An aluminum alloy wire rod has a composition consisting of Mg: 0.10 to 1.00 mass %, Si: 0.10 to 1.00 mass %, Fe: 0.01 to 1.40 mass %, Ti: 0.000 to 0.100 mass %, B: 0.000 to 0.030 mass %, Cu: 0.00 to 1.00 mass %, Ag: 0.00 to 0.50 mass %, Au: 0.00 to 0.50 mass %, Mn: 0.00 to 1.00 mass %, Cr: 0.00 to 1.00 mass %, Zr: 0.00 to 0.50 mass %, Hf: 0.00 to 0.50 mass %, V: 0.00 to 0.50 mass %, Sc: 0.00 to 0.50 mass %, Co: 0.00 to 0.50 mass %, Ni: 0.00 to 0.50 mass %, and the balance: Al and incidental impurities. A dispersion density of compound particles having a size of 20-1000 nm is 1 particle/μm.sup.2 or higher. In a distribution of the compound particles in the aluminum alloy wire rod, a maximum dispersion density of the compound particles is less than or equal to five times a minimum dispersion density of the compound particles.

To provide a Ni ball having a low α dose and high sphericity even when it contains impurity elements other than Ni in certain amounts. The Ni ball contains an element U, a content thereof being 5 ppb or less, and an element Th, a content thereof being 5 ppb or less, wherein a purity of the Ni ball is 99.9% or more but 99.995% or less, an α dose thereof is 0.0200 cph/cm.sup.2 or less, a content of either Pb or Bi, or a total content of both Pb and Bi is 1 ppm or more, and a sphericity thereof is 0.90 or more, in order to prevent any software errors and reduce connection failure.

To provide a Ni ball having a low α dose and high sphericity even when it contains impurity elements other than Ni in certain amounts. The Ni ball contains an element U, a content thereof being 5 ppb or less, and an element Th, a content thereof being 5 ppb or less, wherein a purity of the Ni ball is 99.9% or more but 99.995% or less, an α dose thereof is 0.0200 cph/cm.sup.2 or less, a content of either Pb or Bi, or a total content of both Pb and Bi is 1 ppm or more, and a sphericity thereof is 0.90 or more, in order to prevent any software errors and reduce connection failure.

A method of forming a high strength aluminum alloy. The method comprises subjecting an aluminum material containing at least one of magnesium, manganese, silicon, copper, and zinc at a concentration of at least 0.1% by weight to an equal channel angular extrusion (ECAE) process. The method produces a high strength aluminum alloy having an average grain size from about 0.2 μm to about 0.8 μm and a yield strength from about 300 MPa to about 650 MPa.

A copper alloy sheet or strip for a lead frame of LED includes specific amounts of Fe, P, Zn, and Sn with the remainder being Cu and unavoidable impurities. A surface roughness thereof is less than 0.06 μm in terms of arithmetic average roughness Ra and is less than 0.5 μm in terms of ten-point average roughness Rz.sub.JIS. The number of groove-shaped recesses present on the surface, each having a length of 5 μm or more and a depth of 0.25 μm or more, is 2 or less in a range of a square of 200 μm×200 μm with a pair of its sides running in transverse to a rolling direction. A thickness of a work affected layer formed of fine grains on the surface is 0.5 μm or less.

A method can include pressing material to form a billet where the material includes aluminum and one or more metals selected from a group consisting of alkali metals, alkaline earth metals, group 12 transition metals, and basic metals having an atomic number equal to or greater than 31; extruding the billet to form extrudate; and forming a degradable component from the extrudate.

Provided is an α+β titanium alloy hot-rolled sheet consisting of, in mass %, Al: 4.7 to 5.5%, Fe: 0.5 to 1.4%, N: less than or equal to 0.03%, Si: 0.15 to 0.40%, a ratio of Si/O: 0.80 to 2.80, [O].sub.eq in Expression (1): more than or equal to 0.13% and less than 0.25%, and the balance: Ti and impurities. In a case where an ND direction represents a normal direction of the hot-rolled sheet, a TD direction represents a sheet-width direction of the hot-rolled sheet, a c-axis orientation represents a normal direction of a (0001) plane in an α phase, XND represents a strongest intensity among X-ray (0002) reflection relative intensities of crystal grains in which the c-axis orientation is in a range of 30° from the ND direction, and XTD represents a strongest intensity among intensities in which the c-axis orientation is in a range of ±10 degrees in the TD direction, XTD/XND is more than or equal to 4.0, a Young's modulus in the sheet-width direction is more than or equal to 135 GPa, and tensile strength in the sheet-width direction is more than or equal to 1100 MPa,

[O].sub.eq=[O]+2.77[N]  Expression (1).

Improved methods for quenching a metal tube are disclosed. A method of manufacturing a metal tube generally comprises solution heat treating a metal tube at an elevated temperature, rapidly cooling the metal tube from the elevated temperature, raising the open end of the metal tube to an elevated position, and lowering the open end of the metal tube to a downward facing position, wherein the metal tube comprises an open end and an opposing closed end, wherein the immersing step comprises at least partially filling the metal tube with the cooling liquid, and developing an evolved gas inside the metal tube, wherein the raising comprises releasing at least some of the evolved gas from the metal tube via the open end, and wherein the lowering comprises draining cooling liquid from the metal tube via the open end.

A device for fixing biological soft tissue is endowed with strength and deformation performance for being used as a device for coupling biological soft tissue that has been cut or separated due to an incision or the like during a surgical procedure, and is completely degraded in vivo and discharged after adhesion of the soft tissue or after healing of the incision tissue. The device is composed of a ternary Mg alloy material of Mg—Ca—Zn. In the Mg alloy material, the Ca and Zn are contained within the solid-solubility limit with respect to the Mg. The remainder is composed of Mg and unavoidable impurities. The Zn content is 0.5 at % or less. The Ca and Zn content has a relationship of Ca:Zn=1:x (where x is 1 to 3) by atom ratio. The crystal grain structure is equiaxed, the crystal grain size according to linear intercept being 30 to 250 μm.

Disclosed is an amorphous, ductile brazing foil with a composition consisting essentially of Ni.sub.restCr.sub.aB.sub.bP.sub.cSi.sub.d with 2 atomic percent≦a≦30 atomic percent; 0.5 atomic percent≦b≦14 atomic percent; 2 atomic percent≦c≦20 atomic percent; 0 atomic percent≦d≦14 atomic percent; incidental impurities≦0.5 atomic percent; rest Ni, where c>b>c/15 and 10 atomic percent≦b+c+d≦25 atomic percent. Also disclosed is amorphous, ductile Ni-based brazing foil having a composition consisting essentially of Ni.sub.restCr.sub.aB.sub.bP.sub.cSi.sub.dC.sub.eX.sub.fY.sub.g wherein a, b, c, d, e, f, and g are numbers such that 2 atomic percent≦a≦30 atomic percent; 0.5 atomic percent≦b≦14 atomic percent; 2 atomic percent≦c≦20 atomic percent; 0 atomic percent≦d≦14 atomic percent; 0 atomic percent≦e≦5 atomic percent; 0 atomic percent≦f≦5 atomic percent; 0 atomic percent≦g≦20 atomic percent; wherein incidental impurities are present, if at all, in amounts≦0.5 atomic percent; wherein rest indicates that the balance of the composition is Ni; wherein c>b>c/15; wherein 10 atomic percent≦b+c+d≦25 atomic percent, wherein X is one or more of the elements Mo, Nb, Ta, W and Cu; and wherein Y is one or both of the elements Fe and Co. Also disclosed are methods for making and using these brazing foils, and brazed objects produced therefrom.