Sumitomo Electric Industries, Limited

Tokyo Tungsten Co., Ltd.

Nissan Motor Company Limited

Kabushiki Kaisha Riken

Nissin Electric Co., Ltd.

Nippon Itf, Inc

Itami Works of Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd.

Hisanori Ohara

Haruyo Fukui

Yoshiharu Utsumi

Satoru Kukino

Michiko Ota

Miki Irie

Shigehiko Takaoka

Hideki Moriguchi

Makoto Setoyama

Kiyoshi Ogata

Yasuhiro Katoh

Naoto Okazaki

Kazuhiko Oda

Hiromu Kawai

Satoshi Ohtani

Noriyuki Abe

Takao Nishioka

Akihiko Ikegaya

Yutaka Mabuchi

Tetsuo Nakai

Toshio Nomura

Yoshiteru Yasuda

Keiichi Tsuda

Tomohiro Fukaya

Kenji Matsunuma

Mitsunori Kobayashi

Hitoshi Oyama

Nobuyuki Kitagawa

Junichi Shiraishi

Koji Sato

Masahiko Shioda

Kazuo Noguchi

Katsuya Uchino

Masaki Moronuki

Takashi Yoshioka

Takehiko Hayashi

Masuo Chudo

Satoshi Okamoto

Takashi Matsui

Reizo Murakami

Mototaka Ishihara

Hiroshi Arimoto

Yasutaka Okada

An amorphous hard carbon film comprising a first amorphous carbon layer substantially consists only of carbon formed on a substrate surface and a second amorphous carbon layer substantially consists only of carbon formed on the surface of the first amorphous carbon layer, wherein the transmission electron microscope image of the first amorphous carbon layer is brighter than that of the second amorphous carbon layer when the cross section is observed.

Hard amorphous carbon film

An amorphous carbon film is provided with a density of 2.8-3.3 g/cm. It would be preferable for the film to have: a spin density of 1&#xd7;10-1&#xd7;10spins/cm; a carbon concentration of at least 99.5 atomic percentage; a hydrogen concentration of no more than 0.5 atomic percentage; an inert gas element concentration of no more than 0.5 atomic percentage; and a Knoop hardness of 3000-7000. A mixed layer with a thickness of at least 0.5 nm and no more than 10 nm is formed from a parent material and at least material selected from: B, Al, Ti, V, Cr, Zr, Nb, Mo, Hf, Ta, and W. An amorphous carbon film is disposed on the mixed layer or a metallic intermediate layer formed on the mixed layer, thereby increasing adhesion. This amorphous carbon film is formed with solid carbon using sputtering, cathode-arc ion plating, or laser abrasion.

Amorphous carbon film, process for producing the same and amorphous carbon film-coated material

Disclosed is a shim or a valve lifter for an automotive engine valve driving system that slides against a cam lobe of a camshaft to drive an intake/exhaust valve of an internal combustion engine. The shim or lifter has the top of a sliding surface thereof opposing the cam lobe and being coated with a hard carbon film. The hard carbon film has a surface hardness of 1500 to 4500 kg/mmin terms of Knoop hardness, a thickness of 0.3 to 2.0 &#x3bc;m and a surface roughness Ry (&#x3bc;m) satisfying the following equation (A):&#x3c;{(0.75&#x2212;/8000)&#xd7;&#x2003;&#x2003;(A)where h is the thickness (&#x3bc;m) of the hard carbon film; and Hk is the knoop hardness (kg/mm) of the hard carbon film. By imparting durability, reliability and a low friction coefficient to the hard carbon film that is said to be low in ductility to prevent the hard carbon film from becoming cracked and separated when applied to the sliding portion.

Automotive engine valve mechanism system shim and lifter of these and cam shaft

Amorphous carbon coated tools include substrates formed from a cubic boron nitride sintered body, a diamond sintered body, a silicon nitride sintered body, or an aluminum oxide-titanium carbide sintered body, and amorphous carbon films thereon to make the cutting edges of the tools. The amorphous carbon films contain hydrogen at 5 atomic percent or below and have a maximum thickness of 0.05 &#x3bc;m to 0.5 &#x3bc;m on the cutting edges. The amorphous carbon films are most suitable for applications to cutting tools exemplified by cutters, knives, and slitters, and to indexable inserts used for example in turning tools including drills, endmills, and reamers, and milling cutters.

Amorphous carbon coated tools and method of producing the same

An amorphous carbon coated tool includes a base material of WC base cemented carbide, and an amorphous carbon film formed on this base material. The cobalt content in the base material is at least 12% by mass. The maximum thickness of the amorphous carbon film is at least 0.05 &#x3bc;m and not more than 0.5 &#x3bc;m at the cutting edge. The amorphous carbon film is deposited with graphite as the source material by physical vapor deposition in an atmosphere substantially absent of hydrogen. The amorphous carbon film coated tool superior in wear resistance and adhesion resistance is preferably applicable to rotating tools such as drills, end mills and reamers, indexable inserts used for milling cutters and turning tools, and cutting-off tools such as cutters, knives, or slitters.

Amorphous carbon coated tool and fabrication method thereof

An information providing center calculates an estimated traveling time to elapse before a vehicle arrives at a destination by using traveling information transmitted from an on-vehicle system and determines contents information to be provided to the on-vehicle system in conformance to the calculated traveling time. The information providing center prepares a program list containing the contents information that has been selected, information indicating the order in which the contents information is to be played and media information indicating how the contents information is to be obtained and transmits the program list to the on-vehicle system. The on-vehicle system obtains and plays the contents information as indicated in the transmitted program list.

Vehicle information providing apparatus, on-vehicle information playing apparatus, vehicle information providing method and on-vehicle information playing method

A coated sintered body can be used for a cutting tool for precision machining of hardened steel. The coated PCBN cutting tool includes a substrate which contains not less than 35 volume % and not more than 85 volume % of CBN, and a hard coated layer formed on the substrate. The hard coated layer comprises at least one compound layer consisting of at least one element selected from the group 4a, 5a, and 6a elements of the periodic table and Al, and at least one element selected from C, N and O. The thickness of the layer is not less than 0.3 &mgr;m and not more than 10 &mgr;m. The center-line mean roughness of the hard coated layer is not more than 0.1 &mgr;m.

Coated PCBN cutting tools

In a surface-coated boron nitride sintered compact tool, at least a part of the tool edge related with cutting is based on a substrate of a high pressure phase type boron nitride, and a surface-coated layer is provided on the surface thereof. The surface-coated layer includes an intermediate layer present in a continuous manner at the interface of the high pressure phase boron nitride sintered compact substrate, and further includes a hard coated layer formed thereon. The intermediate layer consists of at least one element selected from the Groups 4a, 5a and 6a of the Periodic Table, and has a mean thickness of 0.005 to 0.05 &mgr;m. Thereby, a markedly improved adhesive strength of the hard coated layer on the substrate is achieved.

Tool of a surface-coated boron nitride sintered compact

In a surface-coated boron nitride sintered compact tool, at least a part of the tool edge related with cutting is based on a substrate of a high pressure phase type boron nitride, and a surface-coated layer is provided on the surface thereof. The surface-coated layer includes an intermediate layer present in a discontinuous manner or in the form of dispersed particles at the interface of the high pressure phase boron nitride sintered compact substrate, and further includes a hard coated layer formed thereon. The intermediate layer consists of at least one element selected from the Groups 4a, 5a and 6a of the Periodic Table, and has a thickness of at most 1 &mgr;m, or has a proportion of 1 to 20 vol % of particles with a particle diameter of 0.1 to less than 0.5 &mgr;m and at most 5 vol. % of particles with a particle diameter of at least 0.5 &mgr;m. Thereby, a markedly improved adhesive strength of the hard coated layer on the substrate is achieved.

A valve-open-close mechanism is proposed which has parts designed to reduce friction during sliding. The electromagnetic actuator comprises a pair of electromagnets each having a stator and a coil opposed to each other with a gap therebetween, an armature disposed in the gap, and a first stem for transmitting to external the movement of said armature. A retainer and a first return spring are provided on the valve. A second stem is provided at other side of the armature and another retainer and a second return spring are provided for the second stem. A coating film is formed on at least one of the surface or end face of the stem portion of the valve, end faces of the first return spring or second return spring, spring bearing end faces of the retainers, surface or end face of the second stem, and the surface of the armature.

Electromagnetic actuator and valve-open-close mechanism

A coated tool includes a base material and a wear-resistant coating film formed on the base material. The composition of the wear-resistant coating film is expressed as (Ti.sub.x,Al.sub.y,V.sub.z)(C.sub.u,N.sub.v,O.sub.w). Relations x+y+z=1, u+v+w=1, 0.2&lt;x&lt;1, 0.ltoreq.y&lt;0.8, 0.02.ltoreq.z&lt;0.6, 0.ltoreq.u&lt;0.7, 0.3&lt;v.ltoreq.1 and 0.ltoreq.w&lt;0.5 hold between x, y, z, u, v and w. The thickness of the wear-resistant coating film is at least 0.5 .mu.m and not more than 15 .mu.m. A coated cutting tool in particular includes a base material consisting of cemented carbide and a wear-resistant coating film formed on the surface of the base material. The wear-resistant coating film includes a titanium nitride film which is formed to be in contact with the surface of the base material, and a composite nitride film, formed on the titanium nitride film, containing titanium, vanadium, nitrogen and an unavoidable impurity or titanium, aluminum, vanadium, nitrogen and an unavoidable impurity, or a composite carbo-nitride film, formed on the titanium nitride film, containing titanium, vanadium, carbon, nitrogen and an unavoidable impurity or titanium, aluminum, vanadium, carbon, nitrogen and an unavoidable impurity. The outermost surface of the wear-resistant coating film is coated with a low melting point oxide, containing vanadium oxide, having a melting point of not more than 1000.degree. C.

Coated tool and method of manufacturing the same

Coated cutting tool and a process for the production of the same

A long-life, inexpensive rotary anode for use in an X-ray tube having an X-ray generating layer formed by CVD on a graphite substrate and capable of producing high-power X-rays without the possibility of thermal cracks or delamination. When forming the X-ray generating layer of a tungsten-rhenium alloy on the graphite substrate through a rhenium intermediate layer by CVD, material gases are supplied intermittently so that the entire part or only the surface area of the X-ray generating layer will be formed of laminated structure of ultra-thin films each 0.1-5.0 microns thick. The content of rhenium in the tungsten-rhenium alloy forming the X-ray generating layer has a gradient form, i.e. increases from the interface with the rhenium intermediate layer toward the surface, so that the total amount of rhenium added can be reduced.

Rotary anode for x-ray tube

A method for manufacturing a rotary anode for use in an X-ray tube is proposed. The method has the step of forming, on a graphite substrate plate, an intermediate layer of rhenium by subjecting a metallic chloride to the thermal decomposition CVD process at a substrate temperature of 1200.degree. C. or more. The method further has the step of forming, on the intermediate layer, an X-ray generating layer of tungsten or tungsten-rhenium alloy by subjecting a metallic fluoride to the hydrogen reduction thermal CVD process.

Method for manufacturing a rotary anode for X-ray tube

A rotary anode for use in an X-ray tube has a graphite substrate plate, an intermediate layer made of a metal that does not react with graphite, and an X-ray generating layer provided on the intermediate layer for generating X-rays when electron impact is applied. The intermediate layer is a rhenium film having an equiaxed grain structure. A method for manufacturing such a rotary anode is proposed. The method has the step of forming, on a graphite substrate plate, an intermediate layer of rhenium by subjecting a metallic chloride to the thermal decomposition CVD process at a substrate temperature of 1200.degree. C. or more. The method further has the step of forming, on the intermediate layer, an X-ray generating layer of tungsten or tungsten-rhenium alloy by subjecting a metallic fluoride to the hydrogen reduction thermal CVD process.

Rotary anode for X-ray tube and method for manufacturing the same

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Itami, Japan

Hisanori Ohara