Type: GrantFiled: November 5, 2021Date of Patent: April 15, 2025Assignee: JFE STEEL CORPORATIONInventors: Shunsuke Yamamoto, Katsutoshi Takashima, Mai Aoyama, Yusuke Okumura, Tomomi Kanazawa, Katsuya Hoshino, Hiroshi Matsuda, Ei Okumura, Yoichi Makimizu, Masaki Koba
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Patent number: 12221705Abstract: Provided is an alloyed galvanized steel sheet with excellent resistance to cracking in resistance welding at a welded portion, even if crystal orientations of an Fe-based electroplating layer and a cold-rolled steel sheet are integrated at a high ratio at the interface between the Fe-based electroplating layer and the cold-rolled steel sheet. The alloyed galvanized steel sheet has a Si-containing cold-rolled steel sheet containing Si in an amount of 0.1 mass % to 3.0 mass %; an Fe-based electroplating layer formed on at least one surface of the Si-containing cold-rolled steel sheet with a coating weight per surface exceeding 20.0 g/m2, and an alloyed galvanized layer formed on the Fe-based electroplating layer, where crystal orientations of the Fe-based electroplating layer and the Si-containing cold-rolled steel sheet are integrated at a ratio of more than 50% at the interface between the Fe-based electroplating layer and the Si-containing cold-rolled steel sheet.Type: GrantFiled: November 5, 2021Date of Patent: February 11, 2025Assignee: JFE STEEL CORPORATIONInventors: Shunsuke Yamamoto, Katsutoshi Takashima, Mai Aoyama, Yusuke Okumura, Tomomi Kanazawa, Katsuya Hoshino, Hiroshi Matsuda, Ei Okumura, Yoichi Makimizu, Masaki Koba
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Publication number: 20240318290Abstract: When a hot-dip galvanizing treatment is performed on a steel sheet containing Si in an amount of 0.2 mass % or more by using a continuous hot-dip galvanizing apparatus including an annealing furnace in which a heating zone, a soaking zone, and a cooling zone are arranged in this order, a snout adjacent to the cooling zone, and hot-dip galvanizing equipment, a humidified nitrogen-hydrogen gas mixture containing moisture in such a manner that a certain expression is satisfied is supplied into a region on the downstream side of the soaking zone, gas nozzles are arranged over the entire perimeter of an inner wall of the snout, nitrogen gas or a nitrogen-hydrogen gas mixture is supplied through the gas nozzles downward along the inner wall, and the dew point in the snout is controlled to be ?50° C. to ?35° C.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 9, 2022Publication date: September 26, 2024Applicant: JFE Steel CorporationInventors: Gentaro Takeda, Hideyuki Takahashi, Mai Aoyama, Maiko Watanabe, Tatsuya Ehashi
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Publication number: 20240026477Abstract: A high-strength galvanized steel sheet is disclosed which has a specified chemical composition, has a steel microstructure including, in terms of area fraction, 35% or more and 80% or less of ferrite, 0.1% or more and less than 5.0% of as-quenched martensite, 3.0% or more and 35% or less of tempered martensite, and 8% or more of retained austenite, in which an average grain diameter of the ferrite is 6 ?m or less, in which an average grain diameter of the retained austenite is 3 ?m or less, in which a value calculated by dividing an average Mn content (mass %) in the retained austenite by an average Mn content (mass %) in the ferrite is 1.5 or more.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 10, 2020Publication date: January 25, 2024Applicant: JFE Steel CorporationInventors: Kazuki Endoh, Yoshiyasu Kawasaki, Yuki Toji, Yoshimasa Funakawa, Mai Aoyama
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Publication number: 20240009962Abstract: To provide an Fe-based electroplated steel sheet that not only has excellent chemical convertibility or excellent coating appearance when subjected to hot-dip galvanizing, but also has excellent resistance to cracking in resistance welding. Disclosed is an Fe-based plated steel sheet including: a cold-rolled steel sheet having a chemical composition containing Si in an amount of 0.1 mass % or more and 3.0 mass % or less; and an Fe-based electroplating layer formed on one or both surfaces of the cold-rolled steel sheet with a coating weight per surface of 1.0 g/m2 or more, in which a thickness of an internal oxidation layer is 2.00 ?m or less, and an average value of C concentration in a range of 10 ?m to 20 ?m in a thickness direction from the surface of the Fe-based electroplating layer is 0.10 mass % or less.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 5, 2021Publication date: January 11, 2024Applicant: JFE STEEL CORPORATIONInventors: Shunsuke YAMAMOTO, Yusuke OKUMURA, Katsutoshi TAKASHIMA, Mai AOYAMA, Tomomi KANAZAWA, Katsuya HOSHINO, Yoichi MAKIMIZU, Takashi KAWANO, Takako YAMASHITA, Hiroshi MATSUDA
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Publication number: 20230407485Abstract: Provided is an alloyed galvanized steel sheet with excellent resistance to cracking in resistance welding at a welded portion, even if crystal orientations of an Fe-based electroplating layer and a cold-rolled steel sheet are integrated at a high ratio at the interface between the Fe-based electroplating layer and the cold-rolled steel sheet. The alloyed galvanized steel sheet has a Si-containing cold-rolled steel sheet containing Si in an amount of 0.1 mass % to 3.0 mass %; an Fe-based electroplating layer formed on at least one surface of the Si-containing cold-rolled steel sheet with a coating weight per surface exceeding 20.0 g/m2, and an alloyed galvanized layer formed on the Fe-based electroplating layer, where crystal orientations of the Fe-based electroplating layer and the Si-containing cold-rolled steel sheet are integrated at a ratio of more than 50% at the interface between the Fe-based electroplating layer and the Si-containing cold-rolled steel sheet.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 5, 2021Publication date: December 21, 2023Applicant: JFE STEEL CORPORATIONInventors: Shunsuke YAMAMOTO, Katsutoshi TAKASHIMA, Mai AOYAMA, Yusuke OKUMURA, Tomomi KANAZAWA, Katsuya HOSHINO, Hiroshi MATSUDA, Ei OKUMURA, Yoichi MAKIMIZU, Masaki KOBA
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Publication number: 20230407506Abstract: Provided is a steel sheet with excellent resistance to cracking in resistance welding at a welded portion, even if the crystal orientations of an Fe-based electroplating layer and a Si-containing cold-rolled steel sheet are integrated at a high ratio at the interface between the Fe-based electroplating layer and the Si-containing cold-rolled steel sheet. Provided is an Fe-based electroplated steel sheet having a Si-containing cold-rolled steel sheet containing Si in an amount of 0.1 mass % or more and 3.0 mass % or less; and an Fe-based electroplating layer formed on at least one surface of the Si-containing cold-rolled steel sheet with a coating weight per surface of more than 20.0 g/m2, where the crystal orientations of the Fe-based electroplating layer and the Si-containing cold-rolled steel sheet are integrated at a ratio of more than 50% at the interface between the Fe-based electroplating layer and the Si-containing cold-rolled steel sheet.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 5, 2021Publication date: December 21, 2023Applicant: JFE STEEL CORPORATIONInventors: Shunsuke YAMAMOTO, Katsutoshi TAKASHIMA, Mai AOYAMA, Yusuke OKUMURA, Tomomi KANAZAWA, Katsuya HOSHINO, Hiroshi MATSUDA, Ei OKUMURA, Yoichi MAKIMIZU, Masaki KOBA
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Publication number: 20230407447Abstract: Provided is a galvanized steel sheet with excellent resistance to cracking in resistance welding at a welded portion, even if crystal orientations of an Fe-based electroplating layer and a cold-rolled steel sheet are integrated at a high ratio at the interface between the Fe-based electroplating layer and the cold-rolled steel sheet. The galvanized steel sheet has a Si-containing cold-rolled steel sheet containing Si in an amount of 0.1 mass % to 3.0 mass %; an Fe-based electroplating layer formed on at least one surface of the Si-containing cold-rolled steel sheet with a coating weight per surface of more than 20.0 g/m2, and a galvanized layer formed on the Fe-based electroplating layer, where crystal orientations of the Fe-based electroplating layer and the Si-containing cold-rolled steel sheet are integrated at a ratio of more than 50 % at the interface between the Fe-based electroplating layer and the Si-containing cold-rolled steel sheet.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 5, 2021Publication date: December 21, 2023Applicant: JFE STEEL CORPORATIONInventors: Shunsuke YAMAMOTO, Katsutoshi TAKASHIMA, Mai AOYAMA, Yusuke OKUMURA, Tomomi KANAZAWA, Katsuya HOSHINO, Hiroshi MATSUDA, Ei OKUMURA, Yoichi MAKIMIZU, Masaki KOBA
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Patent number: 11814695Abstract: A high-strength galvanized steel sheet and a method for producing the steel sheet. The steel sheet has a composition that includes C: 0.030% to 0.250%, Si: 0.01% to 3.00%, Mn: 2.00% to 10.00%, P: 0.001% to 0.100%, S: 0.0001% to 0.0200%, N: 0.0005% to 0.0100%, Ti: 0.005% to 0.200%, on a mass basis, and Fe and inevitable impurities. Additionally, the steel sheet has concentration of solute Mn at a depth of 5 ?m or less from a surface of the steel sheet that is 1.50% by mass or less, and a value obtained by dividing the average mass percentage of Mn in retained austenite by the average mass percentage of Mn in ferrite is 2.0 or more.Type: GrantFiled: November 8, 2016Date of Patent: November 14, 2023Assignee: JFE STEEL CORPORATIONInventors: Mai Aoyama, Minoru Tanaka, Yoshitsugu Suzuki, Yoshiyasu Kawasaki, Hideyuki Takahashi
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Patent number: 11788163Abstract: A high-strength steel sheet includes a steel structure with: ferrite being 35% to 80% and tempered martensite being greater than 5% and 20% or less in terms of area fraction; retained austenite being 8% or more in terms of volume fraction; an average grain size of: the ferrite being 6 ?m or less; and the retained austenite being 3 ?m or less; a value obtained by dividing an area fraction of blocky austenite by a sum of area fractions of lath-like austenite and the blocky austenite being 0.6 or more; a value obtained by dividing, by mass %, an average Mn content in the retained austenite by an average Mn content in the ferrite being 1.5 or more; and a value obtained by dividing, by mass %, an average C content in the retained austenite by an average C content in the ferrite being 3.0 or more.Type: GrantFiled: March 20, 2019Date of Patent: October 17, 2023Assignee: JFE STEEL CORPORATIONInventors: Kazuki Endo, Yoshiyasu Kawasaki, Yuki Toji, Yoshimasa Funakawa, Mai Aoyama
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Publication number: 20230287534Abstract: Provided are a high-strength electrogalvannealed steel sheet that has a TS of 780 MPa or higher and a method for manufacturing the high-strength electrogalvannealed steel sheet. The high-strength electrogalvannealed steel sheet has a composition including, in terms of % by mass, C: 0.030% or more and 0.250% or less, Si: 0.01% or more and 3.00% or less, Mn: 1.00% or more and 10.00% or less, P: 0.001% or more and 0.100% or less, and S: 0.0001% or more and 0.0200% or less, with the balance being Fe and unavoidable impurities. The steel sheet has an electrogalvannealed coating layer on a surface thereof. The electrogalvannealed coating layer has an Fe content of 8.0% to 15.0%. The steel sheet has a tensile strength of 780 MPa or higher. The steel sheet has a diffusible hydrogen content of 0.2 wt. ppm or less.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 19, 2023Publication date: September 14, 2023Applicant: JFE Steel CorporationInventors: Mai Aoyama, Kazuaki Tsuchimoto, Yusuke Fushiwaki
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Patent number: 11661642Abstract: A high-strength steel sheet includes a steel structure with: ferrite being 35% to 80%, martensite being 5% to 35%, and tempered martensite being 0% to 5% in terms of area fraction; retained austenite being 8% or more in terms of volume fraction; an average grain size of: the ferrite being 6 ?m or less; and the retained austenite being 3 ?m or less; a value obtained by dividing an area fraction of blocky austenite by a sum of area fractions of lath-like austenite and the blocky austenite being 0.6 or more; a value obtained by dividing, by mass %, an average Mn content in the retained austenite by an average Mn content in the ferrite being 1.5 or more; and a value obtained by dividing, by mass %, an average C content in the retained austenite by an average C content in the ferrite being 3.0 or more.Type: GrantFiled: March 20, 2019Date of Patent: May 30, 2023Assignee: JFE STEEL CORPORATIONInventors: Kazuki Endo, Yoshiyasu Kawasaki, Yuki Toji, Yoshimasa Funakawa, Mai Aoyama
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Patent number: 11643700Abstract: A high-strength steel includes a steel structure with: in area fraction, 60.0% to less than 90.0% of ferrite, 0% to less than 5.0% of unrecrystallized ferrite, 2.0% to 25.0% of martensite, 0% to 5.0% of carbide, and 0% to 3.0% of bainite; in volume fraction, more than 7.0% of retained austenite; in a cross-sectional view of 100 ?m×100 ?m, a value obtained by dividing number of retained austenite that are not adjacent to retained austenite whose crystal orientations are different by a total number of retained austenite being less than 0.80, an average crystal grain size of the ferrite being 6.0 ?m or less, an average crystal grain size of the retained austenite being 3.0 ?m or less, and a value obtained by dividing, by mass %, an average content of Mn in the retained austenite by an average content of Mn in steel being 1.50 or more.Type: GrantFiled: March 20, 2019Date of Patent: May 9, 2023Assignee: JFE STEEL CORPORATIONInventors: Yoshiyasu Kawasaki, Kazuki Endo, Yuki Toji, Yoshimasa Funakawa, Satoshi Maeda, Mai Aoyama
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Patent number: 11643702Abstract: A method for producing a high-strength hot-dip galvannealed steel sheet, in which a high-strength steel sheet is used as a base material, includes a rolling step (x) of rolling a hot-dip galvannealed steel sheet with a coating layer having an Fe concentration of 8% to 17% by mass, and a heat treatment step (y) of heating the coated steel sheet which has been subjected to the rolling step (x) under the conditions satisfying the following formulae (1) and (2): (273+T)×(20+2×log10(t))?8000??(1) 40?T?160??(2) where T: heating temperature (° C.) of the coated steel sheet, and t: holding time (hr) at the heating temperature T.Type: GrantFiled: October 1, 2021Date of Patent: May 9, 2023Assignee: JFE Steel CorporationInventors: Satoshi Maeda, Yoshiyasu Kawasaki, Yusuke Fushiwaki, Mai Aoyama
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Patent number: 11597983Abstract: A method for producing a high-strength hot-dip galvannealed steel sheet, in which a high-strength steel sheet is used as a base material, includes a rolling step (x) of rolling a hot-dip galvannealed steel sheet with a coating layer having an Fe concentration of 8% to 17% by mass, and a heat treatment step (y) of heating the coated steel sheet which has been subjected to the rolling step (x) under the conditions satisfying the following formulae (1) and (2): (273+T)×(20+2×log10(t))?8000??(1) 40?T?160??(2) where T: heating temperature (° C.) of the coated steel sheet, and t: holding time (hr) at the heating temperature T.Type: GrantFiled: March 26, 2019Date of Patent: March 7, 2023Assignee: JFE Steel CorporationInventors: Satoshi Maeda, Yoshiyasu Kawasaki, Yusuke Fushiwaki, Mai Aoyama
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Publication number: 20220186334Abstract: An object is to provide a high strength steel sheet having a TS (tensile strength) of 980 MPa or more and excellent formability and a method for manufacturing the steel sheet. A high strength steel sheet which is excellent in terms of formability, which is manufactured under optimized manufacturing conditions, and which has a predetermined chemical composition and a steel microstructure including, in terms of area fraction, 35% or more and 80% or less of ferrite, 5% or more and 35% or less of as-quenched martensite, 0.1% or more and less than 3.0% of tempered martensite, and 8% or more of retained austenite, in which the average grain size of the ferrite is 6 ?m or less, in which the average grain size of the retained austenite is 3 ?m or less, in which a value calculated by dividing the average Mn content in the retained austenite by the average Mn content in the ferrite is 1.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 10, 2019Publication date: June 16, 2022Applicant: JFE STEEL CORPORATIONInventors: Kazuki ENDOH, Yoshiyasu KAWASAKI, Yuki TOJI, Yoshimasa FUNAKAWA, Mai AOYAMA
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Publication number: 20220017986Abstract: A method for producing a high-strength hot-dip galvannealed steel sheet, in which a high-strength steel sheet is used as a base material, includes a rolling step (x) of rolling a hot-dip galvannealed steel sheet with a coating layer having an Fe concentration of 8% to 17% by mass, and a heat treatment step (y) of heating the coated steel sheet which has been subjected to the rolling step (x) under the conditions satisfying the following formulae (1) and (2): (273+T)×(20+2×log10(t))?8000??(1) 40?T?160??(2) where T: heating temperature (° C.) of the coated steel sheet, and t: holding time (hr) at the heating temperature T.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 1, 2021Publication date: January 20, 2022Applicant: JFE Steel CorporationInventors: Satoshi Maeda, Yoshiyasu Kawasaki, Yusuke Fushiwaki, Mai Aoyama
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Publication number: 20210115541Abstract: A high-strength steel sheet includes a steel structure with: ferrite being 35% to 80%, martensite being 5% to 35%, and tempered martensite being 0% to 5% in terms of area fraction; retained austenite being 8% or more in terms of volume fraction; an average grain size of: the ferrite being 6 ?m or less; and the retained austenite being 3 ?m or less; a value obtained by dividing an area fraction of blocky austenite by a sum of area fractions of lath-like austenite and the blocky austenite being 0.6 or more; a value obtained by dividing, by mass %, an average Mn content in the retained austenite by an average Mn content in the ferrite being 1.5 or more; and a value obtained by dividing, by mass %, an average C content in the retained austenite by an average C content in the ferrite being 3.0 or more.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 20, 2019Publication date: April 22, 2021Applicant: JFE STEEL CORPORATIONInventors: Kazuki ENDO, Yoshiyasu KAWASAKI, Yuki TOJI, Yoshimasa FUNAKAWA, Mai AOYAMA