A cemented carbide including a hard phase, a binding phase, and inevitable impurities. The hard phase satisfies a first hard phase composed mainly of tungsten carbide, and a second hard phase composed mainly of a compound. The compound contains multiple types of metallic elements including tungsten and at least one element selected from carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, and boron. The second hard phase satisfies D10/D90<0.4, wherein D10 denotes a cumulative 10% grain size in an area-based grain size distribution on a surface or cross section of the cemented carbide, and D90 denotes a cumulative 90% grain size in the area-based grain size distribution, and satisfies .sup.2<5.0, wherein .sup.2 denotes the variance of the distance between the centroids of the nearest two of the second hard phases. The average grain size D.sub.W of the first hard phase ranges from 0.8 to 4.0 m and satisfies D.sub.M/D.sub.W<1.0, wherein D.sub.M denotes the average grain size of the second hard phase.

A multilayer piezoelectric ceramic is such that: its piezoelectric ceramic layers do not contain lead as a constituent element, and have a perovskite compound expressed by the composition formula Li.sub.xNa.sub.yK.sub.1-x-yNbO.sub.3 (where 0.02<x0.1, 0.02<x+y1), as the primary component; and the internal electrode layers are constituted by a metal containing silver by 80 percent by mass or more, and contain ceramic grains containing the same elements found in the primary component. The multilayer piezoelectric element has a long lifespan, and whose internal electrode layers have a high content percentage of silver.

An oxide sintered body is obtained by sintering indium oxide, gallium oxide and tin oxide. The oxide sintered body has a relative density of 90% or more and an average grain size of 10 m or less. In the oxide sintered body, the relations 30 atomic %[In]50 atomic %, 20 atomic %[Ga]30 atomic % and 25 atomic %[Sn]45 atomic % are satisfied. [In], [Ga] and [Sn] are ratios of contents (atomic %) of indium gallium and tin, respectively, to all metal elements contained in the oxide sintered body. The oxide sintered body has an InGaO.sub.3 phase which satisfies the relation [InGaO.sub.3]0.05.

The present invention provides a piezoelectric material not containing lead and potassium, showing satisfactory insulation and piezoelectricity, and having a high Curie temperature. The invention relates to a piezoelectric material includes a main component containing a perovskite-type metal oxide represented by Formula (1): (Na.sub.xBa.sub.1-y)(Nb.sub.yTi.sub.1-y)O.sub.3 (wherein, 0.80x0.94 and 0.83y0.94), and an additive component containing at least one element selected from Mn and Ni, wherein the content of the Ni is 0 mol or more and 0.05 mol or less based on 1 mol of the perovskite-type metal oxide, and the content of the Mn is 0 mol or more and 0.005 mol or less based on 1 mol of the perovskite-type metal oxide.

This composite sintered body is a ceramic composite sintered body which includes aluminum oxide which is a main phase, and silicon carbide which is a sub-phase, the composite sintered body including an interface layer which includes, as a forming material, a material other than the aluminum oxide and the silicon carbide, at an interface between a crystal grain of the aluminum oxide and a crystal grain of the silicon carbide in a grain boundary.

A cBN sintered compact includes a binder phase that contains a TiAl alloy containing at least one of the Si, Mg, and Zn elements, Ti.sub.2CN, TiB.sub.2, AlN, and Al.sub.2O.sub.3; the ratio I.sub.Ti2CN/I.sub.TiAl is 2.0 or more and 30.0 or less, wherein I.sub.Ti2CN represents the intensity of the Ti.sub.2CN peak appearing at 2? from 41.9? to 42.2? and I.sub.TiAl represents the intensity of the TiAl alloy peak appearing at 2? from 39.0? to 39.3? in XRD; and, in the mapped image of each element of Ti, Al, Si, Mg, and Zn by Auger electron spectroscopy, the ratio S.sub.TiAlM/S.sub.TiAl, is 0.05 or more and 0.98 or less wherein S.sub.TiAlM represents the average area of the portions wherein Ti, Al and at least one selected from the group consisting of Si, Mg, and Zn overlap and S.sub.TiAl represents the average area of the portions where Ti and Al overlap.

A method of producing polycrystalline Y.sub.3Ba.sub.5Cu.sub.8O.sub.y (Y-358) whereby powders of yttrium (III) oxide, a barium (II) salt, and copper (II) oxide are pelletized, calcined at 850 to 950? C. for 8 to 16 hours, ball milled under controlled conditions, pelletized again and sintered in an oxygen atmosphere at 900 to 1000? C. for up to 72 hours. The polycrystalline Y.sub.3Ba.sub.5Cu.sub.8O.sub.y thus produced is in the form of elongated crystals having an average length of 2 to 10 ?m and an average width of 1 to 2 ?m, and embedded with spherical nanoparticles of yttrium deficient Y.sub.3Ba.sub.5Cu.sub.8O.sub.y having an average diameter of 5 to 20 nm. The spherical nanoparticles are present as agglomerates having flower-like morphology with an average particles size of 30 to 60 nm. The ball milled polycrystalline Y.sub.3Ba.sub.5Cu.sub.8O.sub.y prepared under controlled conditions shows significant enhancement of superconducting and flux pinning properties.

A sintered material includes diamond grains and a binder. A boron concentration in the diamond grains is more than or equal to 0.001 mass % and less than or equal to 0.9 mass %. A boron concentration in the binder is more than or equal to 0.5 mass % and less than or equal to 40 mass %.

Various shaped abrasive particles are disclosed. Each shaped abrasive particle includes a body having at least one major surface and a side surface extending from the major surface.

A method for producing a ceramic complex includes: preparing a raw material mixture that contains 5% by mass or more and 40% by mass or less of first rare earth aluminate fluorescent material particles containing an activating element and a first rare earth element different from the activating element, 0.1% by mass or more and 32% by mass or less of oxide particles containing a second rare earth element, and the balance of aluminum oxide particles, relative to 100% by mass of the total amount of the first rare earth aluminate fluorescent material particles, the oxide particles, and the aluminum oxide particles; preparing a molded body of the raw material mixture; and obtaining a sintered body by calcining the molded body in a temperature range of 1,550 C. or higher and 1,800 C. or lower.