Disclosed is an apparatus having a rotatable wheel with a planar external circumferential surface, which is flat in a direction parallel to the axis of rotation of the wheel, at least one nozzle having a nozzle opening for directing a molten metal onto the circumferential surface and a collection means for collecting solidified fibers of metal formed on the circumferential surface from the molten metal and separated from the circumferential surface by centrifugal force generated by rotation of the wheel. The nozzle has a rectangular cross-section having a width of the nozzle opening in the circumferential direction of rotation of the wheel and a length transverse to the circumferential surface of the wheel which is greater than the width. An apparatus is provided for controlling a gas pressure applied to the liquid metal and delivers it to the circumferential surface of the rotatable wheel.

A soft magnetic alloy including a composition having a formula of ((Fe.sub.(1-(+))X1.sub.X2.sub.).sub.(1-(a+b+c+d+e))M.sub.aB.sub.bP.sub.cCr.sub.dCu.sub.e).sub.1-fC.sub.f. X1 is one or more elements selected from a group of Co and Ni. X2 is one or more elements selected from a group of W, Al, Mn, Ag, Zn, Sn, As, Sb, Bi, N, O, and rare earth elements. M is one or more elements selected from a group of Nb, Hf, Zr, Ta, Ti, Mo, and V. 0.030a0.14, 0.028b0.20, 0<c0.014, 0<d0.040, 0e0.030, 0f0.040, 0, 0, and 0+0.50 are satisfied.

A rotary roller surface cleaning method and a rotary roller surface cleaning apparatus which, when foreign matter is detected on a surface of a rotary roller of a quenched ribbon manufacturing apparatus, remove the foreign matter by irradiating the foreign matter with a laser having an output value corresponding to a thickness of the foreign matter. At least one of a rotation speed of the rotary roller and a laser response time is adjusted such that the rotation speed of the rotary roller and the laser response time satisfy a relational expression VSD/1000 (D0.1 mm), where the rotation speed of the rotary roller is V (m/sec), the laser response time is S (sec), and a length of the foreign matter along a circumferential direction of the rotary roller is D (mm).

The instant invention relates to a magnetocaloric material based on NdPrFe.sub.17 melt-spun ribbons. This material has improved properties when compared with other similar magnetocaloric (MC) materials since it has an enhanced refrigeration capacity in the room temperature range due to its broader magnetic entropy change as function of the temperature curve. This material is useful as magnetic refrigerant as a part of magnetocaloric refrigerators.

The invention relates to the reduction of core losses in soft magnetic applications utilizing amorphous foil as the core material. Amorphous foil is known to have lower losses when compared to crystalline silicon steel laminations. It is found that a reduction of 10-40% of losses can be achieved over the current state of the art amorphous material by mechanical scribing of the surface of the soft magnetic laminations comprising the wound core in power conditioning devices such as a transformer. The scribing process introduces control of the magnetic domains causing ease of magnetic flux reversal.

A method for producing a strip using a rapid solidification technology is provided. A melt is poured onto a moving outer surface of a rotating casting wheel, the melt is solidified on the outer surface and a strip is formed. A gaseous jet is directed at the moving outer surface and the outer surface of the casting wheel is worked with the jet. The jet comprises CO.sub.2 and at least part of this CO.sub.2 strikes the moving outer surface of the casting wheel in a solid state.

A high-strength magnesium alloy member is suitable for products in which at least one of bending stress and twisting stress primarily acts. The member has required elongation and 0.2% proof stress, whereby strength and formability are superior, and has higher strength and large compressive residual stress in the vicinity of the surface of a wire rod. In the magnesium alloy member formed as a wire rod in which at least one of bending stress and twisting stress primarily acts, the wire rod includes a surface portion having the highest hardness of 170 HV or more in the vicinity of the surface and an inner portion having a 0.2% proof stress of 550 MPa or more and an elongation of 5% or more, and the wire rod has the highest compressive residue stress in the vicinity of the surface of 50 MPa or more.

Provided are alloy flakes for rare earth sintered magnet, which achieve a high rare earth component yield after pulverization with respect to before pulverization and a uniform particle size after pulverization, and a method for producing such alloy at high energy efficiency in an industrial scale. The method includes (A) preparing an alloy melt containing R composed of at least one element selected from rare earth metal elements including Y, B, and the balance M composed of Fe, or of Fe and at least one element selected from transition metal elements other than Fe, Si, and C, (B) rapidly cooling/solidifying the alloy melt to not lower than 700 C. and not higher than 1000 C. by strip casting with a cooling roll, and (C) heating and maintaining, in a particular temperature range, alloy flakes separated from the roll by rapid cooling and solidifying in step (B) before the flakes are cooled to not higher than 500 C., to obtain alloy flakes having a composition of 27.0 to 33.0 mass % R, 0.90 to 1.30 mass % boron, and the balance M.

A device for the production of a metallic strip using a rapid solidification technology is provided. The device includes a movable heat sink with an external surface onto which a melt is poured and on which the melt solidifies to produce the strip, and which device includes a rolling device which can be pressed against the external surface of the movable heat sink while the heat sink is in motion.

An apparatus for producing a strip using a rapid solidification technology is provided. The apparatus includes a rotating casting wheel with an outer surface onto which a melt is cast. The melt solidifies on the outer surface to form the metal strip. The apparatus also includes a nozzle or other means for directing a jet comprising CO.sub.2 onto the outer surface of the casting wheel. The jet comprises CO.sub.2, and at least part of the CO.sub.2 strikes the moving outer surface of the casting wheel in a solid state to work and/or clean the outer surface of the casting wheel with the jet. The apparatus further includes a nozzle system for forming the jet.