Abstract: A thin steel sheet has a steel structure which has a ferrite area fraction of 30% or less, a bainite area fraction of 5% or less, a martensite and tempered martensite area fraction of 70% or more, and a retained austenite area fraction of 2.0% or less and in which the ratio of the dislocation density in the range of 0 ?m to 20 ?m from a surface of the steel sheet to the dislocation density of a through-thickness central portion of the steel sheet is 90% to 110% and the average of the top 10% of the sizes of cementite grains located in a depth of up to 100 ?m from a surface of the steel sheet is 300 nm or less. The maximum camber of the steel sheet sheared to a length of 1 m in a longitudinal direction of the steel sheet is 15 mm or less.

Abstract: Provided are a method of predicting hydrogen content in steel of a steel strip etc. Provided is, in a continuous galvanizing line that performs manufacturing processes including an annealing process, a coating process, and a reheating process of a steel strip, a method of predicting hydrogen content in steel of a steel strip downstream of the reheating process, including acquiring at least one parameter selected from operation parameters of the continuous galvanizing line and transformation rate information measured in at least one of the annealing process and the reheating process as input data, and predicting hydrogen content in steel of a steel strip downstream of the reheating process using a prediction model of hydrogen content in steel that has been trained by machine learning and that outputs information on hydrogen content in steel of a steel strip downstream of the reheating process as output data.

Abstract: The steel sheet of the present invention has a steel microstructure containing, in area fraction, martensite: from 20% to 100%, ferrite: from 0% to 80%, and another metal phase: 5% or less, and in which a ratio of a dislocation density in metal phases on a surface of the steel sheet to a dislocation density in the metal phases in a thicknesswise central portion of the steel sheet is from 30% to 80%. The maximum amount of warpage of the steel sheet when the steel sheet is sheared to a length of 1 m in a rolling direction is 15 mm or less.

Abstract: The steel sheet of the present invention has a steel microstructure containing, in area fraction, martensite: 20% to 100%, ferrite: 0% to 80%, and another metal phase: 5% or less, in which, on a surface of the steel sheet, a ratio of dislocation density in metal phases at a widthwise edge of the steel sheet to dislocation density in the metal phases at a widthwise center of the steel sheet is 100% to 140%, and, at a thicknesswise center of the steel sheet, a ratio of dislocation density in the metal phases at the widthwise edge of the steel sheet to dislocation density in the metal phases at the widthwise center of the steel sheet is 100% to 140%. The maximum amount of warpage of the steel sheet when the steel sheet is sheared to a length of 1 m in a rolling direction is 15 mm or less.

Abstract: A metal-strip rapid cooling apparatus includes a cooling fluid ejection device including one set of nozzles or a plurality of sets of nozzles arranged in a horizontal direction, and configured to eject a cooling fluid onto the metal strip from both sides of the metal strip; cooling fluid removing rolls configured to remove a remaining fluid from the metal strip onto which the cooling fluid has been ejected; and movable masking plates on both sides of a metal strip pass line along which the metal strip passes, the movable masking plates each disposed between the metal strip pass line and the nozzles, and configured to move in the horizontal direction to adjust a cooling start position and control a distance from the cooling start position to the cooling fluid removing rolls, the cooling start position positioned such that the metal strip starts to be cooled with the cooling fluid.

Abstract: A steel sheet having a steel microstructure including, by area %, martensite in a range of 20% or more and 100% or less, ferrite in a range of 0% or more and 80% or less, and the balance being 5% or less. A residual stress generated at the transverse center of the steel sheet when the steel sheet is subjected to a V-bending process is 800 MPa or less. A residual stress generated at the transverse end of the steel sheet when the steel sheet is subjected to a V-bending process is 90% or more and 110% or less of the residual stress generated at the transverse center of the steel sheet. The maximum amount of warpage of the steel sheet sheared to a length of 1 m in the longitudinal direction is 15 mm or less.

Abstract: A grain oriented electrical steel sheet is produced by heating a steel slab containing, by mass %, C:0.02-0.10%, Si:2.0-5.0%, Mn:0.01-1.00%, sol. Al:0.01-0.04%, N:0.004-0.020% and S+Se:0.002-0.040% to a temperature of higher than 1280° C., and subjecting the sheet to a hot rolling, a hot-band annealing, a single cold rolling or two or more cold rollings having an intermediate annealing between each cold rolling and a primary recrystallization annealing combined with a decarburization annealing, applying an annealing separator onto a steel sheet surface, and subjecting the sheet to a finish annealing and a flattening annealing, a rapid cooling is conducted at an average cooling rate of not less than 200° C./s from 800° C. to 300° C. in the cooling process from a maximum achieving temperature in at least one annealing of the hot-band annealing and the intermediate annealing.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing an electroplated steel sheet by continuously performing electroplating on a steel sheet, the method including disposing a slit gas nozzle having an ejection port having a width wider than a width of the steel sheet in a width direction of the steel sheet on a side of an exit of an electroplating cell for the steel sheet to pass through, and ejecting a gas through the slit gas nozzle toward the steel sheet.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing a hot-dip metal plated steel strip having a plated layer formed on the outer surface thereof includes continuously immersing a steel strip in a bath tub that accommodates a molten metal plating bath, causing a sink roll disposed in the bath tub to change the traveling direction of the steel strip, then causing the steel strip to pass through two support rolls formed of a stabilizing roll and a correcting roll disposed above the sink roll but below the surface of the plating bath, and extracting the steel strip out of the bath. A flow regulation plate is disposed so as to cover at least the upper side of a roll body of the stabilizing roll out of the support rolls with a gap between the flow regulation plate and the stabilizing roll, and the flow of the molten metal plating bath directed toward a portion of the steel strip located from the exit of the support rolls to the surface of the plating bath is led toward the lower side of the stabilizing roll via the gap.

Abstract: When a grain-oriented electrical steel sheet is produced by heating a steel slab containing, by mass %, C: 0.020 to 0.10%, Si: 2.0 to 4.0%, Mn: 0.005 to 0.50%, Al: less than 0.010%, N, S and Se: less than 0.0050% each to a temperature of not higher than 1280° C., subjecting slab to hot rolling, hot-band annealing, single cold rolling or two or more cold rollings having intermediate annealing between each cold rolling and a primary recrystallization annealing combined with decarburization annealing, applying annealing separator onto steel sheet surface, and subjecting steel sheet to finish annealing and a flattening annealing, a rapid cooling is conducted at an average cooling rate of not less than 200° C./s from 800° C. to 300° C. in cooling process from maximum achieving temperature in at least one of hot band annealing and intermediate annealing, whereby grain-oriented electrical steel sheet having excellent magnetic properties is stably produced.

Abstract: A thin steel sheet has a steel structure which has a ferrite area fraction of 30% or less, a bainite area fraction of 5% or less, a martensite and tempered martensite area fraction of 70% or more, and a retained austenite area fraction of 2.0% or less and in which the ratio of the dislocation density in the range of 0 ?m to 20 ?m from a surface of the steel sheet to the dislocation density of a through-thickness central portion of the steel sheet is 90% to 110% and the average of the top 10% of the sizes of cementite grains located in a depth of up to 100 ?m from a surface of the steel sheet is 300 nm or less. The maximum camber of the steel sheet sheared to a length of 1 m in a longitudinal direction of the steel sheet is 15 mm or less.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing a hot-dip metal plated steel strip having a plated layer formed on the outer surface thereof includes continuously immersing a steel strip in a bath tub that accommodates a molten metal plating bath, causing a sink roll disposed in the bath tub to change the traveling direction of the steel strip, then causing the steel strip to pass through two support rolls formed of a stabilizing roll and a correcting roll disposed above the sink roll but below the surface of the plating bath, and extracting the steel strip out of the bath. A flow regulation plate is disposed so as to cover at least the upper side of a roll body of the stabilizing roll out of the support rolls with a gap between the flow regulation plate and the stabilizing roll, and the flow of the molten metal plating bath directed toward a portion of the steel strip located from the exit of the support rolls to the surface of the plating bath is led toward the lower side of the stabilizing roll via the gap.

Abstract: A rapid-cooling quenching apparatus in which a high-temperature metal sheet is dipped and cooled in a liquid and a rapid-cooling quenching method for a steel sheet are provided. The rapid-cooling quenching apparatus includes a water tank containing the liquid in which the metal sheet is dipped, a jetting device having a plurality of nozzles through which the liquid is jetted onto front and back surfaces of the metal sheet and at least some of which are placed in the liquid in the water tank, and a pair or a plurality of pairs of restraining rolls which are placed between an entrance-side end of the jetting device and an exit-side end of the jetting device and restrain the metal sheet, in which nozzles nearest to the restraining rolls are inclined toward the restraining rolls from a horizontal plane in the jetting device.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing a metal sheet comprising pinching the metal sheet in rapid quenching between a pair of pinch rolls in the range where the temperature of the metal sheet is from (TMs+150) (° C.) to (TMf?150) (° C.), wherein the Ms temperature of the metal sheet is TMs (° C.) and the Mf temperature thereof is TMf (° C.), as well as a rapid quenching unit comprising a pair of pinch rolls capable of use in such a method.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing an electroplated steel sheet by continuously performing electroplating on a steel sheet, the method including disposing a slit gas nozzle having an ejection port having a width wider than a width of the steel sheet in a width direction of the steel sheet on a side of an exit of an electroplating cell for the steel sheet to pass through, and ejecting a gas through the slit gas nozzle toward the steel sheet.

Abstract: A rapid-cooling quenching apparatus in which a high-temperature metal sheet is dipped and cooled in a liquid and a rapid-cooling quenching method for a steel sheet are provided. The rapid-cooling quenching apparatus includes a water tank containing the liquid in which the metal sheet is dipped, a jetting device having a plurality of nozzles through which the liquid is jetted onto front and back surfaces of the metal sheet and at least some of which are placed in the liquid in the water tank, and a pair or a plurality of pairs of restraining rolls which are placed between an entrance-side end of the jetting device and an exit-side end of the jetting device and restrain the metal sheet, in which nozzles nearest to the restraining rolls are inclined toward the restraining rolls from a horizontal plane in the jetting device.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing a metal sheet comprising pinching the metal sheet in rapid quenching between a pair of pinch rolls in the range where the temperature of the metal sheet is from (TMs+150) (° C.) to (TMf?150) (° C.), wherein the Ms temperature of the metal sheet is TMs (° C.) and the Mf temperature thereof is TMf (° C.), as well as a rapid quenching unit comprising a pair of pinch rolls capable of use in such a method.