Nkk Corporation

Katsuhisa Yamauchi

Tadashi Inoue

Tomoyoshi Okita

Hitoshi Misao

A fracture resistant stainless steel sheet comprises: non-metallic inclusions of Al.sub.2 O.sub.3, MnO, and SiO.sub.2 which inevitably exist in stainless steel; the non-metallic inclusions having a composition situated in a region defined by nine points in a phase diagram of a 3-component system of 'Al.sub.2 O.sub.3 --MnO--SiO.sub.2 '; the stainless steel sheet having an 1.0% on-set stress of at least 1520 N/mm.sup.2 (155 kgf/mm.sup.2); the stainless steel sheet having an anisotropic difference of 1.0% on-set stress of 196 N/mm.sup.2 (20 kgf/mm.sup.2) or less; and the stainless steel sheet having a Erichsen number of at least 4.6 mm. A method for producing a high fracture resistant stainless steel sheet comprises the steps of: preparing a stainless steel strip; applying to the stainless steel strip a process of annealing--pickling --first cold rolling (CR.sub.1)--first intermediate annealing--second cold rolling (CR.sub.2)--second intermediate annealing--third cold rolling (CR.sub.3)--final annealing--fourth cold rolling (CR.sub.4)--low temperature heat treatment.

Stainless steel sheet and method for producing thereof

A fracture resistant stainless steel sheet comprises: non-metallic inclusions of Al.sub.2 O.sub.3, MnO, and SiO.sub.2 which inevitably exist in stainless steel; the non-metallic inclusions having a composition situated in a region defined by nine points in a phase diagram of a 3-component system of 'Al.sub.2 O.sub.3 -MnO-SiO.sub.2 '; the stainless steel sheet having an 1.0% on-set stress of at least 1520 N/mm.sup.2 (155 kgf/mm.sup.2); the stainless steel sheet having an anisotropic difference of 1.0% on-set stress of 196 N/mm.sup.2 (20 kgf/mm.sup.2) or less; and the stainless steel sheet having a punch test work load of at least 25 kgf.multidot.mm or more. A method for producing a high fracture resistant stainless steel sheet comprises the steps of: preparing a stainless steel strip; applying to the stainless steel strip a process of annealing--pickling --first cold rolling (CR.sub.1)--first intermediate annealing--second cold rolling (CR.sub.2)--second intermediate annealing--third cold rolling (CR.sub.3)--final annealing--fourth cold rolling (CR.sub.4)--low temperature heat treatment.

A stainless steel sheet essentially consisting of: 0.01 to 0.2 wt. % C, 0.1 to 2 wt. % Si, 0.1 to 2 wt. % Mn, 4 to 11 wt. % Ni, 13 to 20 wt. % Cr, 0.01 to 0.2 wt. % N, 0.0005 to 0.0025 wt. % sol.Al, 0.002 to 0.01 wt. % O, 0.009 wt. % or less S, and the balance being Fe and inevitable impurities; the sheet containing 40 to 90% martensite; and the steel sheet having a 1400 N/mm.sup.2 or more tensile stress when a tensile strain is 1.0%. The invention also provides a method for producing a stainless steel sheet comprising the steps of: applying to the steel sheet a process of first cold rolling (CR.sub.1)--first intermediate annealing--second cold rolling (CR.sub.2)--second intermediate annealing--third cold rolling (CR.sub.3)--the final annealing--fourth cold rolling (CR.sub.4)--low temperature heat treatment; the first-, second- and third cold reduction ratio being 30% to 60%; the annealing temperatures in the first-, second- and final annealing being in the range of 950.degree. C. to 1100.degree. C.; the fourth cold reduction ratio being 66% to 76%; and the low temperature heat treatment ranging 300.degree. C. to 600.degree. C. for a period of 0.1 sec to 300 sec.

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Kawasaki, Japan

Katsuhisa Yamauchi