Abstract: A mass spectrometer is provided in which ions are favorably introduced into a loop orbit or favorably led out from the loop orbit without affecting the motion of the ions flying along the loop orbit. An ion-introduction orbit 5 is set to correspond to the orbit (ejection orbit portion 4) of ions after being bent by the sector-shaped electric field E1 in the loop orbit 4. When ions are introduced, a voltage applied to the electrode unit 11 is put to zero to release the sector-shaped electric field E1. Then the ions emitted along the ion-introduction orbit 5 fly straight in the electrode unit 11. The direction and position of the ions coming out from the exit end of the electric field is the same as those ions flying along the loop orbit 4. Therefore, there is no need for placing a deflection electrode for introducing/leading-out ions on the loop orbit.

Abstract: One virtual rod electrode (11) is composed by arraying a plurality of plate electrodes (111, . . . , 118) along an ion beam axis, and a quadrupole ion optical element (1) is constructed by arranging four virtual rod electrodes (11, 12, 13 and 14) around an ion beam axis C. A voltage-applying unit alternately applies two radio-frequency voltages having a phase difference of 180 degrees for each of the plate electrodes in one virtual rod electrode. By this voltage application, the quadrupole component of the radio-frequency electric field created within a space surrounded by the four virtual rod electrodes is decreased, while higher-order multipole components are increased. The quadrupole component yields high ion convergence and mass selectivity, while the higher-order components provide high ion transmission efficiency and ion acceptance.

Abstract: A measurement is performed in a no-passing mode, in which ions having different masses are prevented from making a complete turn through a loop orbit, to obtain a time-of-flight spectrum without the passing of ions having different masses (S1 and S2). From the time of flight and other information of the peaks appearing on the time-of-flight spectrum (S3), the number of turns and the time of flight in the loop-turn mode are predicted. Based on this prediction, a set of segments are defined on a time-of-flight spectrum in the loop-turn mode. The time widths of those segments are determined taking into account the spreads of the time widths of the aforementioned peaks. Since the number of turns is unique within each segment, the numbers of turns and the masses of the peaks can be uniquely determined as long as none of the segments overlap each other.

Abstract: An ion optical system to form a loop orbit is provided to sufficiently ensure required performance such as ion transmission efficiency while making it easy to design the system by alleviating a space-focusing condition. The loop orbit of the ion optical system is realized so as to satisfy (t|x)=(t|?)=(t|?)=0 as the time-focusing condition and to satisfy ?2<(x|x)+(?|?)<2, and ?2<(y|y)+(?|?)<2 as the space-focusing condition. (x|x) and other similar terms are constants determined by the elements indicated in the parenthesis in a general expression format of the ion optical system. The conditions are substantially alleviated as opposed to the conventional space-focusing condition where each of (x|x), (?|?), (y|y) and (?|?) needs to be ±1. Thus, the parameters to decide the shape of electrodes by which the ion optical system is configured have higher degree of freedom.

Abstract: A basic ion optical system (2) in which the temporal focusing of ions is ensured includes a plurality of sector-shaped electrodes (11, 12, 13, and 14), an ion injection slit (15), and an ion ejection slit (16), which are placed on the same plane. A plurality of basic ion optical systems (2) are placed in such a manner as to be mutually separated at predetermined intervals in the direction approximately orthogonal to their planes. The ion ejection slit (16) of the lower-stage basic ion optical system (2) and the ion injection slit (15) of the next-stage basic ion optical system (2) are connected to each other via another basic ion optical system (3) in which the temporal focusing of the ions is ensured. Accordingly, the flight distance can be elongated while assuredly achieving the temporal focusing of the ions as an entire ion optical system (1), and a three-dimensional space can be efficiently utilized to compactify the ion optical system (1).

Abstract: One cycle of loop orbit is formed by two identical time-focusing unit structures (T1 and T2). Each of the time-focusing unit structures (T1 and T2) has a time-focusing point (P1) at the injection side and a time-focusing point (P2) at the ejection side. Each of them also has an injection-side free flight space (11) with a length of L1 and an ejection-side free flight space (12) with a length of L1, respectively anterior and posterior to a basic ion optical element (10) for causing ions to fly along a substantially arc-shaped orbit. Another basic ion optical element (30) having the same configuration as that of the basic ion optical element (10) is inserted to the injection-side free flight space (11) so that the distance between the ejection end of the basic ion optical element (30) and the injection end of the basic ion optical element (10) is L1?. The length L0 of the free flight space for injecting ions to the basic ion optical element (30) is set to be the value obtained by L0=2(L1+L2)?(L1?+L2).

Abstract: One virtual rod electrode is composed by a plurality of electrode plain plates arranged in the ion optical axis direction, and four virtual rod electrodes are arranged around the ion optical axis to form a virtual quadrupole rod type ion transport optical system (30). In one virtual rod electrode, the interval between the adjacent electrode plain plates is set to be large in the anterior area (30A) and small in the posterior area (30B). As the interval between electrodes becomes larger, high-order multipole field components increase and therefore the ion acceptance is increased, which enables an efficient acceptance of ions coming from the previous stage. On the other hand, if the interval between electrodes is small, the quadrupole field components relatively increase and the ion beam's convergence is improved. Therefore, ions can be effectively introduced into a quadrupole mass filter for example in the subsequent stage, which contributes to the enhancement of the mass analysis' sensitivity and accuracy.

Abstract: A mass spectrometer is provided in which ions are favorably introduced into a loop orbit or favorably led out from the loop orbit without affecting the motion of the ions flying along the loop orbit. An ion-introduction orbit 5 is set to correspond to the orbit (ejection orbit portion 4) of ions after being bent by the sector-shaped electric field E1 in the loop orbit 4. When ions are introduced, a voltage applied to the electrode unit 11 is put to zero to release the sector-shaped electric field E1. Then the ions emitted along the ion-introduction orbit 5 fly straight in the electrode unit 11. The direction and position of the ions coming out from the exit end of the electric field is the same as those ions flying along the loop orbit 4. Therefore, there is no need for placing a deflection electrode for introducing/leading-out ions on the loop orbit.

Abstract: An ion optical system to form a loop orbit is provided to sufficiently ensure required performance such as ion transmission efficiency while making it easy to design the system by alleviating a space-focusing condition. The loop orbit of the ion optical system is realized so as to satisfy (t|x)=(t|?)=(t|?)=0 as the time-focusing condition and to satisfy ?2<(x|x)+(?|?)<2, and ?2<(y|y)+(?|?)<2 as the space-focusing condition. (x|x) and other similar terms are constants determined by the elements indicated in the parenthesis in a general expression format of the ion optical system. The conditions are substantially alleviated as opposed to the conventional space-focusing condition where each of (x|x), (?|?), (y|y) and (?|?) needs to be ±1. Thus, the parameters to decide the shape of electrodes by which the ion optical system is configured have higher degree of freedom.

Abstract: A high-rigidity composite material having a Young's modulus larger than 25,000 kgf/mm.sup.2 is disclosed, in which particles are dispersed in a matrix of a ferritic steel, and the degree of accumulation of {111} planes in a plane perpendicular to a given direction, in terms of X-ray diffraction intensity, is 30 times larger than that of equiaxial polycrystals.

Abstract: A superalloy disk to be utilized for a rotating body of an aircraft or turbine engine is manufactured by a casting mold provided with a cavity having an inner shape for forming a disk. A molten bath of superalloy melted under a vacuum or an inert gas atmosphere is poured into the casting mold under a vacuum or an inert gas atmosphere and the casting mold with the molten bath is stirred so as to prepare a rough casting of fine crystal grains by applying an external force such as an eccentric centrifugal force. The thus produced disk material may be heated thereafter. The rough casting is formed of crystal grains less than 100 .mu.m in diameter, and a rate of strain during the rotational forging is less than 10.sup.0 /sec. amd more than 10.sup.-2 /sec.

Abstract: A sintered stainless steel exhibiting improved resistance to stress corrosion cracking which comprises a matrix phase and a dispersed phase and a process for manufacturing same are disclosed. The dispersed phase is of an austenitic metallurgical structure and is dispersed throughout the matrix phase which is comprised of an austenitic metallurgical structure having a steel composition different from that of the dispersed phase or a ferrite-austenite duplex stainless steel.

Abstract: A method of producing a tube with an ultra-high tensile strength over 255 kg/mm.sup.2 and remarkably improved ductility and toughness is provided, which comprises preparing a mother tube through hot extrusion of a steel consisting essentially of 15.0 - 18.5% by weight of Ni, 12.5 - 15.0% by weight of Co, 5.0 - 6.9% by weight of Mo, 1.00 - 1.28% by weight of Ti, 0.01 - 0.20% by weight of Al and the balance essentially iron, cold working the mother tube with a reduction in wall thickness of 5 - 25%, then raising the temperature of the resulting tube to a temperature of 800 - 950.degree. C in a period of from 20 minutes to 2 hours and maintaining the heated tube at this temperature for from 30 minutes to 3 hours, and, after cooling to or below room temperature, ageing the cooled tube at a temperature of 450.degree. - 550.degree. C for 1 - 10 hours.