Abstract: A shoe for use in a swash plate type compressor, interposed between a swash plate and a piston, has a base member and metal plating layer. The base member is made of aluminum alloy. The metal plating layer coats at least a part of surface of the base member. The thickness of the metal plating layer ranges from 20 &mgr;m to 150 &mgr;m.

Abstract: A shoe for a swash plate type compressor disposed between a swash plate and a corresponding one of a plurality of pistons, the shoe being characterized by comprising: a base body formed of an aluminum alloy; and a metal plating film which covers at least a portion of a surface of the base body.

Abstract: A sliding member for a compressor, comprising a base body formed of a material which contains aluminum as a major component, and an electroless nickel plating layer formed on a surface of the base body and containing phosphorous (P) and boron (B), wherein the improvement comprises: the electroless nickel plating layer being a non heat-treated layer containing the phosphorous in an amount of 0.5-5.0 wt. % and the boron in an amount of 0.05-0.2 wt. %.

Abstract: A sliding member comprising at least one sliding layer including a solid lubricant and at least one thermosetting resin with which particles of the solid lubricant are held together, the solid lubricant containing 10-40 vol. % of polytetrafluoroethylene. A sliding device comprising: at least one first sliding member each including at least one sliding layer which includes a solid lubricant and at least one thermosetting resin with which particles of the solid lubricant are held together, the solid lubricant containing 10-40 vol. % of polytetrafluoroethylene; and at least one second sliding member plated with a nickel-based composition; and wherein the at least one first sliding member and the at least one second sliding member slide relative to each other.

Abstract: A swash plate (15) of a swash plate type compressor includes a slide-contact film (32, 33) having a metal layer, which is formed on a slide-contact surface (152, 153), which slide-contacts shoes (18), through sintering, and a resin layer (322, 332), which is formed on the metal layer. By using the metal layer, which is formed through sintering, the bonding of the resin layer and the metal layer is guaranteed, deficiencies such as cracking of a slide film and seizure are prevented, and the slide-contact characteristic relative to the shoes is improved.

Abstract: A shoe for use in a swash plate type compressor, interposed between a swash plate and a piston, has a plane sliding surface, a spherical sliding surface and a side surface. The plane sliding surface, which is substantially a plane, slides with respect to the swash plate. The spherical sliding surface, which is substantially a part of sphere surface, slides with respect to the piston. The side surface is provided between the plane sliding surface and the spherical sliding surface. The side surface includes a chamfered surface adjacent to the plane sliding surface. An angle between the chamfered surface and the extended plane sliding surface ranges from 20° to 80°.

Abstract: A shoe for use in a swash plate type compressor, interposed between a swash plate and a piston, has a base member and metal plating layer. The base member is made of aluminum alloy. The metal plating layer coats at least a part of surface of the base member. The thickness of the metal plating layer ranges from 20 &mgr;m to 150 &mgr;m.

Abstract: A method of producing a shoe for a swash plate type compressor, the shoe being disposed between a swash plate and a piston of the swash plate type compressor and formed of an aluminum alloy, the method comprising: a main forging step of forging a blank for producing the shoe into a roughly-shaped precursor shoe; a thermal refining step of thermally refining the roughly-shaped precursor shoe; and a size-adjustment forging step of forging the roughly-shaped precursor shoe which has been thermally refined, into a size-adjusted shoe.

Abstract: Lubricating films are formed on end surfaces of a swash plate, respectively. The lubricating films make slide contact with shoes, respectively. The lubricating films are made of a copper based material which contains bismuth but does not contain lead. A good slide contact characteristic may be obtained while restricting the amount of lead to be used.

Abstract: A swash plate type variable displacement compressor has a housing, a drive shaft, a swash plate and a piston. The housing includes a cylinder block, a front housing, and a rear housing. The drive shaft is rotatably supported by the housing. The swash plate is connected to the drive shaft, and is integrally rotatable with the drive shaft and tiltable relative to the drive shaft. The piston engages with the swash plate through a pair of shoes. Rotation of the drive shaft is converted to reciprocation of the piston through the swash plate and the shoes, and the displacement of the compressor is adjusted by varying the inclination angle of the swash plate with respect to the axis of the drive shaft. The swash plate includes a base member made of copper series and a sliding layer coating a sliding surface of the base member with respect to the shoes.

Abstract: Lubricating films are formed on end surfaces of a swash plate, respectively. The lubricating films make slide contact with shoes, respectively. The lubricating films are composed of a copper based material containing no lead, and solid lubricant other than lead is contained the copper based material. A good slide contact characteristic may be obtained while using no lead.

Abstract: A compressor includes pistons, each of which is coupled to a swash plate through a pair of shoes. The swash plate rotates integrally with a drive shaft. The shoes convert the rotation of the swash plate to the reciprocation of the piston. A lubricating coating made of copper-based material is formed on parts of the swash plate along which the shoes slide. The copper-based material includes silicon. The shoes smoothly slide on the swash plate, which is coated by the lubricating coating that uses minimum amount of lead.

Abstract: A spherical crown shoe is fabricated from an aluminum alloy. A cast shoe member is first fabricated by casting in such a shape having a substantially flat surface and a convex curved surface, which is similar to the shape of the shoe as a product. The cast shoe member is then formed into a formed shoe member substantially in the shape of a spherical crown, by pressing. The cast shoe member is smaller in diameter and greater in height than the formed shoe member, for example.

Abstract: Compressor may preferably include a swash plate coupled to a drive shaft, so that the swash plate will rotates in response to rotation of the drive shaft. A piston is preferably disposed within a cylinder bore. A shoe preferably couples the piston to the swash plate, so the piston will reciprocate within the cylinder bore in order to compress a refrigerant in response to rotation of the swash plate. The shoe preferably comprises a main body, a metallic hard layer at least partially disposed on the main body and an anti-friction layer at least partially disposed on the metallic hard layer. The main body preferably comprises a spherical surface portion and a substantially flat surface portion and comprises aluminum. The metallic hard layer preferably has a hardness of at least HV 300 based upon the Vickers hardness scale and is disposed on at least one of the spherical surface portion and the substantially flat surface portion.

Abstract: Compressors may preferably include a swash plate coupled to a drive shaft, so that the swash plate will rotate in response to rotation of the drive shaft. A piston is preferably disposed within a cylinder bore. A shoe preferably couples the piston to the swash plate, so the piston will reciprocate within the cylinder bore in order to compress a refrigerant in response to rotation of the swash plate. The shoe preferably comprises a main body, a metallic hard layer at least partially disposed on the main body and an anti-friction layer at least partially disposed on the metallic hard layer. The main body preferably comprises a spherical surface portion and a substantially flat surface portion and comprises aluminum. The metallic hard layer preferably has a hardness of at least HV 300 based upon the Vickers hardness scale and is disposed on at least one of the spherical surface portion and the substantially flat surface portion. The anti-friction layer preferably comprises a metal and a solid lubricating agent.

Abstract: An apparatus for stabilizing the light output frequency of each laser diode for pulse light and probe light for measuring the distribution of strain, by controlling the change of the light output frequency of the laser diode due to external causes by input current of the laser diode. The apparatus is constructed such that the frequency variation of the laser diodes is detected to then generate a signal corresponding to the variation. Then, the signal is fed back to a temperature-current controller to be used as the input current signal of the laser diode.

Abstract: The orientation of the rotating direction of an optical fiber in an optical fiber array takes the positional axial displacement into consideration. In a method of aligning the orientation of optical fibers, or the axial displacement in an optical fiber array having a plurality of optical fibers, and an optical fiber holding member, an enlarged image of the optical fiber is obtained for each of the optical fibers using an image pick-up means. Then, a distribution of the characterized image corresponding to the positions in the radial direction of the image of the optical fiber are obtained from the enlarged image. From the distribution of the characterized image, the orientation of the rotational direction to the center of the optical fiber, or the positional axial displacement of the core center, is measured.