Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha

Sumitomo Electric Industries, Limited

Honda Motor Co., Ltd.

Sumitomo Light Metal Industries, Ltd.

Toyo Aluminium Kabushiki Kaisha

The Japan Research Institute of Industrial Science

Kyo Takahashi

Masahiro Yoshida

Yoshitoshi Hagiwara

Hajime Yamada

Yoshishige Takano

Katsuyoshi Kondoh

Tetsuya Nakayasu

Yukinori Yamashita

Noritoshi Iwase

Mikio Sagara

Atsushi Murakami

Hiroyuki Horimura

Yoshinobu Takeda

Toshihiko Fukuda

Toshihiko Kaji

Hisao Hattori

Jun Kusui

Kosuke Doi

Tadashi Minoda

Koji Yamada

Kazuo Fujii

Hisayoshi Kageyama

Kazuhiko Yokoe

Yukihide Fukuda

Jun Nakahigashi

Titanium alloy that is formed by subjecting titanium alloy to a treatment containing a hydrogen storing step for making the titanium alloy store hydrogen therein, a solution-treatment step for heating the titanium alloy having the hydrogen stored therein in the hydrogen storage step to apply a solution treatment to the hydrogen-stored titanium alloy, a cooling step for cooling the heated hydrogen-stored titanium alloy to develop martensitic transformation in the hydrogen-stored titanium alloy, a hot rolling step for heating the martensitic-transformed titanium alloy to a temperature which is not more than a predetermined transformation point and hot-rolling the martensitic-transformed titanium, and a dehydrogenation step for dehydrogenating the hot-rolled titanium alloy, thereby bringing the titanium alloy with the superplastic property.

Titanium alloy, method of manufacturing high-strength titanium alloy, and method of processing titanium alloy

A frame member for use in a two-wheeled vehicle and an all-terrain vehicle that includes a plurality of Al members each made of a 7000 series Al alloy having a high strength is provided in which weld crack sensitivity is reduced and a weld joint having an excellent strength is provided. The alloy composition of the 7000 series Al alloy, which provides the Al member, containing Cu: 0.01 to 0.50%, Mg: 0.5 to 2.1%, and Zn: 4.0 to 8.5%, with the balance being Al and inevitable impurities. Further, in the production of the frame member, the plurality of Al members are integrated by welding using a filler metal containing Mg: 5.5 to 8.0%, Cr: 0.05 to 0.25%, Ti: 0.25% or less, Si: 0.4% or less, Fe: 0.4% or less, Cu: 0.1% or less, Zr: 0.05% or less and Zn: 0.25% or less, and with the balance being Al and inevitable impurities.

Frame member for use in two-wheeled vehicle and all-terrain vehicle, and method for producing the same

An exhaust control valve has a valve housing and a valve body rotatably contained within the valve housing. The valve body cooperates with the valve housing for controlling the flow of exhaust gas. A transmission member rotationally drives a valve shaft of the valve body. The valve body is formed in a cylindrical shape and coaxially with an axis line of the valve shaft. The valve body and the valve shaft are made from a one-piece body by casting. This arrangement provides an exhaust control valve for an engine having a valve body that provides excellent sealing properties, demonstrates high response to driving torque and is easy to manufacture through casting.

Exhaust control valve

In an exhaust control valve having a valve housing and a valve body rotatably contained in the valve housing, a transmission member is fitted to an outer end of the valve shaft and protrudes from the outside of the valve housing. A bearing bushing for rotatably bearing an external circumferential surface of the valve shaft by its internal circumferential surface and rotatably bearing an end face of the valve body by its end face is mounted in the valve housing. The valve body is urged by load from a thrust spring for achieving a pressure contact seal condition between the opposed end faces of the bearing bush and the valve body.

A brake disk having a disk body formed of a titanium alloy, and inner and outer friction members formed of a stainless steel and bonded to opposite surfaces of the disk body by a brazing method is disclosed. The friction members can be simply bonded to the opposite surfaces of the disk body in a manner that provides a lightweight brake disk while simultaneously suppressing cost.

Brake disk

Modern brake rotors require enhanced resistance to thermal stress in order to withstand vigorous operating conditions. A brake rotor manufactured from (.alpha.+.beta.) titanium alloy will fulfill the thermal stress requirements when an equiaxed grain structure is imposed on the alloy. The equiaxed grains can preferably range from 300 .mu.m to 3 mm in size. The equiaxed grain structure is attained by heat treating the brake rotor at the .beta. phase transformation temperature, followed by quenching. When Ti-6Al-4V titanium alloy is used to form the brake rotor, .beta. phase transformation temperature is 1000.degree. C. the heat treatment temperature range is 986-1200.degree. C. The preferable heat treatment for Ti-6Al-4V alloy is 1050.degree. C. for 2 hours.

Titanium alloy made brake rotor and its manufacturing method

A raw material for powder metallurgy contains at least 0.5 vol % and at most 10 vol % of alumina powder of which the sieve fraction with a sieve opening of 30 .mu.m is at most 0.1 wt %, and a remaining part of aluminum alloy powder. The moisture content of the alumina powder is at most 0.15 wt. % with respect to the alumina powder. Agglomeration of particles is thereby minimized or avoided. Highly reliable raw material for powder metallurgy having superior fatigue strength, impact resistance and wear resistance can be obtained. A method of preparing such a mixed powder raw material involves air classifying the powder materials, dry ball mixing the materials, and then annealing the mixed powder.

Raw material for powder metallurgy and manufacturing method thereof

A brake rotor in which deformation against thermal stress is reduced, thereby preventing a surface layer from being cracked or peeled upon operation of the brake rotor at a high temperature. A titanium alloy is heat-treated at a .beta. phase transformation temperature and is quenched, so that grains of the alloy are equiaxed up to sizes ranging from 300 .mu.m to 4 mm, whereby deformation against thermal stress is significantly improved.

A copper series sintered friction material is provided including a foundation constituted by copper alloy powder and containing hard phases and solid lubricant components dispersed uniformly, and exhibits a friction coefficient of 0.3 or more stably without seizure when the sintered friction material frictionally slides against titanium or a titanium alloy in the atmosphere, the foundation containing at least one additive element selected from Zn, Ni, Al, Fe, and Mo.

Sintered friction material

A sintered friction material having excellent high-temperature strength, heat-resistance, abrasion-resistance and .mu. characteristic, and capable of maintaining high friction coefficient stably is provided. The sintered friction material contains a foundation of titanium and/or titanium alloy powder, a solid lubricant and a fiber of hard material. The sintered friction material having the foundation of titanium and/or titanium alloy powder as the base is lined and joined onto a holder plate to form a friction pad suitable for use with a brake rotor made of titanium or titanium alloy.

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Wako, Japan

Kyo Takahashi