Abstract: Bearings are made having at least one surface made of an amorphous alloy having a coefficient of friction of less than 0.5 and having a tensile strength of 1.0 GPa or greater. In the case of a bearing shaft, the shaft can be smaller than a comparable steel shaft. Articles can be fabricated by heating the amorphous metal to a temperature above its plastic flow temperature and below its crystallization temperature so that it is flowable. The heated material is molded or formed into a desired shape and then the molded article is cooled to its metastable, amorphous state. A preferred configuration for the bearing shaft is in a parabola of revolution form so it acts as a thrust bearing.

Abstract: A reinforcement-containing metal-matrix composite material is formed by dispersing pieces of reinforcement material throughout a melt of a bulk-solidifying amorphous metal and solidifying the mixture at a sufficiently high rate that the solid metal matrix is amorphous. Dispersing is typically accomplished either by melting the metal and mixing the pieces of reinforcement material into the melt, or by providing a mass of pieces of the reinforcement material and infiltration of the molten amorphous metal into the mass. The metal preferably has a composition of about that of a eutectic composition, and most preferably has a composition, in atomic percent, of from about 45 to about 67 percent total of zirconium plus titanium, from about 10 to about 35 percent beryllium, and from about 10 to about 38 percent total of copper plus nickel.

Abstract: A palladium-based alloy is disclosed having a composition consisting essentially of nickel in the range of about 3 to about 30 atom percent, silicon in the range of about 15 to about 20 atom percent, the balance being palladium plus incidental impurities. The alloys of the present invention are particularly suited for joining stainless steels employed in orthodontic devices at brazing temperatures less than about 900.degree. C.

Abstract: A process for producing an aluminum alloy in the form of mass includes: preparing as a material to be formed a mixed powder of aluminum and at least one kind of metal or non-metallic substance selected from the elements belonging to Groups 4a, 4b, 5a, 6a, 7a and 8a of the periodic table and boron, or a compact or a cast material formed of the mixed powder; placing the material to be formed in a die, and performing plastic deformation repeatedly on the material to be formed at 100.degree. to 400.degree. in an inert atmosphere while retaining at least part of the material to be formed in a confined state, so as to cause diffusion reaction between phases constituting the material to be formed, thereby forming the quasi-stable phase composed mainly of amorphous phases and/or supersaturated solid solution phases.

Abstract: An amorphous alloy which has a composition represented by the general formula (Fe.sub.1-a Co.sub.a).sub.1-x-y-z P.sub.x W.sub.y M.sub.z (where 0.9.ltoreq.a, 0.04.ltoreq.x.ltoreq.0.16, 0.005.ltoreq.y.ltoreq.0.05, 0.ltoreq.z.ltoreq.0.2, and M is one or more transition elements other than Fe, Co, and W. In a method for producing the amorphous alloy comprising at least Fe, Co, P and W by electrodeposition, the electrodeposition is performed in an acidic electrolyte bath which employs phosphorous acid and/or a phosphite as the P source and sodium tungstate as the W source, or in an acidic electrolyte bath which employs sodium phosphotungstate as the P and W source. The amorphous alloy which contains phosphorous as the metalloid element exhibits little reduction in saturation magnetization, and the crystallization temperature may be increased to above 450.degree. C.

Abstract: Two pieces of metal are joined together using an amorphous metallic joining element. In the joining operation, the joining element is placed between the two pieces to be joined. The joining element and adjacent regions of the pieces being joined are given a joining processing sequence of heating to a joining temperature, forcing the two pieces together for a period of time, and cooling. The joining element has a composition that is amorphous after the processing is complete. The joining element composition is also selected such that, after interdiffusion of elements from the pieces being joined into the joining element during processing, the resulting composition is amorphous after cooling.

Abstract: A process for producing amorphous alloy materials having high toughness and high strength from various alloy powders, thin ribbons or bulk materials consisting of an amorphous phase by heating them to a temperature at which intermetallic compounds or other compounds are not produced. During this heating, fine crystal grains consisting of a supersaturated solid solution made of a main alloying element and additive elements and having a mean grain diameter of 5 nm to 500 nm are precipitated and uniformly dispersed in a volume percentage of 5 to 50% throughout an amorphous matrix. In the process, when deformation, pressing or other working is simultaneously conducted with the heating, consolidation or combining of the resultant alloy materials can also be effected in the same production procedure. The amorphous alloy used in the production process preferably comprises Al, Mg or Ti as a main element and, as additive elements, rare earth elements and/or other elements.

Abstract: A method is disclosed for producing an extremely thin soft magnetic alloy strip, in which a molten alloy is ejected through a nozzle onto the surface of a rotating cooling member and rapidly quenched. The length of the short side of the rectangular nozzle, the distance between the nozzle and the rotating cooling member, peripheral speed of the rotating cooling member, ejecting pressure of the molten alloy, and atmosphere pressure of ejecting are specified.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a process for forming an amorphous alloy material capable of showing glass transition, which comprises holding the material between frames arranged in combination; and heating the material at a temperature between its glass transition temperature (Tg) and its crystallization temperature (Tx) and, at the same time, producing a pressure difference between opposite sides of the material, whereby the material is brought into close contact against a forming mold disposed on one side of the material. As an alternative, the forming mold is brought into close contact against the amorphous material in a direction opposite to the pressing direction for the amorphous material. By the above processes, precision-formed products of amorphous alloys can be manufactured and supplied at low cost.

Abstract: The present invention provides a process comprising the steps of forming a cast amorphous alloy from an alloy which exhibits glass transition behavior, heating the amorphous alloy to a temperature between Tg and Tx while subjecting the alloy to drawing to obtain a wire and cooling the wire to (Tg-50 K) or lower. By this process, it is possible to produce an amorphous alloy wire at a low cost and provide an ultrafine wire having high strength and high corrosion resistance as well as flexibility. The amorphous alloy wire can be utilized as a reinforcing wire for a composite material, a variety of reinforcing members, a woven fabric and the like.

Abstract: A process for producing an aluminum alloy with high strength and toughness includes the steps of: preparing an alloy blank having a primary structure which is one selected from a single-phase structure comprised of a solid-solution phase, a single-phase structure comprised of an amorphous phase, and a mixed-phase structure comprised of a solid-solution phase and an amorphous phase, and subjecting the alloy blank to a thermal treatment to provide an aluminum alloy which has a secondary structure containing 20% or more by volume fraction Vf of chrysanthemum-like patterned phases each having a diameter of at most 5 .mu.m and comprising a solid-solution phase and an intermetallic compound phase arranged radiately.

Abstract: An aluminum-based alloy foil or thin aluminum-based alloy wire is produced from an amorphous material made by a quenching and solidifying process and having a composition represented by the general formula:Al.sub.a M.sub.b X.sub.cwherein M is one or more elements selected from a group consisting of V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zr, Ti, Mo, W, Ca, Li, Mg and Si; X is one or more elements selected from a group consisting of Y, Nb, Hf, Ta, La, Ce, Sm, Nd and Mm (misch metal); and a, b, and c are atomic percentages falling within the following range:50.ltoreq.a.ltoreq.950.5.ltoreq.b.ltoreq.35 and0.5.ltoreq.c.ltoreq.25Such foil or wire has a smooth surface and a very small and uniform foil thickness or wire diameter, contains at least 50% by volume of an amorphous phase, and has excellent strength and resistance to corrosion. The foil thickness and wire diameter are reduced in a rolling or drawing process at an elevated temperature over a short time period.

Abstract: A process for producing a high strength and high toughness aluminum alloy comprises a first step of preparing an alloy material which has a primary metallographic structure with a volume fraction Vf of a single-phase structure of at least 90%, said single-phase structure is comprised of crystal particles having a particle size of less than 30 nm and an fcc structure (face-centered cubic structure), the alloy having a composition represented by a chemical formula:Al .sub.a T .sub.b X.sub.cwherein T is at least one element selected from a first group including Y, La, Ce, Mm (misch metal) and Ca; X is at least one element selected from a second group including Fe, Co and Ni (but at least one element of Co and Ni, if only Y is selected from the first group); and each of a, b and c represents an atom %, with the proviso that 85.ltoreq.a.ltoreq.97, 1.ltoreq.b.ltoreq.10, and 2.ltoreq.c.ltoreq.15, and a second step of subjecting the alloy material to a thermal treatment at a temperature in a range .+-.100.degree. C.

Abstract: An aluminum-chromium based alloy which has a high strength, an excellent heat resistance, corrosion resistance, and a light weight contains 10 to 25 atomic percent of Cr and 0.1 to 5.0 atomic percent of Fe and/or Ni. The total content of Cr, and Fe and/or Ni is not more than 30 atomic percent The remainder substantially consists of aluminum. The aluminum-chromium based alloy partially or entirely exhibits and amorphous state by X-ray diffraction. This aluminum-chromium based alloy is obtained by first preparing a powder by a rapid solidification method, then converting the powder raw material to an amorphous powder by performing a mechanical grinding treatment thereon, and then hot working the amorphous powder.

Abstract: A process for producing an amorphous alloy forming material having at least 50% by volume of an amorphous phase which comprises a first-stage treatment in which an amorphous alloy is maintained in a temperature range below the glass transition temperature, a second-stage treatment in which the alloy is maintained in a temperature range in the supercooled liquid region for a prescribed period of time, and quenching of the alloy thus treated. The process improves the embrittlement peculiar to amorphous alloys subjected to thermal hysteresis for a long time and provides amorphous alloys having excellent strength, ductility and thermal plastic workability.

Abstract: Methods for synthesizing solid-state crystalline alloys and products made therefrom are disclosed. Plural repeat units, each comprising an ordered sequence of superposed layers of preselected solid-state reactants, are formed superposedly on a surface of a solid substrate to form a modulated composite of the reactants. The layers comprising a repeat unit are controllably formed to have relative thicknesses corresponding to the stoichiometry of a preselected solid compound found on a phase diagram of the reactants. Each repeat unit also has a repeat-unit thickness no greater than a critical thickness for a diffusion couple of the reactants, where the repeat-unit thickness is preferably less than or equal to about 100 .ANG.. The modulated composite is then heated to an interdiffusion temperature lower than a nucleation temperature for the reactants for a time sufficient to form an amorphous alloy of the reactants having a stoichiometry corresponding to the preselected solid compound.