A raw material for thixomolding includes a magnesium-based alloy powder which contains calcium in an amount of 0.2 mass % or more and 5 mass % or less and aluminum in an amount of 2.5 mass % or more and 12 mass % or less, wherein the magnesium-based alloy powder includes an oxide layer which has an average thickness of 30 nm or more and 100 nm or less and contains at least one of calcium and aluminum as an outermost layer. The average dendrite secondary arm spacing of crystal structures of the magnesium-based alloy powder is preferably 5 μm or less.

A magnetic core powder including granular powder A of Fe-based, magnetic, crystalline metal material and granular powder B of Fe-based, magnetic, amorphous metal material; the particle size d50A of granular powder A at a cumulative frequency of 50 volume % being 0.5 μm or more and 7.0 μm or less, and the particle size d50B of granular powder B at a cumulative frequency of 50 volume % being more than 15.0 μm, in a cumulative distribution curve showing the relation between particle size and cumulative frequency from the smaller particle size side, determined by a laser diffraction method; the magnetic core powder meeting (d90M−d10M)/d50M of 1.6 or more and 6.0 or less, d10M being a particle size at a cumulative frequency of 10 volume %, d50M being a particle size at a cumulative frequency of 50 volume %, and d90M being a particle size at a cumulative frequency of 90 volume %.

A metal member according to this invention is composed of polycrystals of a metal made of ruthenium or an alloy containing ruthenium at a maximum ratio. The aspect ratio of a crystal grain of the polycrystalline metal member is 1.5 or more. A plurality of crystal grains forming the metal member are arranged with their major axes being pointed in the same direction, and the number of crystal grains in a section in the major axis direction of the crystal grains is 120 or less per 1 mm.sup.2.

A method for producing a powder of a reinforced alloy (ODS alloy) in which the grains forming the particles of the powder comprise a metal matrix, in the volume of which crystalline oxide particles are dispersed, said method comprising the following successive steps: i) providing a powder mixture to be milled comprising a master alloy intended to form the metal matrix and an additional powder comprising at least one intermediate intended to incorporate atoms intended to form the dispersed oxide particles; ii) milling the powder mixture according to a mechanical synthesis process for making a precursor powder; iii) subjecting the precursor powder to a thermal plasma generated by a plasma torch comprising a plasma gas, in order to obtain the reinforced alloy powder.

The method of the invention is particularly suitable for producing an ODS alloy that has optimized characteristics of composition and/or microstructure.

The invention also relates to the ODS alloy powder obtained by the method of production, and the use thereof.

A thermoelectric conversion material includes a sintered body including a main phase including a plurality of crystal grains including Ce, Mn, Fe, and Sb and forming a skuttterudite structure, and a grain boundary between crystal grains adjacent to each other. The grain boundary includes a sintering aid phase including at least Mn, Sb, and O. Thus, with respect to a skutterudite-type thermoelectric conversion material including Sb, which is a sintering-resistant material, it is possible to improve sinterability while maintaining a practical dimensionless figure-of-merit ZT, and to reduce processing cost.

An aluminum alloy forging includes 0.30 mass % or more and 1.0 mass % or less of Cu; 0.63 mass % or more and 1.30 mass % or less of Mg; 0.45 mass % or more and 1.45 mass % or less of Si; the balance being Al and inevitable impurities, wherein the following relations are satisfied,
[Mg content]×1.587≥−4.1×[Cu content].sup.2+7.8×[Cu content]−1.9  (1)
[Si content]×2.730≥−4.1×[Cu content].sup.2+7.8×[Cu content]−1.9  (2)
and the ratio of the integrated intensity Q1 of the X-ray diffraction peak of the CuAl.sub.2 phase to the integrated intensity Q2 of the X-ray diffraction peak of the (200) plane of the Al phase obtained by the X-ray diffraction method, Q1/Q2, is 2×10.sup.−1 or less.

A copper alloy sheet material that is excellent in surface smoothness of an etched surface has a composition containing, (mass %), from 1.0 to 4.5% of Ni, from 0.1 to 1.2% of Si, from 0 to 0.3% of Mg, from 0 to 0.2% of Cr, from 0 to 2.0% of Co, from 0 to 0.1% of P, from 0 to 0.05% of B, from 0 to 0.2% of Mn, from 0 to 0.5% of Sn, from 0 to 0.5% of Ti, from 0 to 0.2% of Zr, from 0 to 0.2% of Al, from 0 to 0.3% of Fe, from 0 to 1.0% of Zn, the balance Cu and unavoidable impurities. A number density of coarse secondary phase particles has a major diameter of 1.0 μm or more of 4.0×10.sup.3 per square millimeter or less. KAM value measured with a step size of 0.5 μm is more than 3.00.

A FeNi ordered alloy includes a plurality of particles having a L1.sub.0 type ordered structure. A size of the particles is in a range between 200 nm and 500 nm. A volume fraction of a pore in the particles with respect to a volume of the particles having an unit of vol. % is 5% or less.

Provided is a Mn—Ta—W—Cu—O-based sputtering target including, in the component composition, Mn, Ta, W, Cu, and O. The sputtering target has a relative density of at least 90%, and includes a crystal phase of Mn.sub.4Ta.sub.2O.sub.9. Also provided is a production method for the sputtering target.

A sintered bearing bush material for a sliding bearing may include: 0.5 to 1.7 percentage by weight carbon; 0.2 to 1.2 percentage by weight manganese; 0.2 to 1.2 percentage by weight sulphur; 1.2 to 2.4 percentage by weight nickel; 1.0 to 2.1 percentage by weight molybdenum; 3.0 to 7.0 percentage by weight copper; 0.2 to 1.2 percentage by weight tin; 0 to 0.8 percentage by weight phosphorus; and a residual component.