Provided is a sliding member capable of achieving excellent wear resistance and high coating adhesion under harsh sliding conditions without subjecting a base member to nitriding treatment. The sliding member includes a base member made of a steel material and a hard coating that is formed on the base member and having a surface serving at least as a sliding surface. The hard coating has a Young's modulus having a distribution to increase first in a depth direction directed from an interface between the hard coating and the base member to the surface, to become maximum at a predetermined depth, and then to decrease in the depth direction directed from the interface to the surface.

To provide a piston ring free from microwelding to a piston while exhibiting excellent wear resistance in side surfaces, for a long period of use in a high-temperature, high-pressure environment, and its production method, a nitride layer is formed on at least one of upper and lower side surfaces of the piston ring, and then subjected to a phosphate chemical conversion treatment, such that the nitride layer has at least one of granular and vermicular surface forms.

To provide a piston ring free from microwelding to a piston while exhibiting excellent wear resistance in side surfaces, for a long period of use in a high-temperature, high-pressure environment, and its production method, a nitride layer is formed on at least one of upper and lower side surfaces of the piston ring, and then subjected to a phosphate chemical conversion treatment, such that the nitride layer has at least one of granular and vermicular surface forms.

A multi-piece oil ring includes an oil ring main member in which two rails are connected together by a columnar part and which has a roughly I-shaped cross section; and a coil expander disposed in an inner circumferential groove formed on the inner circumferential surface of the columnar. Each rail in the oil ring main member possesses a sliding section protuberance whose tip possesses a jutting portion. The axial length of the jutting portion is 0.02-0.18 mm. The change rate of the axial length of the individual jutting portion is in the range of 0 to 80% at least in a region of from its sliding surface to be faced to a cylinder, which is positioned at the tip of the jutting portion, to a position of 0.03 mm away from the aforementioned sliding surface in the radial direction of the oil ring main member.

A piston ring is made from a copper-beryllium alloy. This material permits the top compression ring of a piston to be moved closer to the piston crown, reducing crevice volume and reducing the tendency for pre-ignition. Ignition timing advance can be realized by installing the rings and letting the ECU advance the timing as the sensors allow, increasing efficiency. Also, shorter pistons and longer connecting rods are possible. The shorter pistons reduces the reciprocated mass in the engine and the longer connecting rods reduce the frictional loss caused by radial forces pushing the piston against the liner. Both reducing volume and tendency for pre-ignition increase engine efficiency.

Provided is a piston ring for an internal combustion engine that enables size reduction of a chamfered edge without leading to the chipping, and sufficient size reduction of a flow passage of a blow-by gas in a piston ring gap, thus effectively restraining the blow-by gas from passing through the piston ring gap. A piston ring 1 with a piston ring gap 2 used for an internal combustion engine includes a chamfered edge 3 continuous to at least one of piston ring end faces at the piston ring gap 2 and an outer peripheral surface 1a of the piston ring 1. The chamfered edge 3 has a curved shape.

Provided is a piston ring for an internal combustion engine that enables size reduction of a chamfered edge without leading to the chipping, and sufficient size reduction of a flow passage of a blow-by gas in a piston ring gap, thus effectively restraining the blow-by gas from passing through the piston ring gap. A piston ring 1 with a piston ring gap 2 used for an internal combustion engine includes a chamfered edge 3 continuous to at least one of piston ring end faces at the piston ring gap 2 and an outer peripheral surface 1a of the piston ring 1. The chamfered edge 3 has a curved shape.

Provided is a sliding member capable of achieving excellent wear resistance and high coating adhesion under harsh sliding conditions without subjecting a base member to nitriding treatment. The sliding member includes a base member made of a steel material and a hard coating that is formed on the base member and having a surface serving at least as a sliding surface. The hard coating has a Young's modulus having a distribution to increase first in a depth direction directed from an interface between the hard coating and the base member to the surface, to become maximum at a predetermined depth, and then to decrease in the depth direction directed from the interface to the surface.

Provided is a sliding member capable of achieving excellent wear resistance and high coating adhesion under harsh sliding conditions without subjecting a base member to nitriding treatment. The sliding member includes a base member made of a steel material and a hard coating that is formed on the base member and having a surface serving at least as a sliding surface. The hard coating has a Young's modulus having a distribution to increase first in a depth direction directed from an interface between the hard coating and the base member to the surface, to become maximum at a predetermined depth, and then to decrease in the depth direction directed from the interface to the surface.

To provide a piston ring comprising a hard carbon film that is easy to form and exhibits excellent adhesion and wear resistance, and a manufacturing method therefor. The above-described problem is solved by means of a piston ring comprising a hard carbon film 50 formed on at least an outer peripheral sliding surface 11 of a piston ring base material 1, wherein the hard carbon film 50 is a laminated film comprising a plurality of layers, including an upper layer 5 with a lamination pitch within a range of 3 nm to 50 nm inclusive, a middle layer 4 with a lamination pitch less than that of the upper layer 5, and a lower layer 3 with a lamination pitch within the same range as that of the upper layer 5 and greater than that of the middle layer 4. This hard carbon film 50 may be configured to have an sp.sup.2 component ratio within a range of 35% to 80% inclusive, measured in a TEM-EELS spectrum formed by combining electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) with a transmission electron microscope (TEM), and a hydrogen content within a range of 0.1 atom % to 5 atom % inclusive.