Abstract: A spot welding electrode is made of a copper base material such as copper, copper alloy, or alumina dispersion strengthened copper, and has a Sn coating layer formed at the part making contact with the material being welded. The formed Sn coating layer reduces electrode wear and prolongs electrode life.

Abstract: A method of controlling a transverse shape of a strip rolled by a rolling mill having a plurality of shape correcting devices, the method including the steps of detecting a change in a strip rolling force, and a tension distribution of the rolled strip in the width direction. Based on the detected tension distribution, a strain distribution of the rolled strip is calculated, and the calculated strain distribution is used to calculate a shape parameter which represents a shape error of the rolled strip. Based on the detected change in the rolling force and the calculated shape parameter, disturbance values of the rolling mill which should be zeroed by the shape correcting devices are estimated so as to offset a delay in the detection of the tension distribution which is reflected on the shape parameter. The shape correcting devices are controlled according to the estimated disturbance values, without an influence of the delay in the detection of the tension distribution.

Abstract: A clad aluminum alloy material having high strength and high corrosion resistance for a heat exchanger, which is composed of a core material made of an aluminum alloy consisting of 0.3 to 2.0% of Mn, 0.25 to 0.8% of Cu, 0.05 to 1.0% of Si and 0.5% or less of Mg with the balance consisting of Al and unavoidable impurities; a sacrificial anode material bonded to one surface of the core material, the sacrificial anode material being made of an aluminum alloy consisting of 1.0 to 2.5% of Mg and 0.05 to less than 0.20% of Si with the balance consisting of Al and unavoidable impurities; and a cladding bonded to the other surface of the core material, the cladding being made of a brazing filler metal consisting of an Al-Si-base aluminum alloy. In the clad aluminum alloy materials, the core material may further include 0.35% or less of Ti and the sacrificial anode material may further include 3.0% or less of Zn or at least one member selected from the group consisting of 0.2% or less of In, 0.2% or less of Sn and 0.

Abstract: A member for a honeycomb core or panel that can be bent with various radii of curvature, can contour a compound curvature and can support a load perpendicular to the defined curvature. The honeycomb member, preferably, has cells having an equilateral triangular cross section. The cells are defined by rectangular bottom, top and side faces. The connecting angle between each bottom face and each side face is typically about 60 degrees. The adjoining sides of the bottom faces contact each other. The adjoining sides of the top faces also contact each other. Although the cells contain a small orifice between adjoining sides, the cells have the same strength as that of completely enclosed cells. Furthermore, the relative position of the adjoining cells can be easily altered.

Abstract: This invention relates to Al plates suitable for automobile body panels and also relates to a method of pretreatment for painting. The features are: A Zn plating layer having 0.05.about.0.38 g/m.sup.2 of coating weight is formed on the surface of an Al plate or Al alloy plate by a displacement plating process or electroplating process. The coated Al or Al alloy plate is subjected to chemical conversion treatment with zinc phosphate under conditions to completely dissolve the zinc plating layer. This invention prevents the occurrence of filiform rusting and blistering after painting.

Abstract: A process for manufacturing an aluminum alloy material having excellent shape fixability and bake hardenability, the process comprising: conducting semicontinuous casting of an aluminum alloy comprising 0.4 to 1.7% (wt.%) Si and 0.2 to 1.4% Mg, optionally further comprising 0.05% or less Ti and 100 pm or less B and optionally further comprising at least one member selected from the group of 1.00% or less Cu, 0.50% or less Mn, 0.20% or less Cr and 0.20% or less V, with the balance consisting of Al and unavoidable impurities, subjecting the cast alloy to conventional hot rolling; conducting solution heat treatment by holding the hot-rolled alloy at a temperature of from 450 to 580.degree. C. for 10 minutes or less; conducting first-stage cooling of the alloy at a cooling rate of 200.degree. C./min or more to a quenched temperature in the range of from 60 to 250.degree. C.; and subjecting the alloy to second-stage cooling at a cooling rate selected within the zone ABCD shown in the attached FIG. 2.

Abstract: This invention involves a MIG welding method for aluminum alloys to prevent the formation and deposition of black powder on or around the weldment's bead. By using pure aluminum wire or aluminum alloy wire containing less than 2.5 wt% the base of alloying components as the consumable electrode wire and using aluminum alloy wire as the filler wire 3, the consumable electrode wire 2 and the filler wire 3 are fed into the a metal bath under a certain weight ratio, so that the alloy composition of the molten metal bath is equivalent to that of the base of the black powder on the both sides of the weldment's bead can be is avoided.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method of producing a hardened aluminum alloy sheet having superior thermal stability, the method comprising the steps of: homogenizing an ingot of an aluminum alloy consisting essentially of, in weight percentage, 3.0 to 6.0% Mg and 0.4 to 0.8% Mn, with the balance being Al and incidental impurities; hot rolling the homogenized ingot to a sheet; cold rolling the hot-rolled sheet at a rolling reduction of at least 20%; intermediate heat treating the cold-rolled sheet at 200.degree. to 250.degree. C. for one hour or more; and final cold rolling the intermediate heat-treated sheet at a reduction of at least 50%. In this process, the aluminum ingot may further contain from 0.05 to 0.4% Cu with or without 0.05 to 0.5% Si, 0.1 to 0.5% Fe, 0.01 to 0.05% Ti and 0.0001 to 0.0010% B. Further, the above homogenizing and hot rolling steps may be replaced by the steps of homogenizing, hot rolling to a sheet thickness of 2 to 6 mm, cold rolling and annealing for recrystallization.

Abstract: This invention relates to Al plates suitable for automobile body panels and also relates to a method of pretreatment for painting. The features are: A Zn plating layer having 0.05.about.0.38 g/m.sup.2 of coating weight is formed on the surface of an Al plate or Al alloy plate by a displacement plating process or electroplating process. The coated Al or Al alloy plate is subjected to chemical conversion treatment with zinc phosphate under conditions to completely dissolve the zinc plating layer. This invention prevents the occurrence of filiform rusting and blistering after painting.

Abstract: A stirring device for molten metals such as aluminum. The device involves a mechanism which inserts and dips a nozzle-shaped stirring tube into a melting furnace through an insertion hole opened in the side wall of the furnace and stirs the molten metal using the stirring tube to repeatedly suck up and blow down the molten metal.The first claimed mechanism consists of the insertion hole opened through the sidewall at an angle and an external unit having a tilting and inserting mechanism to tilt the stirring tube and insert it into the insertion hole. The second claimed mechanism consists of a transportable structure which has a transferrable base provided with a support frame to mount the stirring tube connected to the tilting mechanism, a positioning mechanism to allow axial movement of the stirring tube, and other necessary operating units.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are aluminum alloy fin materials useful for heat exchangers which consists of, in weight percentage, 0.8 to 1.8% Fe, 0.3 to 3.0% Zn, up to 0.3% Cu and at least one element selected from the group consisting of 0.05 to 0.25% Zr and 0.05 to 0.25% Cr, with the balance being Al and unavoidable impurities, wherein Mn in the unavoidable impurities is 0.3% or less. The fin material being characterized, after brazing, by its superior thermal conductivity and beneficial sacrificial anode effect. The fin material is also suitable as a core of a brazing fin material in combination with an Al-Si alloy brazing material in which the Al-Si alloy brazing material is clad as an outer cladding layer onto both sides of the core. The above unclad or clad fin materials can provide heat exchangers having high corrosion resistance and good heat transfer characteristics in combination with a fluid passage material made of brazing sheet or an extruded tube of pure aluminum or an aluminum alloy with not more than 0.

Abstract: An aluminum foil for electrolytic capacitors in which the sub-surface layer having a depth range from 0.1 to 0.2 .mu.m below the surface contains at least one element selected from the group consisting of Pb, Bi, and In at a total average concentration ranging from 0.001 to 0.1 wt %, and in which the inner part below the sub-surface layer contains less than 0.0001 wt % average concentration for each of Pb, Bi, and In, and in which the average aluminum purity throughout all layers from the surface to the inner part is not less than 99.90 wt %. This aluminum foil has adequate development of tunnel type etch pits and possesses superior electric characteristics and strength.

Abstract: Disclosed is an aluminum alloy clad material and a heat exchanger using the clad material, the clad material being composed of: (a) a core material made of an aluminum alloy consisting essentially of, in weight percentage, 0.3 to 1.5% manganese, 0.05 to 0.35% copper, 0.05 to 0.50% magnesium, 0.06 to 0.35% titanium, less than 0.1% silicon and up to 0.3% iron, the copper content being related to the magnesium content in accordance with the following equation: Cu(%)-0.2.ltoreq.Mg(%).ltoreq.Cu(%)+0.2, the balance being aluminum and incidental impurities; and (b) a cladding material made of an Si-containing aluminum alloy brazing filler material clad onto at one or both sides of the core material. The aluminum alloy clad material is superior in press formability, corrosion resistance and brazability. Particularly, when the percentage of fine Mn compounds of 0.1 .mu.m or less and the Ti content variation in the core material are controlled, further improved properties can be obtained.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing rare earth-iron magnetostrictive materials such as Tb.sub.x Dy.sub.1-x Fe.sub.2-w wherein 0.20.ltoreq.x.ltoreq.1.00 and 0.ltoreq.w.ltoreq.0.20. Rare earth and iron raw materials are continuously fed into a plasma arc melting furnace having a plasma arc torch and a water-cooled bottomless elongated mold located beneath the torch. The raw materials are melted together by plasma flames to form a pool of a molten alloy at the top of the mold. Heat is removed from the melt by water cooling through the mold, thereby causing the melt to solidify progressively from the bottom thereof. The solidified body is continuously pulled down in the mold.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method of producing a hardened aluminum alloy sheet comprising the steps of casting an aluminum alloy containing 4.0 to 6.0% Mg in a conventional including, homogenizing, hot rolling, cold rolling, intermediate annealing and stabilizing treatment, the improvement which comprises: the aluminum alloy is provided as an Al-Mg-Cu alloy containing, in addition to Mg, 0.05 to 0.50% Cu; and the Al-Mg-Cu alloy is subjected to a final intermediate annealing treatment comprising a heating to temperatures of 350.degree. to 500.degree. C. and rapid cooling to temperatures of 70.degree. C. or less at a cooling rate of 1.degree. C./sec or more and a finishing cold rolling with a reduction of at least 50%, followed by the stabilizing treatment, thereby providing a hardened aluminum alloy sheet having a superior corrosion resistance together with high levels of strength and formability.

Abstract: A mist recovery apparatus recovers a mist of water, oil and the like from an exhaust gas produced in the rolling operation of aluminum plates. The apparatus has a shell provided with upper and lower pipe plates and a plurality of exhaust passing pipes extending between the upper and lower pipe plates and, each pipe having a twisted strip therein. The shell has an upper casing and a lower casing, which are respectively placed above the upper plate and beneath the lower plate. The exhaust gas containing a mist flows through the upper casing, exhaust passing pipes, and the lower casing sequentially. These exhaust passing pipes are cooled by a coolant passing around the pipes, so that the mist is removed from the exhaust gas and recovered. The experimentally suitable ratio of the length (L) of the exhaust passing pipe to the twisting half pitch (P) of the twisting strip is from 8-35.

Abstract: A mist recovery apparatus is provided, which comprises a casing, an upper pipe plate and a lower pipe plate, a number of exhaust passing pipes each having a twisted plate therein, apertures formed at the side part of the casing to permit a cooling air flow to pass through the casing along the direction perpendicular to the exhaust passing pipes, a fume supply duct connected to the upper portion of the casing, and an exhaust duct disposed upwardly from the lower portion of the casing to the side of the casing so as to pass the exhaust from the exhaust passing pipes along the side of the casing and discharge the exhaust out of the casing. In such a structure, the mist contained in the exhaust produced from, for example, a rolling mill can be effectively separated and recovered and evolution of white smoke or fumes is greatly reduced. In order to achieve a more sufficient mixing of the exhaust and the air, a vertical chamber may be provided onto the discharge duct.

Abstract: This invention provides a method and apparatus to measure the thickness of coating films on running metal sheets to which oil or paint is applied forming coating film such as oil film or paint film. The method to measure coating film thickness employed by this invention is carried out as follows: ultraviolet radiation is projected onto the film formed on the metal sheet; fluorescence emitted due to excitation is detected by a high-sensitivity TV camera; the signal representing the intensity of detected fluorescence is amplified; and the quantity of coating such as oil or paint on the sheet is obtained from the intensity of the amplified signal, which is processed to correct the linear relation between the quantity of coating and the intensity of fluorescence. This invention enables accurate measurement of thickness of coating film such as oil film or paint film coated on metal sheet in an on-line system.

Abstract: The present invention provides a heat resistant alloy having a composition consisting essentially of, in weight percentages, 4 to 12% of Fe, 1 to less than 4.0% of Si, 1 to 6% of Cu, 0.3 to 3% of Mg, and the balance aluminum and incidental impurities. The aluminum alloy may further contain one or more elements selected from 0.5 to 5 wt. % of V, 0.5 to 5 wt. % of Mo and 0.4 to 4 wt. % of Zr, the total content of these components not exceeding 8 wt. %. Since the heat-resistant aluminum alloys have a superior combination of properties of high tensile strength, good ductility and high fatigue strength at elevated temperatures up to 200.degree. C. as well as moderate temperatures, they can be applied to structural members, such as connecting rods, of internal combustion engines, thereby considerably reducing the weight of such structural components. The use of the alloys results in an increased output power and high efficiency in the internal combustion engines.