Abstract: A drying furnace for drying a paint coating on each of automobile bodies successively transported therethrough comprises a generally tunnel-shaped housing having entry and exit openings defined at the opposite ends thereof respectively. This housing has an indirect drying zone defined therein adjacent the entry opening, and a direct drying zone defined therein adjacent the exit opening, and also has an intermediate drying zone defined therein between the indirect and direct heating zones that can be used as an extension of either the indirect drying zone or the direct drying zone depending on the speed of successive transportation of the painted automobile bodies.

Abstract: Guiding drums for a magnetic tape scanning assembly for use in a video tape recorder and playback apparatus are made of a specific aluminum-silicon alloy consisting essentially of 8 to 15% by weight of silicon, 1 to 4% by weight of copper, 0.05 to 0.6% by weight of magnesium, and the balance being aluminum. A mean grain size of silicon crystal in eutectic structure is controlled to be 5 .mu.m or less. The drums are provided with a diagonal or helical guiding path on the peripheries thereof in which there are formed on the guiding path generally continuous, fine machining lines having a roughness (H max) of 1 to 6 .mu.m, preferably 2 to 5 .mu.m, in a direction parallel with sliding travel of a magnetic tape.

Abstract: An aluminum alloy consisting essentially of 8 to 15% by weight of silicon, 0.05 to 0.7% by weight of magnesium, 1 to 4.5% by weight of copper, the balance being aluminum, wherein a silicon crystal in eutectic structure crystallized out in an aluminum matrix has a mean grain size not larger than 5 microns and intermetallic compounds of magnesium and copper are finely precipitated in the matrix as age-hardening elements for the matrix, and the alloy has at least 40 kg/mm.sup.2 tensile strength and at least 10% elongation, good antiwearing and excellent workability.The disclosure is also concerned with a method of making the above-mentioned aluminum alloy.