Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha

Kabushiki Kaisha Toyota Chuo Kenkyusho

Fukuda Metal Foil & Powder Co., Ltd.

Noboru Takayanagi

Kazuhiro Akihama

Yoshimi Kizaki

Minoru Kawasaki

Akio Sato

Hiromichi Nakata

Kenji Shimoda

Kensuke Hidaka

Masayoshi Yokoi

Shozo Nagai

Isaka Kanazawa

Hiromi Nomura

A separator of a fuel cell includes a base material and a surface treatment layer formed on the base material. The surface treatment layer includes a base material-side portion made from metal and a base material opposite-side portion made from carbon formed at an atom level or composite materials of carbon and metal or semi-metal. The surface treatment layer may further include carbon particle composite layer formed on the base material opposite-side portion formed at an atom level. In a manufacturing method of the above separator of a fuel cell, the base material opposite-side portion is formed by dry coating.

Separator of a fuel cell and a manufacturing method thereof

A wear-resistant copper-based alloy includes 10.0 to 30.0% by weight Ni, 2.0 to 15.0% by weight Fe, 2.0 to 15.0% by weight Co, 0.5 to 5.0% by weight Si, 1.0 to 10.0% by weight Cr, 2.0 to 15.0% by weight at least one first optional element selected from the group consisting of Mo, Ti, Zr, Nb and V, at least one second optional element selected from the group consisting of C and O, and the balance of Cu and inevitable impurities. A carbon content 'X' and an oxygen content 'Y' satisfy the following relationships; namely: 0.ltoreq.'X'.ltoreq.0.5, 0.ltoreq.'Y'.ltoreq.0.05, and 'Y'.gtoreq.(-0.8)('X')+0.04. The wear-resistant copper-based alloy enables to improve the toughness of weld bead, and to inhibit weld bead from cracking effectively in the solidifying process of a building-up operation.

Wear-resistant copper-based alloy

A laser shock processing method by which a light absorbing material is evaporated by irradiation of laser light and a shock is applied to a metallic workpiece by utilizing an increase in pressure due to the evaporation of the light absorbing material. In this method, the absorbing material is sprayed on the workpiece under the control of a coating spraying control unit while the thickness of a coating formed on the workpiece is simultaneously measured by a thickness gauge provided with a sensor. Thus, a coating of even thickness is formed on the workpiece. Thereby, evaporation of the coating can be uniformly generated by the irradiation of laser light after the formation of overlays. Further, a shock due to the evaporation of the coating can be uniformly applied to the workpiece. Moreover, the laser shock processing can be performed on a large area of the surface of the workpiece uniformly. Furthermore, uniform compressive stress can be imparted thereto. Therefore, the variation in fatigue strength in the processed area can be eliminated.

Laser shock method utilizing light absorbing material

An amorphous magnetic film is produced by irradiating laser beams onto a magnetic metallic target and depositing an evaporated material on a substrate. During or after the evaporation process, the film formed on the substrate is annealed at a temperature lower than a crystallization temperature. The annealing process enables elimination of stresses from the film, thereby improving soft magnetic properties.

Method of producing amorphous magnetic film

A metal target and a substrate are disposed in confronting relationship in a vacuum chamber whose interior is kept at high vacuum, and laser light is irradiated to the surface of the target to emit a high-speed evaporated material from the target. The high-speed evaporated material is then deposited on the substrate. By applying a predetermined voltage between the target and the substrate, the impact energy of the charged particles in the evaporated material on the substrate are controlled to form an amorphous metal film preferably a pure iron film.

Amorphous pure iron film

For forming a metal film of a desired property on a substrate, a target and the substrate are placed in a pressure-reducing chamber, and then pulse laser is irradiated to the target. This causes the component materials, such as ions, electrons, neutral atoms, cluster, fine grains and liquid drops, of the target to be emitted from the target, and then laser induced plasma is produced. These emissions of substances have spatial and timewise distribution determined by physical and chemical states. Then, a shielding plate having an opening is placed between the target and the substrate, and from the materials, only the material emitted in a predetermined direction is selected to control the property of the film deposited on the substrate. By locating a filter between the target and the substrate to open for a predetermined period of time, only the material emitted at a predetermined velocity can be selected. Further, by applying a predetermined d.c. voltage between the target and the substrate to control the spatial and timewise distribution of charged particles in the emitted materials, it is possible to control the velocity, order and quantity of the charged particles as the latter arrive at the substrate.

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Tajimi, Japan

Noboru Takayanagi