Kobe Steel, Ltd.

Hiroshi Oura

Nao Yoshihara

Tomokazu Masuda

Akito Suzuki

Takayuki Naito

The present invention provides a steel material, such as a high-strength spring, that has excellent fatigue properties, and, more specifically, a steel material, such as the high-strength spring, that can improve the fatigue properties in a high-strength region more easily, without increasing an alloy cost. The steel material includes, in percent by mass, C: 0.5 to 1.0%, Si: 1.5 to 2.50%, Mn: 0.5 to 1.50%, P: more than 0% to 0.020% or less, S: more than 0% to 0.020% or less, Cr: more than 0% to 0.2% or less, Al: more than 0% to 0.010% or less, N: more than 0% to 0.0070% or less, and O: more than 0% to 0.0040% or less, and the balance consisting of iron and inevitable impurities, wherein Cr and Si contents satisfy a formula of Cr&#xd7;Si&#x2264;0.20, a ratio of tempered martensite in a steel microstructure is 80% or more by area, and a number density of particles of Cr-containing carbide or carbonitride having a circle-equivalent diameter of 50 nm or more in the steel microstructure is 0.10 particles/&#x3bc;mor less.

High-strength steel material having excellent fatigue properties

This high carbon steel wire rod, which has excellent drawability in addition to high strength required for a wire rod, contains 0.6-1.5% of C, 0.1-1.5% of Si, 0.1-1.5% of Mn, 0.02% or less of P (excluding 0%), 0.02% or less of S (excluding 0%), 0.03-0.12% of Ti, 0.001-0.01% of B and 0.001-0.005% of N, with solid-solved B being 0.0002% or more, solid-solved N being 0.0010% or less, and the balance being made up of iron and inevitable impurities. In addition, the content of Ti solid-solved in the steel is 0.002% by mass or more, and the content of Ti that formed carbides is 0.020% by mass or more.

High carbon steel wire rod having excellent drawability

Provided is a high-carbon steel wire which gives steel wires having high strength and has excellent suitability for wiredrawing and which after being wiredrawn, has excellent fatigue properties. The high-carbon steel wire has an adequately regulated chemical composition and has a pearlite structure in an areal proportion of 90% or more. In 2,000 &#x3bc;mof the pearlite structure, the number of BN compound grains having an equivalent-circle diameter of 100 nm or more but less than 1,000 nm is 100 or less (including 0) and the number of BN compound grains having an equivalent-circle diameter of 1,000 nm or more is 10 or less (including 0).

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Kobe, Japan

Hiroshi Oura