Patents by Inventor Masafumi Azuma

Masafumi Azuma 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).

  • Publication number: 20180044754
    Abstract: A steel sheet for hot stamping includes a composition including at least, in mass %, C: 0.100% to 0.600%, Si: 0.50% to 3.00%, Mn: 1.20% to 4.00%, Ti: 0.005% to 0.100%, B: 0.0005% to 0.0100%, P: 0.100% or less, S: 0.0001% to 0.0100%, Al: 0.005% to 1.000%, and N: 0.0100% or less, with a balance of Fe and impurities, surface roughness of the steel sheet satisfies Rz>2.5 ?m, and 50 mg/m2 to 1500 mg/m2 of coating oil is applied to a surface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 29, 2016
    Publication date: February 15, 2018
    Applicant: NIPPON STEEL & SUMITOMO METAL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Masafumi AZUMA, Yoshihiro SUWA, Yusuke KONDO, Koichi SATO
  • Publication number: 20180023155
    Abstract: In a cold-rolled steel sheet having a predetermined chemical composition, a metallographic structure contains 40.0% or more and less than 60.0% of a polygonal ferrite, 30.0% or more of a bainitic ferrite, 10.0% to 25.0% of a residual austenite, and 15.0% or less of a martensite, by an area ratio, in the residual austenite, a proportion of the residual austenite in which an aspect ratio is 2.0 or less, a length of a long axis is 1.0 ?m or less, and a length of a short axis is 1.0 ?m or less, is 80.0% or more, in the bainitic ferrite, a proportion of the bainitic ferrite in which an aspect ratio is 1.7 or less and an average value of a crystal orientation difference in a region surrounded by a boundary in which a crystal orientation difference is 15° or more is 0.5° or more and less than 3.0°, is 80.0% or more, and a connection index D value of the martensite, the bainitic ferrite, and the residual austenite is 0.70 or less.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 24, 2016
    Publication date: January 25, 2018
    Applicant: NIPPON STEEL & SUMITOMO METAL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kengo TAKEDA, Kunio HAYASHI, Akihiro UENISHI, Masafumi AZUMA, Takayuki NOZAKI, Yuri TODA
  • Publication number: 20170369979
    Abstract: Provided is a high-strength hot-dip galvanized steel sheet having excellent plating adhesion, formability, and hole expandability with an ultimate tensile strength of 980 MPa or more, the hot-dip galvanized steel sheet comprising a hot-dip galvanized layer formed on a surface of a base steel sheet. The base steel sheet contains, by mass %, C: 0.05% to 0.4%; Si: 0.01% to 3.0%; Mn: 0.1% to 3.0%; Al: 0.01 to 2.0%; in which Si+Al>0.5%, P: limited to 0.04% or less; S: limited to 0.05% or less; N: limited to 0.01% or less; and a balance including Fe and inevitable impurities, a microstructure of the base steel sheet contains 40% or more by total volume fraction of martensite and bainite, 8% or more by volume fraction of residual austenite, and a balance of the microstructure being ferrite or ferrite and 10% or less by volume fraction of pearlite.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 6, 2017
    Publication date: December 28, 2017
    Applicant: NIPPON STEEL & SUMITOMO METAL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Chisato WAKABAYASHI, Masafumi AZUMA, Nobuhiro FUJITA, Kohichi SANO
  • Patent number: 9783878
    Abstract: Provided is a high-strength hot-dip galvanized steel sheet having excellent plating adhesion, formability, and hole expandability with an ultimate tensile strength of 980 MPa or more, the hot-dip galvanized steel sheet comprising a hot-dip galvanized layer formed on a surface of a base steel sheet. The base steel sheet contains, by mass %, C: 0.05% to 0.4 %; Si: 0.01% to 3.0%; Mn: 0.1% to 3.0%; Al: 0.01 to 2.0%; in which Si+Al >0.5%, P: limited to 0.04% or less; S: limited to 0.05% or less; N: limited to 0.01% or less; and a balance including Fe and inevitable impurities, a microstructure of the base steel sheet contains 40% or more by total volume fraction of martensite and bainite, 8% or more by volume fraction of residual austenite, and a balance of the microstructure being ferrite or ferrite and 10% or less by volume fraction of pearlite.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 10, 2017
    Assignee: NIPPON STEEL & SUMITOMO METAL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Chisato Wakabayashi, Masafumi Azuma, Nobuhiro Fujita, Kohichi Sano
  • Patent number: 9694561
    Abstract: High strength steel sheet which secures tensile maximum strength 900 MPa or more high strength while having excellent shapeability, which high strength steel sheet which is excellent in shapeability characterized by having a predetermined composition of ingredients, by the steel sheet structure including a ferrite phase and martensite phase, by the ratio of Cu particles incoherent with the bcc iron being 15% or more with respect to the Cu particles as a whole, by a density of Cu particles in the ferrite phase being 1.0×1018/m3 or more, and by an average particle size of Cu particles in the ferrite phase being 2.0 nm or more.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2017
    Assignee: NIPPON STEEL & SUMITOMO METAL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Kawata, Naoki Maruyama, Akinobu Murasato, Akinobu Minami, Masafumi Azuma, Takuya Kuwayama, Shigeru Yonemura
  • Patent number: 9610648
    Abstract: Provided is a spot welded joint (10) which includes at least one thin steel plate with a tensile strength of 750 MPa to 1850 MPa and a carbon equivalent Ceq of equal to or more than 0.22 mass % to 0.55 mass % and in which a nugget (3) is formed in an interface of the thin steel plates (1A, 1B). In a nugget outer layer zone, a microstructure consists of a dendrite structure in which an average value of arm intervals is equal to or less than 12 ?m, an average grain diameter of carbides contained in the microstructure is 5 nm to 100 nm, and a number density of carbides is equal to or more than 2×106/mm2.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 4, 2017
    Assignee: NIPPON STEEL & SUMITOMO METAL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hatsuhiko Oikawa, Hideki Hamatani, Masafumi Azuma, Noriyuki Suzuki, Fuminori Watanabe, Naoki Maruyama, Hiroyuki Kawata
  • Patent number: 9540720
    Abstract: Disclosed is a high-strength hot-dip galvanized steel sheet having small material anisotropy and excellent formability with an ultimate tensile strength of 980 MPa or more. The hot-dip galvanized steel sheet includes a hot-dip galvanized layer formed on a surface of a base steel plate. The base steel plate contains C, Si, Mn, O, P, S, Al and N within predetermined ranges and a balance including Fe and inevitable impurities. The hot-dip galvanized layer contains Fe at less than 7 mass % or 7 to 15 mass % and a balance including Zn, Al, and inevitable impurities.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2017
    Assignee: NIPPON STEEL & SUMITOMO METAL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Masafumi Azuma, Chisato Wakabayashi, Takayuki Nozaki, Nobuhiro Fujita, Manabu Takahashi
  • Publication number: 20160273066
    Abstract: There is provided a hot-rolled steel sheet in which a composition contains: in mass %, C: 0.01% to 0.2%; Si: 2.5% or less; Mn: 4.0% or less; P: 0.10% or less; S: 0.03% or less; Al: 0.001% to 2.0%; N: 0.01% or less; O: 0.01% or less; Ti: 0.01 to 0.30%; and the balance being composed of iron and impurities and a structure is composed of by volume fraction, 90% or more of tempered martensite with an average aspect ratio of 2 or less, or 90% or more in total of both tempered martensite and lower bainite.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 13, 2014
    Publication date: September 22, 2016
    Applicant: NIPPON STEEL & SUMITOMO METAL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Akifumi SAKAKIBARA, Tatsuo YOKOI, Hiroshi SHUTO, Yuuki KANZAWA, Masafumi AZUMA
  • Publication number: 20160145704
    Abstract: A hot-stamped part includes a chemical composition represented by, in mass %: C: 0.120% to 0.400%; Si: 0.005% to 2.000%; Mn or Cr, or both thereof: 1.00% to 3.00% in total; Al: 0.005% to 0.100%; B: 0.0003% to 0.0020%; P: not more than 0.030%; S: not more than 0.0100%; O: not more than 0.0070%; N: not more than 0.0070%; Ti: 0% to 0.100%; Nb: 0% to 0.100%; V: 0% to 0.100%; Ni: 0% to 2.00%; Cu: 0% to 2.00%; Mo: 0% to 0.50%; Ca or REM, or both thereof: 0% to 0.0300% in total; and the balance: Fe and impurities, and a structure represented by: an area fraction of martensite or bainite, or both thereof: not less than 95% in total; a coverage factor of prior austenite grain boundary by iron-based carbides: not more than 80%; and a number density of iron-based carbides in prior austenite grains: not less than 45/?m2.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 12, 2014
    Publication date: May 26, 2016
    Applicant: NIPPON STEEL & SUMITOMO METAL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kaoru KAWASAKI, Masafumi AZUMA, Genki ABUKAWA
  • Publication number: 20160017465
    Abstract: A hot-rolled steel sheet includes a specified chemical composition and includes a steel structure represented by an area ratio of ferrite being 5% to 50%, an area ratio of bainite composed of an aggregate of bainitic ferrite whose grain average misorientation is 0.4° to 3° being 50% to 90%, and a total area ratio of martensite, pearlite, and retained austenite being 5% or less.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 14, 2014
    Publication date: January 21, 2016
    Applicant: NIPPON STEEL & SUMITOMO METAL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yuri TODA, Masafumi AZUMA, Akihiro UENISHI, Genichi SHIGESATO
  • Publication number: 20150376730
    Abstract: A hot-rolled steel sheet has a composition containing: in mass %, C: 0.01 to 0.2%; Si: 2.5% or less; Mn: 4.0% or less; P: 0.10% or less; S: 0.03% or less; Al: 0.001 to 2.0%; N: 0.01% or less; and O: 0.01% or less, and one kind or a total of two kinds of Ti and Nb for 0.01 to 0.30%. An average effective crystal grain diameter at a sheet thickness ¼ part is 10 ?m or less, and an average effective crystal grain diameter at a part of a range of 50 ?m from a surface is 6 ?m or less. A structure of the steel sheet is tempered martensite or lower bainite, and a volume fraction thereof is 90% or more as a total.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 16, 2014
    Publication date: December 31, 2015
    Applicant: NIPPON STEEL & SUMITOMO METAL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hiroshi SHUTO, Masafumi AZUMA, Akifumi SAKAKIBARA, Yuuki KANZAWA, Ken KIMURA
  • Publication number: 20150329950
    Abstract: Provided is a high-strength hot-rolled steel sheet consisting of, in mass %, C: 0.01% to 0.2%, Si: 0% to 2.5%, Mn: 0% to 4.0%, Al: 0% to 2.0%, N: 0% to 0.01%, Cu: 0% to 2.0%, Ni: 0% to 2.0%, Mo: 0% to 1.0%, V: 0% to 0.3%, Cr: 0% to 2.0%, Mg: 0% to 0.01%, Ca: 0% to 0.01%, REM: 0% to 0.1%, B: 0% to 0.01%, P: less than or equal to 0.10%, S: less than or equal to 0.03%, O: less than or equal to 0.01%, one or both of Ti and Nb: 0.01% to 0.30% in total, and the balance being Fe and inevitable impurities. The steel sheet has a structure in which a total volume fraction of tempered martensite or lower bainite is 90% or more, a dislocation density thereof is greater than or equal to 5×1013 (1/m2) and less than or equal to 1×1016 (1/m2) and 1×106 (numbers/mm2) or more iron-based carbides are included therein.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 25, 2014
    Publication date: November 19, 2015
    Applicant: NIPPON STEEL & SUMITOMO METAL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Masafumi AZUMA, Hiroshi SHUTO, Tatsuo YOKOI, Yuuki KANZAWA, Akihiro UENISHI
  • Patent number: 9109275
    Abstract: Provided is a galvanized steel sheet having a tensile strength of 770 MPa or more including a steel sheet portion, and a plated layer formed on the surface of the steel sheet portion, in which the plated layer is a galvanized plated layer or an galvannealed plated layer, the steel sheet portion has a soft layer that directly adjoins the interface with the plated layer and an inside layer that is other than the soft layer, the thickness D of soft layer is 0.001% to 5% of thickness t of the steel sheet portion, and, when the hardness of the soft layer measured by nano-indentation method is indicated by H1, and the representative hardness of the steel sheet portion measured by the nano-indentation method is indicated by Ha in cross section that goes along the thickness direction of the steel sheet portion, H1 is 5% to 75% of Ha.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 18, 2015
    Assignee: NIPPON STEEL & SUMITOMO METAL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yasuhide Morimoto, Nobuhiro Fujita, Akihiro Miyasaka, Kazuhiko Honda, Masafumi Azuma, Noriyuki Suzuki, Toshiki Nonaka
  • Patent number: 8962149
    Abstract: Provided is a spot welded joint (10) which includes at least one thin steel plate with a tensile strength of 750 MPa to 1850 MPa and a carbon equivalent Ceq of equal to or more than 0.22 mass % to 0.55 mass % and in which a nugget (3) is formed in an interface of the thin steel plates (1A, 1B). In a nugget outer layer zone, a microstructure consists of a dendrite structure in which an average value of arm intervals is equal to or less than 12 ?m, an average grain diameter of carbides contained in the microstructure is 5 nm to 100 nm, and a number density of carbides is equal to or more than 2×106/mm2.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 24, 2015
    Assignee: Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal Corporation
    Inventors: Hatsuhiko Oikawa, Hideki Hamatani, Masafumi Azuma, Noriyuki Suzuki, Fuminori Watanabe, Naoki Maruyama, Hiroyuki Kawata
  • Publication number: 20150001188
    Abstract: Provided is a spot welded joint (10) which includes at least one thin steel plate with a tensile strength of 750 MPa to 1850 MPa and a carbon equivalent Ceq of equal to or more than 0.22 mass % to 0.55 mass % and in which a nugget (3) is formed in an interface of the thin steel plates (1A, 1B). In a nugget outer layer zone, a microstructure consists of a dendrite structure in which an average value of arm intervals is equal to or less than 12 ?m, an average grain diameter of carbides contained in the microstructure is 5 nm to 100 nm, and a number density of carbides is equal to or more than 2×106/mm2.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 18, 2014
    Publication date: January 1, 2015
    Applicant: NIPPON STEEL & SUMITOMO METAL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hatsuhiko OIKAWA, Hideki HAMATANI, Masafumi AZUMA, Noriyuki SUZUKI, Fuminori WATANABE, Naoki MARUYAMA, Hiroyuki KAWATA
  • Publication number: 20140377582
    Abstract: A high-strength cold-rolled steel sheet includes, as a component composition, by mass %: C: 0.075% to 0.300%; Si: 0.30% to 2.50%; Mn: 1.30% to 3.50%; P: 0.001% to 0.050%; S: 0.0001% to 0.0100%; Al: 0.001% to 1.500%; and N: 0.0001% to 0.0100%, in which a surface microstructure contains residual austenite of 3% to 10% and ferrite of 90% or less by volume fraction, an inner microstructure at a depth of t/4 from the surface assuming that a sheet thickness is t contains residual austenite of 3% to 20% by volume fraction, a ratio Hvs/Hvb between a surface hardness Hvs of the steel sheet surface and a hardness Hvb at a depth of ¼ of the thickness is more than 0.75 to 0.90, and a maximum tensile strength is 700 MPa or more.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 4, 2013
    Publication date: December 25, 2014
    Inventors: Masafumi Azuma, Takayuki Nozaki, Chisato Wakabayashi, Koichi Sato, Hiroyuki Kawata, Nobuhiro Fujita
  • Publication number: 20140342183
    Abstract: Provided is a high-strength hot-dip galvanized steel sheet having excellent plating adhesion, formability, and hole expandability with an ultimate tensile strength of 980 MPa or more, the hot-dip galvanized steel sheet comprising a hot-dip galvanized layer formed on a surface of a base steel sheet. The base steel sheet contains, by mass %, C: 0.05% to 0.4%; Si: 0.01% to 3.0%; Mn: 0.1% to 3.0%; Al: 0.01 to 2.0%; in which Si+Al>0.5%, P: limited to 0.04% or less; S: limited to 0.05% or less; N: limited to 0.01% or less; and a balance including Fe and inevitable impurities, a microstructure of the base steel sheet contains 40% or more by total volume fraction of martensite and bainite, 8% or more by volume fraction of residual austenite, and a balance of the microstructure being ferrite or ferrite and 10% or less by volume fraction of pearlite.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 28, 2012
    Publication date: November 20, 2014
    Inventors: Chisato Wakabayashi, Masafumi Azuma, Nobuhiro Fujita, Kohichi Sano
  • Publication number: 20140242415
    Abstract: Provided is a high-strength hot-dip galvanized steel sheet having small material anisotropy and excellent formability with an ultimate tensile strength of 980 MPa or more. The hot-dip galvanized steel sheet includes a hot-dip galvanized layer formed on a surface of a base steel plate. The base steel plate contains, by mass %, C: 0.1 to less than 0.40%, Si: 0.5 to 3.0%, Mn: 1.5 to 3.0%, O: limited to 0.006% or less, P: limited to 0.04% or less, S: limited to 0.01% or less, Al: limited to 2.0% or less, N: limited to 0.01% or less, and a balance including Fe and inevitable impurities. A microstructure of the base steel sheet contains ferrite of 40% or more, residual austenite of 8 to less than 60%, by volume fraction, and a balance being bainite or martensite. In a sheet thickness range of ? to ? from the surface of the base steel sheet, a pole density of specific crystal orientation is within a predetermined range.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 28, 2012
    Publication date: August 28, 2014
    Inventors: Masafumi Azuma, Chisato Wakabayashi, Takayuki Nozaki, Nobuhiro Fujita, Manabu Takahashi
  • Publication number: 20140234657
    Abstract: A hot-dip galvanized steel sheet includes: a steel sheet; and a plated layer on a surface of the steel sheet, a microstructure contains, by volume fraction, equal to or more than 20% and equal to or less than 99% in total of one or two of martensite and bainite, a residual structure contains one or two of ferrite, residual austenite of less than 8% by volume fraction, and pearlite of equal to or less than 10% by volume fraction, tensile strength is equal to or greater than 980 MPa, the plated layer is a hot-dip galvanized layer which contains oxides including one or two or more of Si, Mn, and Al, contains equal to or less than 15 mass % of Fe, and a remainder including Zn, Al, and unavoidable impurities, and when a cross section including the steel sheet and the hot-dip galvanized layer is seen in a sheet thickness direction, a projected area ratio is equal to or more than 10% and equal to or less than 90%.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 28, 2012
    Publication date: August 21, 2014
    Inventors: Masafumi Azuma, Chisato Wakabayashi, Takayuki Nozaki, Manabu Takahashi, Nobuhiro Fujita
  • Publication number: 20140234658
    Abstract: A galvanized steel sheet includes a steel sheet and a plating layer on the surface of the steel sheet, in which the steel sheet includes, as a steel chemical composition, by mass %, C: 0.05 to 0.40%, Si: 0.5 to 3.0% and Mn: 1.5 to 3.0%, a microstructure of the steel sheet includes ferrite, bainite, by volume fraction, 30% or more of a tempered martensite, and 8% or more of an austenite, and tensile strength of the steel sheet is 980 MPa or more, and the plating layer includes an oxide including at least one chemical element selected from Si, Mn and Al, and when seen at a cross section including the steel sheet and the plating layer in a plate thickness direction, a projection area fraction of the oxide is 10% or more.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 28, 2012
    Publication date: August 21, 2014
    Inventors: Takayuki Nozaki, Manabu Takahashi, Nobuhiro Fujita, Masafumi Azuma, Chisato Wakabayashi