Abstract: An electrically conductive floc is provided that does not need shearing in producing brushes with a smooth surface. The electrically conductive floc includes electrically conductive chemical fibers wherein said fibers have a diameter of 10 to 100 ?m, a fiber length of 0.1 to 5 mm, and a fiber length variation of 5% or less.

Abstract: A fuel tank for a motor vehicle is fabricated from an austenitic stainless steel sheet having elongation of 50% or more after fracture by a uniaxial stretching test with a work-hardening coefficient of 4000 N/mm2 or a ferritic stainless steel sheet having elongation of 30% or more after fracture with Lankford value of 1.3 or more. The stainless steel sheets are reformed to a complicated shape of a fuel tank without work flaws such as cracks or break-down. Excellent corrosion-resistance of stainless steel itself is maintained in the fabricated fuel tank. Consequently, the proposed fuel tank is used without diffusion of gasoline to the open air over a long term.

Abstract: A fuel-filler tube, which is made of a welded pipe of corrosion-resistant austenitic or ferritic stainless steel, has a fuel-supply opening with high dimensional accuracy. The austenitic stainless steel has hardness of 180 HV or less with a work-hardening coefficient of 0.49 or less. The ferritic stainless steel has Lankford value of 1.2 or more with elongation of 30% or more by a uniaxial tensile test.

Abstract: A fuel tank for a motor vehicle is fabricated from an austenitic stainless steel sheet having elongation of 50% or more after fracture by a uniaxial stretching test with a work-hardening coefficient of 4000N/mm2 or a ferritic stainless steel sheet having elongation of 30% or more after fracture with Lankford value of 1.3 or more. The stainless steel sheets are reformed to a complicated shape of a fuel tank without work flaws such as cracks or break-down. Excellent corrosion-resistance of stainless steel itself is maintained in the fabricated fuel tank. Consequently, the proposed fuel tank is used without diffusion of gasoline to the open air over a long term.

Abstract: A new soft stainless steel sheet has an austenite-stability index Md30 controlled in a range of −120 to −10 and a stacking fault formability index SFI controlled not less than 30, and involves precipitates whose Cu concentration is controlled not more than 1.0%, so as to maintain concentration of dissolved Cu at 1-5%. The stainless steel sheet preferably contains up to 0.06%(C+N), up to 2.0% Si, up to 5% Mn, 15-20% Cr, 5-9% Ni, 1.0-4.0% Cu, up to 0.003% Al, up to 0.005% S, and optionally one or more of up to 0.5% Ti, up to 0.5% Nb, up to 0.5% Zr, up to 0.5% V, up to 3.0% Mo, up to 0.03% B, up to 0.02% REM (rare earth metals) and up to 0.03% Ca. The stainless steel sheet can be plastically deformed to an objective shape without any cracks even at a part heavily-worked part by multi-stage deep drawing or compression deforming. Md30(° C.)=551−462(C+N)−9.2Si−8.1Mn−29(Ni+Cu)−13.7Cr−18.5Mo SFI(mJ/m2)=2.2Ni+6Cu−1.

Abstract: A fuel-filler tube, which is made of a welded pipe of corrosion-resistant austenitic or ferritic stainless steel, has a fuel-supply opening with high dimensional accuracy. The austenitic stainless steel has hardness of 180 HV or less with a work-hardening coefficient of 0.49 or less. The ferritic stainless steel has Lankford value of 1.2 or more with elongation of 30% or more by a uniaxial tensile test.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a metal pipe with an eccentrically expanded open end comprises the steps of plastically deforming to a coaxially expanded state M1 so that an axial wall length L2 at a side to be eccentrically expanded is longer than an axial wall length L1 at the opposite side to be expanded without eccentricity. The coaxially expanded open end M1 is then plastically deformed to an eccentrically expanded state M2 by forcibly inserting an eccentrically expanding punch into the coaxially expanded open end M1. The eccentrically expanding punch has a boundary between a conical tip and a cylindrical body inclined with a predetermined angle &thgr; so as to bring the cylindrical body into contact with an inner wall of the coaxially expanded open end M1 at a side to be eccentrically expanded earlier than the opposite side to be expanded without eccentricity.

Abstract: A new soft stainless steel sheet has an austenite-stability index Md30 controlled in a range of −120 to −10 and a stacking fault formability index SFI controlled not less than 30, and involves precipitates whose Cu concentration is controlled not more than 1.0%, so as to maintain concentration of dissolved Cu at 1-5%. The stainless steel sheet preferably contains up to 0.06%(C+N), up to 2.0% Si, up to 5% Mn, 15-20% Cr, 5-9% Ni, 1.0-4.0% Cu, up to 0.003% Al, up to 0.005% S, and optionally one or more of up to 0.5% Y, up to 0.5% Nb, up to 0.5% Zr, up to 0.5% V, up to 3.0% Mo, up to 0.03% B, up to 0.02% REM (rare earth metals) and up to 0.03% Ca. The stainless steel sheet can be plastically deformed to an objective shape without any cracks even at a part heavily-worked part by multi-stage deep drawing or compression deforming.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a metal pipe with an eccentrically expanded open end comprises the steps of plastically deforming to a coaxially expanded state M1 so that an axial wall length L2 at a side to be eccentrically expanded is longer than an axial wall length L1 at the opposite side to be expanded without eccentricity. The coaxially expanded open end M1 is then plastically deformed to an eccentrically expanded state M2 by forcibly inserting an eccentrically expanding punch into the coaxially expanded open end M1. The eccentrically expanding punch has a boundary between a conical tip and a cylindrical body inclined with a predetermined angle &thgr; so as to bring the cylindrical body into contact with an inner wall of the coaxially expanded open end M1 at a side to be eccentrically expanded earlier than the opposite side to be expanded without eccentricity.