Patents Examined by John P Sheehan
  • Patent number: 7211158
    Abstract: The present invention provides a production method for a powdered core, including steps of preparing a mixture including a soft magnetic powder and a resin powder to obtain a mixture, compacting the mixture into a predetermined shape to obtain a green compact and heating the green compact, and wherein the resin powder has a median size of not more than 50 ?m, and the resin powder amount is 0.01 to 5 vol %. The method reduces production cost, and decreases eddy-current loss We and hysteresis loss Wh, whereby a powdered core in which a durability is improved and the technical advantages are expanded can be provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2003
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2007
    Assignees: Hitachi Powdered Metals Co., Ltd., Denso Corporation
    Inventors: Chio Ishihara, Kazuo Asaka, Kei Ishii, Tamio Takada, Tsuyoshi Akao, Isao Makino
  • Patent number: 7211157
    Abstract: A rare-earth alloy ingot is produced by melting an alloy composed of 20–30 wt % of a rare-earth constituent which is Sm alone or at least 50 wt % Sm in combination with at least one other rare-earth element, 10–45 wt % of Fe, 1–10 wt % of Cu and 0.5–5 wt % of Zr, with the balance being Co, and quenching the molten alloy in a strip casting process. The strip-cast alloy ingot has a content of 1–200 ?m size equiaxed crystal grains of at least 20 vol % and a thickness of 0.05–3 mm. Rare-earth sintered magnets made from such alloys exhibit excellent magnetic properties and can be manufactured under a broad optimal temperature range during sintering and solution treatment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2004
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2007
    Assignee: Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kazuaki Sakaki, Koji Sato, Takahiro Hashimoto, Hajime Nakamura, Takehisa Minowa
  • Patent number: 7208056
    Abstract: An R-T-B system rare earth sintered magnet having a high mechanical strength and excellent corrosion resistance is provided. The R-T-B system rare earth sintered magnet of the present invention comprises a sintered body comprising a main phase consisting of an R2T14B phase where R represents one or more rare earth elements and T represents one or more transition metal elements essentially containing Fe, or Fe and Co, and a grain boundary phase containing a higher amount of R than the above described main phase, wherein the surface of the above described sintered body is partially covered with a carbon compound layer. In the R-T-B system rare earth sintered magnet of the present invention, the area ratio of the partial surface of the above described sintered body covered with the above described carbon compound layer to the entire surface thereof is preferably between 10% and 90%.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2007
    Assignee: TDK Corporation
    Inventors: Makoto Iwasaki, Chikara Ishizaka, Taku Takeishi
  • Patent number: 7208097
    Abstract: An iron-based rare earth alloy nanocomposite magnet has a composition represented by (Fe1-mTm)100-x-y-zQxRyTiz, where T is Co and/or Ni, Q is B and/or C and R is rare earth element(s) including substantially no La or Ce. x, y, z and m satisfy 10 at %<x?17 at %, 7 at %?y<10 at %, 0.5 at %?z?6 at % and 0?m?0.5, respectively. The magnet includes crystal grains of an R2T14Q type compound having an average grain size of 20 nm to 200 nm and a ferromagnetic iron-based boride that exists in a grain boundary between the crystal grains of the R2T14Q type compound. The boride is dispersed in, or present in the form of a film over, the grain boundary to cover at least partially the surface of the crystal grains of the R2T14Q type compound.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 2002
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2007
    Assignee: Neomax Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hirokazu Kanekiyo, Toshio Miyoshi, Satoshi Hirosawa
  • Patent number: 7208116
    Abstract: A nickel base superalloy comprising 14.0 to 20.0 wt % cobalt, 13.5 to 17.0 wt % chromium, 2.5 to 4.0 wt % aluminium, 3.4 to 5.0 wt % titanium, 0 to 3.0 wt % tantalum, 3.8 to 5.5 wt % molybdenum, 0.035 to 0.07 wt % carbon, 0.01 to 0.04 wt % boron, 0.055 to 0.075 wt % zirconium, 0 to 0.4 wt % hafnium and the balance nickel plus incidental impurities. The nickel base superalloy is suitable for use as gas turbine engine high pressure compressor rotor discs or turbine discs. It is capable of operation at temperatures above 700° C. and has good fatigue crack propagation resistance, creep resistance and tensile strength.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2001
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2007
    Assignee: Rolls-Royce plc
    Inventors: Andrew J Manning, David Knowles, Colin J Small
  • Patent number: 7204891
    Abstract: Rare earth magnet scrap and/or sludge is remelted for reuse. Once a rare earth-free magnet-constituent metal feed is loaded in a melting furnace and heated into a melt, a rare earth-containing metal feed and the rare earth magnet scrap and/or sludge are added to the melt, a particulate flux of an alkali metal, alkaline earth metal or rare earth metal halide and having an average particle size of 1–50 ?m, preferably wrapped in a metal foil, is added to the melt, and the resulting mixture is melted, from which an alloy ingot is obtained. The valuable elements in the scrap and/or sludge can be recycled. Better separation between the slag and the molten metal ensures that the ingot is obtained from the melt in a high yield.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2007
    Assignee: Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Koichi Hirota, Takehisa Minowa
  • Patent number: 7201810
    Abstract: A rare earth alloy sintered compact includes a main phase represented by (LR1-xHRx)2T14A, where T is Fe with or without non-Fe transition metal element(s); A is boron with or without carbon; LR is a light rare earth element; HR is a heavy rare earth element; and 0<x<1. The sintered compact is produced by preparing multiple types of rare earth alloy materials including respective main phases having different HR mole fractions, mixing the alloy materials so that the sintered compact will include sintering a main phase having an average composition represented by (LR1-xHRx)2T14A, thereby obtaining a mixed powder, and the mixed powder. The alloy materials include first and second rare earth alloy materials represented by (LR1-uHRu)2T14A (where 0??&<x) and (LR1-vHRV)2T14A (where x<v?1) and including a rare earth element R(=LR+HR) at R1 and R2 (at%), respectively. ?=|R1?R2| is about 20% or less of (R1+R2)/2.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2002
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2007
    Assignee: Neomax Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hitoshi Morimoto, Yuji Kaneko
  • Patent number: 7201809
    Abstract: A radially anisotropic ring magnet endowed with good magnetic characteristics and having throughout the magnet an angle of 80 to 100° between a center axis thereof and a radial anisotropy imparting direction is manufactured by a pressing operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2007
    Assignee: Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Koji Sato, Mitsuo Kawabata, Takehisa Minowa
  • Patent number: 7195680
    Abstract: The invention relates to a soft magnetic alloy with the following composition in wt. %: 28%?Ni?34%, 0%?Co?4%, 0%?Cu?4%, 1%?Cr, 0%?Mo?8%, 0%?Nb?1%, 0%?Mn?2%, 0%?V?5%, 0%?W?5%, 0%?Si?4%, 0%?Al?4%, 0%?C?0.4%, optionally one or several elements selected from magnesium and calcium the content of which is such as to remain below 0.1%, the rest being iron and impurities from production. The chemical composition furthermore satisfies the following relationships: 180.5?6×Ni2.5×(Cr+Mo+V+W+Si+Al)+4×(Co+Cu)?197.5 et Co+Cu?4%. The invention relates to the use thereof for production of a stator for use in a motor for clock-making.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2003
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2007
    Assignee: Imphy Alloys
    Inventors: Thierry Waeckerle, Hervë Fraisse, Bruno Boulogne
  • Patent number: 7192496
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention provide methods of processing nickel-titanium alloys including from greater than 50 up to 55 atomic percent nickel to provide a desired austenite transformation temperature and/or austenite transformation temperature range. In one embodiment, the method comprises selecting a desired austenite transformation temperature, and thermally processing the nickel-titanium alloy to adjust an amount of nickel in solid solution in a TiNi phase of the alloy such that a stable austenite transformation temperature is reached, wherein the stable austenite transformation temperature is essentially equal to the desired austenite transformation temperature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 1, 2003
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2007
    Assignee: ATI Properties, Inc.
    Inventor: Craig Wojcik
  • Patent number: 7192491
    Abstract: In order to dampen magnetization changes in magnetic devices, such as magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJ) used in high speed Magnetic Random Access Memory (MRAM), a transition metal selected from the 4d transition metals and 5d transition metals is alloyed into the magnetic layer to be dampened. In a preferred form, a magnetic permalloy layer is alloyed with osmium (Os) in an atomic concentration of between 4% and 15% of the alloy.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 2002
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2007
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Snorri T. Ingvarsson, Roger H. Koch, Stuart S. Parkin, Gang Xiao
  • Patent number: 7192662
    Abstract: A plated magnetic thin film of high saturation magnetization and low coercivity having the general form Co100-a-bFeaMb, where M can be Mo, Cr, W, Ni or Rh, which is suitable for use in magnetic recording heads that write on narrow trackwidth, high coercivity media. The plating method that produces the alloy includes four current application processes: direct current, pulsed current, pulse reversed current and conditioned pulse reversed current.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 2, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2007
    Assignee: Headway Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Chaopeng Chen, Kevin Lin, Jei Wei Chang
  • Patent number: 7192492
    Abstract: In the production of electrical steel strips, a special islab-reheating treatment before hot rolling is carried out so that the maximum temperature within the furnace is reached by the slab well before its extraction from the furnace. During the heating stage and performance at the highest temperatures of the thermal cycle, second phase particles are dissolved and segregated elements are distributed in the metallic matrix, while during cooling and temperature equalising steps of the slab in the furnace a controlled amount of small second phases particles are more homogeneously re-precipitated from the metallic matrix. Differently from all the conventional processes for the production of electrical steels, the slab reheating furnace become a site in which it is performed the precipitation of a controlled amount of second phases particles for the necessary grain growth control during the successive process steps.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 8, 2001
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2007
    Assignee: Thyssenkrupp Acciai Speciali Terni S.p.A.
    Inventors: Stefano Fortunati, Stefano Cicale′, Claudia Rocchi, Giuseppe Abbruzzese
  • Patent number: 7192493
    Abstract: A sintered body with a composition consisting of 25% to 35% by weight of R (wherein R represents one or more rare earth elements, providing that the rare earth elements include Y), 0.5% to 4.5% by weight of B, 0.02% to 0.6% by weight of Al and/or Cu, 0.03% to 0.25% by weight of Zr, 4% or less by weight (excluding 0) of Co, and the balance substantially being Fe, wherein a coefficient of variation (CV) showing the dispersion of Zr is 130 or lower. This sintered body enables to inhibit the grain growth, while keeping the decrease of magnetic properties to a minimum, and to improve the suitable sintering temperature range.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2003
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2007
    Assignee: TDK Corporation
    Inventors: Gouichi Nishizawa, Chikara Ishizaka, Tetsuya Hidaka, Akira Fukuno
  • Patent number: 7186303
    Abstract: A method of making a magnetic alloy material includes the steps of: preparing a melt of an alloy material having a predetermined composition; rapidly cooling and solidifying the melt to obtain a rapidly solidified alloy represented by: Fe100-a-b-cREaAbTMc where RE is at least one rare-earth element selected from La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Pm, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er and Tm and including at least about 90 at % of La; A is at least one element selected from Al, Si, Ga, Ge and Sn; TM is at least one transition metal element selected from Sc, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Co, Ni, Cu and Zn; and 5 at %?a?10 at %, 4.7 at %?b?18 at % and 0 at %?c?9 at %; and producing a compound phase having an NaZn13-type crystal structure in at least about 70 vol % of the rapidly solidified alloy.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 18, 2003
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2007
    Assignee: Neomax Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Ryosuke Kogure, Hirokazu Kanekiyo, Takeshi Nishiuchi, Satoshi Hirosawa
  • Patent number: 7179337
    Abstract: The invention provides a method for preparing a soft magnetic material which meets demands for low iron loss, high density, high strength and high productivity. The method comprises a surface oxidation step of forming oxide films on the surfaces of a soft magnetic powder, a step of preparing a molding compound of the soft magnetic powder by mixing a soft magnetic powder and a binder with a predetermined blending ratio, a press molding step of press-molding the molding compound of the soft magnetic powder into a predetermined shape, and a sintering step of sintering the press-molded soft magnetic powder to produce a soft magnetic material, wherein a millimeter wave sintering apparatus or a discharge plasma sintering apparatus is used as a heating means in the surface oxidation step or in the sintering step.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 17, 2003
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2007
    Assignee: Denso Corporation
    Inventors: Yasuyoshi Suzuki, Yurio Nomura, Yoshiaki Nishijima, Shoji Miyake, Yukio Makino, Teppei Satoh
  • Patent number: 7179338
    Abstract: Magnetostrictive devices and methods involving a magnetostrictive alloy having; (1) one or more of Pd, and Pt, and (2) one or more of Ni, Co, Fe, where the alloy comprises one or more of PdxNi1?x, PdxFe1?x, PdxCo1?x, PtxNi1?x, PtxFe1?x, PtxCo1?x, where x is less than 1, where magnetostrictive properties and diffusion, and solubility properties than variable in response to variations to a magnetic field to which the alloy is subjected. Devices and methods are used in hydrogen storage, isotopic separation, catalytic systems, actuator/sensor, and other magnetostrictive applications.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2005
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2007
    Assignee: University of Utah Research Foundation
    Inventors: Sivaraman Guruswamy, Kevin Nguyen, Pinai Mungsantisuk, Rob Corson
  • Patent number: 7179340
    Abstract: The object of the present invention is to provide a rare earth magnet which enables to achieve a good balance between high coercive force and high residual magnetic flux density, and its manufacturing method. The present invention provides a rare earth magnet in which a layered grain boundary phase is formed on a surface or a potion of a grain boundary of Nd2Fe14B which is a main phase of an R—Fe—B (R is a rare-earth element) based magnet, and wherein the grain boundary phase contains a fluoride compound, and wherein a thickness of the fluoride compound is 10 ?m or less, or a thickness of the fluoride compound is from 0.1 ?m to 10 ?m, and wherein the coverage of the fluoride compound over a main phase particle is 50% or more on average.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 2005
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2007
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Matahiro Komuro, Yuichi Satsu
  • Patent number: 7175717
    Abstract: A method for making a nano-scale amorphous soft magnetic powders obtained by thermally processing and crystallizing amorphous ribbons produced using a rapid solidification process (RSP) and crushing the same. The amorphous soft magnetic core having an excellent high-frequency characteristic is obtained by performing a preliminary thermal treatment of Fe-based amorphous metal ribbons produced by using RSP to then be converted into nano-scale grain metal ribbons, crushing the metal ribbons to thereby obtain nano-scale grain metal powders, classifying the nano-scale grain metal powders to then be mixed into a distribution of powder particles having an optimal uniform composition, mixing the mixed powder with a binder, and then forming a core, and annealing the formed core to then coat the core with an insulating resin.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2003
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2007
    Assignee: Amosense Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yong Sul Song, Hie Jin Kim
  • Patent number: 7175718
    Abstract: A material for a rare earth permanent magnet having a high magnetic coercive force and a high residual magnetic flux density. 28 to 35% by weight of at least one rare earth element selected from the group consisting of neodymium, praseodymium, dysprosium, terbium, and holmium, 0.9 to 1.3% by weight of boron, 0.25 to 3% by weight of phosphorus, iron, and inevitable impurities. It can further comprise 0.1 to 3.6% by weight of cobalt and 0.02 to 0.25% by weight of copper.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 2001
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2007
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hideharu Nobutoki, Suguru Nagae, Satoru Hayasi