Mitsubishi Kinzoku Kabushiki Kaisha

Mitsubishi Metal Corporation

Hidetoshi Akutsu

Takuro Iwamura

Masao Kobayashi

A novel synchronizer ring for use in a speed variator that is made of a Cu base alloy and which exhibits good initial accommodation by mating surfaces while ensuring high wear resistance is disclosed. The ring is made of a Cu base alloy containing 20-40% Zn (all percents being on a weight basis), 2-8% Al, and at least two components (intermetallic compound forming components) selected from among the following five elements, i.e., 0.1-3% of at least one of Ti, Zr and Cr, 0.1-3% Sn, 0.1-6% of at least one of Fe, Ni and Co, 0.1-5% Mn and 0.2-2% Si, and optionally at least one additional component that differs from said selected two components and which is selected from among 0-5% Mn, 0-3% Sn and 0-3% of at least one of Ti, Zr and Cr, and the balance being Cu and incidental impurities. The ring also has either an oxide film layer of aluminum oxide base with an average thickness of 0.1-10 .mu.m or a work-hardened layer with an average thickness of 5-300 .mu.m formed on the surface of the ring where it is to contact a mating member.

Synchronizer ring in speed variator made of copper-base alloy

A novel synchronizer ring for use in speed variators that is made of an iron-base sintered alloy and which has high strength and wear resistance while exhibiting good accommodation by the mating surface is disclosed. This synchronizer ring is made of an iron-base sintered alloy that contains 0.1-0.9 wt % C., and at least one optional element selected from among 0.1-6 wt % of at least one of Mn, Cr and Mo, 0.1-6 wt % of at least one of Ni and Cu, and 0.02-0.5 wt % B, the balance being Fe and incidental impurities (Si, S and P as incidental impurities being present in a total amount not exceeding 0.5 wt %), and which has a porosity of 0.05-5 vol %. The properties of this ring, notably its wear resistance, can be further improved by forming either a hard Ni-P compound layer or a nitrided layer on at least the surface of the above-specified sintered alloy which is to make sliding contact with a tapered cone.

Synchronizer ring in speed variator made of iron-base sintered alloy

A synchronizer ring for use in an automotive speed variator. The ring not only has high strength and toughness but also exhibits high wear resistance, as well as good synchronizing characteristics with respect to a mating member as expressed in terms of friction coefficient. The Cu alloy of which this ring is made has one of the following compositions: (1) 17-40% Zn (all percents are on a weight basis), 2-11% Al and 50-3,000 ppm of oxygen, as well as 0.1-3.5% of at least one element selected from among Ti, Zr and V, 0.003-0.3% Mg and with at least one optional element selected from among Fe, Ni, Co, P, Ca, Mn, Sn, Si and Pb, the balance being Cu and incidental impurities; or (2) 17-40% Zn, 2-11% Al, 0.5-6% Mn, 0.1-2% Si, 0.1-3% of at least one of Fe, Ni and Co, 0.003-0.3% of Mg, and 30-1,000 ppm of oxygen, with at least one optional element selected from among P, Ca, Cr, Pb and Sn, and with the balance being Cu and incidental impurities. In these two compositions, intermetallic compounds and oxides are uniformly dispersed in the matrix.

Synchronizer ring in speed variator made of wear-resistant copper alloy

A semiconductor device having leads of high strength and elongation and which consist essentially of a copper alloy that contains 0.05-1% of Cr, 0.005-0.3% of Zr, 0.001-0.05% of Li, 0-1% of Ni, 0-1% of Sn, 0-1% of Ti, 0-0.1% of Si and 0.001-0.3% of at least one element selected from the group consisting of P, Mg, Al, Zn and Mn, with the balance being Cu and no more than 0.1% of incidental impurities, the percent being on a weight basis. The invention also provides a semiconductor device having leads of high strength and elongation and which consist essentially of a copper alloy that contains either 0.05-1% of Cr or 0.005-0.3% of Zr or both, 0.001-0.05% of Li, 0-1% of Ni, 0-1% of Sn, 0-1% of Ti, 0-0.1% of Si and which further contains one or more of 0-2% of a metal selected from the group consisting of Fe, Co and Be, 0-1% of a metal selected from the group consisting of Mg, Al, Zn, Mn, B, P, Y and a rare earth element, and 0-2% of a metal selected from the group consisting of Nb, V, Ta, Hf, Mo and W, the percent being on a weight basis, with the balance being copper and incidental impurities, and which has a structure wherein the average grain size of any eutectic crystal present is no more than 10 .mu.m, the average grain size of any precipitate present is no more than 0.1 .mu.m, and the average size of any crystalline grains present is no more than 50 .mu.m.

Semiconductor device having copper alloy leads

Copper alloy lead materials used in the fabrication of semiconductor devices such as ICs and LSIs are required to have a tensile strength of 40 kgf/mm.sup.2 or more, an elongation of 4% or more, an electrical conductivity of 50% IACS or more, and a softening point of 400.degree. C. or higher. The copper alloy lead material of the present invention exhibits even higher degrees of tensile strength and elongation and yet satisfy the values of electrical conductivity and softening point that are required for Cu alloy lead materials to be used with ordinary semiconductor devices. Therefore, the Cu alloy lead material of the present invention is applicable not only to ordinary semiconductor devices but also to those with higher packing densities while displaying equally superior performance.

Growing community of inventors

Kitamoto, Japan

Hidetoshi Akutsu