Abstract: A forged piston for an internal combustion engine formed from an aluminum alloy containing silicon in an amount of 6 to 25 mass %, includes an oil ring groove section (12) and a skirt section (13). The ratio (A/B) of the average size (A) of eutectic silicon grains contained in the oil ring groove section to the average size (B) of eutectic silicon grains contained in the frontal end portion (18) of the skirt section is at least 1.5. The average size (A) is at least 4 &mgr;m. With the configuration such that the average size (B) is small and that the average size (A) is large, the skirt section exhibits excellent forgeability and the oil ring groove section exhibits reliable mechanical workability and improved wear resistance.

Abstract: The present invention provides a casting apparatus 10A including a mold 12 having a molten metal inlet 21 at a first end portion of a partition wall 12a, and an open/close plug 13 for opening and closing the inlet 21 of the mold 12, the plug 13 being brought into contact with or detached from an inlet-defining wall, in which molten metal 1′ is teemed into the mold 12 when the plug 13 is detached from the inlet-defining wall, and teeming of the molten metal 1′ into the mold 12 is stopped when the plug 13 is brought into contact with the inlet-defining wall, wherein a member 20 having the inlet-defining wall is separable from the mold 12, and the member 20 having the inlet-defining wall is removably provided on the mold 12.

Abstract: A material for plastic working is produced by the steps of using a mold having a mold cavity (16) partially defined by an end surface of a stopper (13) for closing a molten metal inlet (101), teeming molten metal (10) into the mold cavity through the inlet and cooling the molten metal to thereby attain unidirectional solidification of the molten metal. Regulation of the cooling rate enables the mean grain size to be graded in the direction from the cooled face (B surface) to the opposing face (T surface) and the added components to increase in the same direction. It is possible to obtain a material for plastic working that has a selected portion exhibiting an excellent function.

Abstract: A metal ingot (1) solidified through unidirectional forced-cooling from a cooling member (100) to an end surface of a stopper (13), by the cooling member, of molten metal (1′) teeming via a molten metal inlet (101) of a closable mold (12) into a mold cavity (16) is plastic-worked at percent working equl to or higher than a predetermined level to obtain a plastic-worked member. The end surface of the stopper and the cooling member partially define the mold cavity. The plastic-worked member is improved in mechanical characteristics that have heretofore been inferior on the side of the end surface of the stopper and is increased in entire strength.

Abstract: A packet switching is performed according to a routing information for relaying particular packets which is produced by the route computation based on the information of a received packet and the kept parts-of-routing-information useful as a basis for the route computation. At this time, the route through which the packet is relayed is determined on the basis of the kept parts-of-routing-information before the route computation. Then, the received packet is relayed according to the determined route. Next, a new routing information is produced by the route computation based on the information of the received packet and the parts-of-routing-information. Thereafter, the succeeding packets of the same route are relayed on the basis of the new routing information.

Abstract: A packet switching is performed according to a routing information for relaying particular packets which is produced by the route computation based on the information of a received packet and the kept parts-of-routing-information useful as a basis for the route computation. At this time, the route through which the packet is relayed is determined on the basis of the kept parts-of-routing-information before the route computation. Then, the received packet is relayed according to the determined route. Next, a new routing information is produced by the route computation based on the information of the received packet and the parts-of-routing-information. Thereafter, the succeeding packets of the same route are relayed on the basis of the new routing information.

Abstract: [Purpose] To provide, in relation to casting of materials to be subjected to plastic working such as cold forging, hot forging, enclosed forging, rolling, extrusion, and roll-forming of metals, including nonferrous metals, such as aluminum and magnesium (inclusive of respective alloys), and ferrous metals (i.e., iron and steel) or to direct casting of products (i.e.

Abstract: In a metallic ingot used as a forging stock, high dimensional accuracy, small dispersion of weight, good inner quality, and small radius of meniscus are required. In the metallic ingot fulfilling these requirements, the metallic melt 7 is completely filled the mold comprising a sprue 4 closed after pouring of the melt and is forcedly solidified at its bottom by the cooling plate 1. The crystal grains grow almost parallel to the rising direction of the upper surface of the melt 7. The ingot has no cutting surface on the casting surface.

Abstract: In a metallic ingot used as a forging stock, high dimensional accuracy, small dispersion of weight, good inner quality, and small radius of meniscus are required. In the metallic ingot fulfilling these requirements, the metallic melt 7 is completely filled the mold comprising a sprue 4 closed after pouring of the melt and is forcedly solidified at its bottom by the cooling plate 1. The crystal grains grow almost parallel to the rising direction of the upper surface of the melt 7. The ingot has no cutting surface on the casting surface.

Abstract: A multiprocessor bridge construction allows ports that are operable under a spanning tree protocol to coexist with ports that are inoperable under the spanning tree protocol, thus making it possible to improve the frame-repeating capability of the bridge, to equip the bridge with a large number of ports, and to divide the spanning tree topology into a plurality of portions to be managed.

Abstract: A Local Area Network (LAN) is disclosed in which each node includes means for receiving clock signal information from an external network, which may by way of example be another LAN or a wide area network (WAN), and for generating therefrom clock signals for each node of the local network to accommodate synchronous information exchanges with the external network. Any one of the nodes of the local LAN network may act as a Control Node, and any one of the remaining nodes upon instruction from the Control Node may act as a primary Transmission Node for generating clock signals based upon the external network clock signals for all of the nodes of the local LAN network.