Abstract: A monolithic piezoelectric element includes an element assembly in which internal electrode layers and piezoelectric ceramic layers are laminated alternately. The internal electrode layers contain an Ag—Pd alloy, which has an Ag content of 85 percent by weight or more as a primary component, a metal element having a valence of at least one of pentavalence or hexavalence. The piezoelectric ceramic layers contain a composite oxide represented by Pb(Ti,Zr)O3 as a primary component, a part of Ag contained in the internal electrode layers is almost uniformly diffused therein and, the metal element is diffused in the form of a metal oxide in such a way that the concentration is reduced with decreasing proximity to the internal electrode layers. In this manner, a monolithic piezoelectric element having a desired large piezoelectric constant can be obtained without inviting an increase in cost even when a firing treatment is conducted at low temperatures.

Abstract: A marine propulsion system having a simple configuration and high energy efficiency and a marine vessel having the same. A detonation device for generating a detonation wave and a detonation wave discharger for releasing a detonation wave generated in the detonation device into the water so as to propel the marine vessel. When a detonation wave generated in the detonation device is discharged into the water by the detonation wave discharger, the discharged detonation wave pushes against the water, so a thrust pushing against a hull is generated as a reaction to the pushing force. A large-scale mechanism such as a propulsion system using a mechanical drive mechanism such as a screw or a propulsion system for generating a high pressure gas by utilizing a compressor is not needed, so the configuration can be simplified. Further, the water is pushed away by the detonation wave, so turbulence becomes hard to occur in the water, and the loss of the energy due to turbulence can be greatly reduced.

Abstract: A piezoelectric actuator includes external conductors formed on an outer surface of a piezoelectric component. The external conductors each include a thick-film conductor and a conductive reinforcer. The thick-film conductor is provided with a first thick-film conductor formed on the outer surface of the piezoelectric component, second thick-film conductors which are formed on part of an outer surface of the first thick-film conductor and which are in surface-contact with the outer surface of the first thick-film conductor. The conductive reinforcer is attached to outer surfaces of the second thick-film conductors.

Abstract: In a method for manufacturing a piezoelectric actuator, a ceramic sintered body is prepared and a size of the ceramic sintered body is adjusted in a thickness direction defined below by grinding piezoelectric ceramic layers, included in the ceramic sintered body, located outermost in the thickness direction. In the ceramic sintered body, internal electrodes are each disposed between piezoelectric ceramic layers. The thickness direction is defined as the direction along the thickness of the piezoelectric ceramic layer. Each of the inert sections are disposed on at least one side of the active section, for driving the piezoelectric actuator, in the thickness direction. Dummy internal electrodes are arranged in the inert sections such that each of the dummy internal electrodes are each located between ceramic layers. The thickness of the piezoelectric ceramic layers disposed between the dummy internal electrodes increases with distance from the active section.

Abstract: A connection head structure of a high pressure fuel injection tube is provided to avoid an interference between an annular flange and an opposing part by sufficiently maintaining an tube axial direction length of the connection head and to obtain a good sealability to prevent leaking during autofrettage processing with a high pressure of not less than 300 MPa. A connection head structure of a high pressure fuel injection tube includes, on a connection end portion of a thick walled fine steel tube, a spherical seat face, an annular flange, and a circular conic face that continuously extends from the seat face, wherein a washer and a fastening nut are assembled, characterized in that when a thick walled fine steel tube has t (wall thickness)/D (outer diameter)<0.3, an tube axial direction distance L1 from a connection head end to the back face of the annular flange is from 0.38 D to 0.7 D, a spherical body radius R of the seat face is from 0.45 D to 0.

Abstract: A fuel delivery pipe capable of reducing a pressure pulsation at the time of a fuel injection due to injection nozzles, preventing vibrations and noises at an underfloor pipe arrangement, and turning down a radiate sound from the fuel delivery pipe, wherein a flexible absorbing wall surface 10 formed on a wall surface of a fuel delivery body 1 is loosened due to internal pressure changes to render internal volume of the fuel delivery body 1 increasable, ?L/?{square root over ( )}V determined by sonic speed ?L of fuel flowing through the fuel delivery body 1 and the internal volume V of the fuel delivery body 1 is set as 20×103(m?0.5·sec?1)??L/?{square root over ( )}V?85×103(m?0.5·sec?1) while a ratio ?L/?H of equivalent sonic speed ?H in a high frequency area to the sonic speed ?L of the fuel is set as ?L/?H?0.

Abstract: A multilayer piezoelectric device including a body having internal electrode layers and piezoelectric ceramic layers alternately stacked. The internal electrode layers contain Cu as a major component, the piezoelectric ceramic layers contain a compound oxide represented by Pb(Ti, Zr)O3 as a major component, and a metal oxide (Nb2O5, Sb2O5, Ta2O5, or WO3) containing Nb, Sb, Ta, or W, which is at least one of a pentavalent metal element and a hexavalent metal element, is incorporated in the piezoelectric ceramic layers such that the concentration of the metal oxide decreases with distance from the internal electrode layers. Thereby, even in a case where internal electrodes contain Cu as a major component, it is possible to provide a multilayer piezoelectric device which can be obtained by low-temperature firing while ensuring a sufficient piezoelectric constant.

Abstract: [Problems] To provide a reverse X-ray photoelectron holography device, in which energy control and convergence are facilitated and a hologram of good contrast is obtained; and to provide its measuring method.

Abstract: A multilayer piezoelectric device including a body having internal electrode layers and piezoelectric ceramic layers alternately stacked. The internal electrode layers contain Cu as a major component, the piezoelectric ceramic layers contain a compound oxide represented by Pb(Ti, Zr)O3 as a major component, and a metal oxide (Nb2O5, Sb2O5, Ta2O5, or WO3) containing Nb, Sb, Ta, or W, which is at least one of a pentavalent metal element and a hexavalent metal element, is incorporated in the piezoelectric ceramic layers such that the concentration of the metal oxide decreases with distance from the internal electrode layers. Thereby, even in a case where internal electrodes contain Cu as a major component, it is possible to provide a multilayer piezoelectric device which can be obtained by low-temperature firing while ensuring a sufficient piezoelectric constant.

Abstract: A heat exchanger tube has an inner peripheral surface serving as an exhaust gas flow path with a flat cross-sectional shape. A thin structure is incorporated in the heat exchanger tube and has a substantially rectangular channel-shaped waveform in cross section. The corrugated fin structure has a curved surface forming waveform meandering with a predetermined wavelength in the lengthwise direction. The wave width of the channel-shaped waveform is H, the wavelength of the waveform meandering in the lengthwise direction is L and the amplitude of the waveform meandering in the lengthwise direction is A. The heat exchanger tube is formed so that H/L is set at 0.17 to 0.20 and the ration (G/H) of a gap G determined by H?A to H is set at ?0.21 to 0.19.

Abstract: A piezoelectric device is formed by simultaneously firing a piezoelectric ceramic mainly composed of a perovskite complex oxide represented by general formula ABO3 and electrodes mainly composed of copper. The piezoelectric ceramic is represented by Pb??aMea[(MII1/3MV(2+b)/3)zTixZr1?x?z]O3 (wherein Me represe element, MII is an acceptor element which is a divalent metal element, and MV is a donor element which is a pentavalent metal element), and satisfies equations 0.05?z?0.40, 0<bz/3?0.035, 0.345?x?0.480, 0.965???1.020, and 0?a?0.05. In other words, the B sites contain excessive donors, and thus a piezoelectric device having good piezoelectric characteristics can be obtained even in the cases where a base metal material mainly composed of inexpensive copper is used as the internal electrode material.

Abstract: A monolithic piezoelectric element includes a stack, and the stack includes a crack-forming conductive layer arranged to intentionally form a small crack in the stack. The small crack alleviates stress, thereby preventing the occurrence of a large crack that may extend to the piezoelectrically active region.

Abstract: A piezoelectric ceramic composition has the composition formula (Pb(a-b)Meb){(Ni(1-c).d/3Znc.d/3Nb2/3)zTixZr(1-x-z)}O3, wherein Me represents at least one element selected from the group consisting of Ba, Sr and Ca; a, b, c, d, x and z satisfy the inequalities 0.975?a?0.998, 0?b?0.05, 1<d?1.40, and 0.39?x?0.47; and c and z are located in a region surrounded by lines connecting Point A (z=0.25, c=0.1), Point B (z=0.25, c=0.85), Point C (z=0.1, c=0.6), Point D (z=0.075, 0.5), Point E (z=0.05, c=0.2), and Point F (z=0.05, c=0.1) or located on the lines in the z-c plane. Therefore, the piezoelectric ceramic composition can be fired at a low temperature and is effective in achieving a large piezoelectric constant, a high Curie point and a small dielectric constant. A piezoelectric actuator contains the piezoelectric ceramic composition.

Abstract: A monolithic piezoelectric element includes an element assembly in which internal electrode layers and piezoelectric ceramic layers are laminated alternately. The internal electrode layers contain an Ag—Pd alloy, which has an Ag content of 85 percent by weight or more as a primary component, a metal element having a valence of at least one of pentavalence or hexavalence. The piezoelectric ceramic layers contain a composite oxide represented by Pb(Ti,Zr)O3 as a primary component, a part of Ag contained in the internal electrode layers is almost uniformly diffused therein and, the metal element is diffused in the form of a metal oxide in such a way that the concentration is reduced with decreasing proximity to the internal electrode layers. In this manner, a monolithic piezoelectric element having a desired large piezoelectric constant can be obtained without inviting an increase in cost even when a firing treatment is conducted at low temperatures.

Abstract: In a method for manufacturing a piezoelectric actuator, a ceramic sintered body is prepared and a size of the ceramic sintered body is adjusted in a thickness direction defined below by grinding piezoelectric ceramic layers, included in the ceramic sintered body, located outermost in the thickness direction. In the ceramic sintered body, internal electrodes are each disposed between piezoelectric ceramic layers. The thickness direction is defined as the direction along the thickness of the piezoelectric ceramic layer. Each of the inert sections are disposed on at least one side of the active section, for driving the piezoelectric actuator, in the thickness direction. Dummy internal electrodes are arranged in the inert sections such that each of the dummy internal electrodes are each located between ceramic layers. The thickness of the piezoelectric ceramic layers disposed between the dummy internal electrodes increases with distance from the active section.

Abstract: A connection head structure of a high pressure fuel injection tube is provided to avoid an interference between an annular flange and an opposing part by sufficiently maintaining an tube axial direction length of the connection head and to obtain a good sealability to prevent leaking during autofrettage processing with a high pressure of not less than 300 MPa. A connection head structure of a high pressure fuel injection tube includes, on a connection end portion of a thick walled fine steel tube, a spherical seat face, an annular flange, and a circular conic face that continuously extends from the seat face, wherein a washer and a fastening nut are assembled, characterized in that when a thick walled fine steel tube has t (wall thickness)/D (outer diameter)<0.3, an tube axial direction distance L1 from a connection head end to the back face of the annular flange is from 0.38 D to 0.7 D, a spherical body radius R of the seat face is from 0.45 D to 0.

Abstract: A thick-wall small-diameter high-pressure fuel injection pipe has a spherical seat surface, an annular flange, and a conical surface continued from the seat surface at a connecting end of the pipe. If the pipe is configured so that t (thickness)/D (outer diameter)<0.3, then an axial distance from the connecting head end to the back face of the annular flange is 0.38D to 0.6D, a spherical radius of the seat surface is 0.45D to 0.65D, the annular flange outer diameter is 1.2D to 1.4D, and an inner peripheral surface of the head has a substantially flat cylindrical surface or a conical surface. If the pipe is configured so that t (thickness)/D (outer diameter)?0.3, then the axial distance from the connecting head end to the back face of the annular flange is 0.38D to 0.7D.

Abstract: To provide a terminal apparatus, a program, and a communication bandwidth determination method which can correctly measure a communication bandwidth, without providing a server apparatus which measures the communication bandwidth. A controller of a measuring terminal apparatus fixes a measurement bit rate and, every time it increases a number of subject terminal apparatus, transmits measurement data to, or receives them from, the plurality of subject terminal apparatus at a fixed measurement bit rate, and measures the bit rate for each subject terminal apparatus. Then, the controller, in the event that a difference between a tallied bit rate before increasing the number of subject terminal apparatus and a tallied bit rate after increasing the number of subject terminal apparatus is less than or equal to a predetermined value, determines that the tallied bit rate at that time is the communication bandwidth of the measuring terminal apparatus.

Abstract: In a method for manufacturing a piezoelectric actuator, a ceramic sintered body is prepared and a size of the ceramic sintered body is adjusted in a thickness direction defined below by grinding piezoelectric ceramic layers, included in the ceramic sintered body, located outermost in the thickness direction. In the ceramic sintered body, internal electrodes are each disposed between piezoelectric ceramic layers. The thickness direction is defined as the direction along the thickness of the piezoelectric ceramic layer. Each of the inert sections are disposed on at least one side of the active section, for driving the piezoelectric actuator, in the thickness direction. Dummy internal electrodes are arranged in the inert sections such that each of the dummy internal electrodes are each located between ceramic layers. The thickness of the piezoelectric ceramic layers disposed between the dummy internal electrodes increases with distance from the active section.

Abstract: In a content distributed-storage system in which divided content data obtained by dividing content data of a single unit having a plurality of pieces of frame image data into a plurality of pieces is stored so as to be distributed to a plurality of node devices, unique identification information is assigned to each of the divided content data, each of the node devices can obtain the divided content data on the basis of the identification information. In the system, content catalog information having the identification information of at least one piece of the divided content data and key frame information including information indicative of an offset position of the frame image data in each of the divided content data, is stored. An instruction related to playback of the content data from the user is received.