The Japan Steel Works, Ltd.

Honda Motor Co., Ltd.

Yasuhiro Aoki

Hitohisa Yamada

Tadayoshi Tsukeda

Yuuichi Ienaga

Masahiko Muro

Takaaki Miyaki

The present invention relates to a casting mold having a molten metal received therein which is rotated in one direction by a rotary device with the vertical axis as a rotary axis while solidifying the molten metal for a predetermined period of time, and, after the predetermined period of time is lapsed, the casting mold is rotated in the direction opposite the direction of rotation for a predetermined period of time, and the rotation in the opposing directions is repeated so that the molten metal is solidified. The molten metal can be shaken and agitated without roughening the surface of the molten metal to uniformalize the distribution of temperature of the molten metal in the casting mold.

Casting method and casting apparatus

The present invention is to obtain a Ti&mdash;Zn&mdash;Mn&mdash;V&mdash;Fe based hydrogen storage alloy having the excellent hydrogen absorbing and discharging performance at a low cost. An alloy represented by the general formula: Ti Zr Mn V Fe (wherein 0&lE;x&lE;0.5, 0<y&lE;0.6, 0<z&lE;0.2, and 1.8&lE;w&lE;2.2) is produced using a ferrovanadium (alloy of a V and an Fe) as one of the raw materials. The oxygen content of the alloy is limited to 5,000 ppm or less. A hydrogen storage alloy having the excellent hydrogen absorbing and discharging performance can be produced using an inexpensive ferrovanadium. Furthermore, an impurity oxygen, which adversely effect the performance, can be limited easily.

Hydrogen storage alloy having laves phase and production method therefor

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Hokkaido, Japan

Yasuhiro Aoki