Abstract: A storage construction in which a spare tire of a motor vehicle is stored, comprising: a tire storage portion for storing the spare tire, which is disposed under a floor panel of the motor vehicle; a hoisting cable at one end of which a hanger engageable with a hub hole of the spare tire is provided; a hoist around which the other end of the hoisting cable is wound and which lifts the spare tire by winding the hoisting cable so as to store the spare tire in the tire storage portion and lowers the spare tire from the tire storage portion by unwinding the hoisting cable; an operating handle which is detachably inserted into an insertion portion of the hoist from a cabin of the motor vehicle such that winding and unwinding of the hoisting cable by the hoist are performed by operating the operating handle; a detachment preventing device which prevents detachment of the operating handle from the hoist before the spare tire is lifted to a hoisting completion position by the hoist; and a contact member which is secu

Abstract: A (111) cubic silicon carbide single-crystal layer is formed on a (111) silicon wafer, and then the silicon wafer is removed. Thus prepared (111) cubic silicon carbide single-crystal layer is disposed in a graphite crucible to function as a seed crystal. Silicon carbide source material powder is also held in the graphite crucible and sublimated in an atmosphere including inert gas, while controlling a temperature of the (111) cubic silicon carbide single-crystal layer to be lower than a temperature of the silicon carbide source material powder. As a result, a (0001) .alpha.-type silicon carbide single-crystal layer can be formed on the (111) cubic silicon carbide single-crystal layer with a large diameter and high quality at low cost.

Abstract: A spare tire carrier utilizing a differential gear mechanism having a wire wheel rotatably held in a housing, for winding a wire rope to lift a spare tire. The differential gear mechanism includes an internal gear coaxial and integral with the wire wheel, a drive gear meshing with the internal gear, and a drive gear plate coaxial and integral with the drive gear and adapted to come into abutment with the housing to prevent the drive gear from rotating in a wire rope unwinding direction. The drive gear is rotatably fitted on an eccentric portion of the drive shaft. The housing and the drive gear plate are provided with a stopper mechanism for stopping an eccentric motion of the drive gear plate when the drive gear plate rotates in a wire rope winding direction from its position of abutment with the housing.

Abstract: The essential feature of the invention includes that both ends of a single torsion spring are elongated to form both arms which are engaged with a swinging lever actuated by the select operation and a fixed lever in such a manner that select return force at high and low gear position in select operation is equalized. Further feature of the invention is that a select return spring is provided at an area defined independently from the select shaft and a bell crank shaft.