Hardened cobalt alloys for forming jewelry, including finger rings as well as methods and processes for producing such alloys. In one illustrative embodiment, such an alloy can contain cobalt in an amount of from about 35 wt % to about 65 wt %, in combination with chromium in an amount of from about 16 % wt to about 32 wt %, and molybdenum in an amount of from about 8 wt % to about 31 wt %. Aluminum, silicon, boron, titanium, and other hardness enhancing materials may also be present. Hot investment casting may be used to form items from the alloys, which may then be shaped or polished to a final form. Annular finger rings constructed from these materials may have a white appearance similar to white gold or platinum, may have increased resistance to scratching compared to traditional cobalt chromium rings, and may be easily be removed by cracking in an emergency situation.

The present invention provides a copper alloy for a sliding member which contains tin, sulfur, iron and phosphorus as its main components, but in which even if no iron is contained or the iron content is reduced, sliding properties are obtained which are equal or superior to the sliding properties of a conventional copper alloy. The present invention also provides a production method for producing a sliding member by casting the copper alloy. The copper alloy of the present invention consists of not less than 3.0% by mass and not more than 16.0% by mass of tin; not less than 0.3% by mass and not more than 1.0% by mass of sulfur; less than 0.3% by mass of iron; not less than 0.04% by mass and not more than 0.5% by mass of phosphorus; and a balance consisting of copper and unavoidable impurities.

In an Ni-based alloy member manufacturing method, an Ni-based alloy casting material is casted, in which a -phase in an amount of 50 vol. % or more can be deposited in a -phase in the aging step. The Ni-based alloy casting material obtained after the casting step is heated for 1 hour or longer in a first strain removing temperature range of Ts0.90 C. to Ts C., when Ts C. represents the solid solution temperature of the -phase. The Ni-based alloy casting material obtained after the first strain removing heat treatment step is heated from the first strain removing temperature range to a solutionizing temperature range of higher than Ts+t1 C. but not higher than Tm C., when Tm C. represents the melting point of the -phase and t1 represents a temperature 10 C. or lower, and the temperature is held in the solutionizing temperature range for 2 hours or longer.

A casting method includes: forming a seed, the seed having a first end and a second end, the forming including bending a seed precursor; placing the seed second end in contact or spaced facing relation with a chill plate; contacting the first end with molten material; and cooling and solidifying the molten material so that a crystalline structure of the seed propagates into the solidifying material. The forming further included reducing a thickness of the seed proximate the first end relative to a thickness of the seed proximate the second end.

A copper-aluminum composite plate material prepared by aluminum liquid continuous casting and a process thereof. The method includes: S1, heating an aluminum ingot to 700-800 C. and smelting for 1-3 h; S2, degassing smelted aluminum liquid, and keeping the temperature and standing; S3, texturing a copper strip, and then cleaning; S4, heating the pretreated copper strip to 200-650 C.; S5, under the protection of inert gas, continuously casting the treated aluminum liquid on the treated copper strip, performing quenching crystallization on a copper-aluminum composite material, and performing oxygen-free continuous casting; and S6, continuous rolling: rolling the continuously cast copper-aluminum composite material to obtain the copper-aluminum composite plate material prepared by aluminum liquid continuous casting.

A casting material made of a copper-zinc alloy with the composition in wt. %: Cu: 58.0 to 66.0%, Si: 0.15 bis 1,2%, P: 0.20 to 0.38%, Sn: up to 0.5%, Al: up to 0.05%, Fe: up to 0.3%, Ni: up to 0.38, Pb: up to 0.25%, Bi: up to 0.1% Te, Se, In, each up to 0.1%, B: up to 0.01%, with the rest being Zn and unavoidable impurities. The alloy has -phase, -phase and phosphide particles. The proportion of -phase in the sum of the -phase and -phase is 20 vol. % and max. 70 vol. %. In an area of 21000 m.sup.2 there are 20 to 300 phosphide particles with an equivalent diameter of 0.5 to 1 m, 30 to 120 phosphide particles with an equivalent diameter of 1 to 2 m, and 20 to 100 phosphide particles with an equivalent diameter of 2 to 5 m.

An apparatus for countergravity casting a metallic material, has: a crucible for holding melted metallic material; a casting chamber for containing a mold; a fill tube capable of extending into the crucible to communicate melted metallic material to the casting chamber; and a gas source coupled to a headspace of the melting vessel to allow the gas source to pressurize the headspace to establish a pressure differential to force the melted metallic material upwardly through said fill tube into the mold. Extraneous sulfur is prevented from entering the molten metal from the mold by solidifying metal in the fill tube.

A nickel alloy having superior surface properties by controlling the composition of non-metallic inclusions that affect surface properties, and a method for producing the same. A nickel alloy includes: all by mass %, Ni: 99.0% or more, C: 0.020% or less, Si: 0.01 to 0.3%, Mn: 0.3% or less, S: 0.010% or less, Cu: 0.2% or less, Al: 0.001 to 0.1%, Fe: 0.4% or less, O: 0.0001 to 0.0050% or less, Mg: 0.001 to 0.030%, Ca: 0.0001 to 0.0050%, B: 0.0001 to 0.01%, and the balance of inevitable impurities; the alloy including non-metallic inclusions, in which the non-metallic inclusions include one or more of MgO, CaO, CaOAl.sub.2O.sub.3-based oxides, CaOSiO.sub.2-based oxides, CaOMgO-based oxides, and MgO.Math.Al.sub.2O.sub.3, the MgO.Math.Al.sub.2O.sub.3 has a number ratio of number 50% or less with respect to all oxide-based, non-metallic inclusions.

A composition of non-metallic inclusions that affect surface properties and provides Ni-based alloys with superior surface properties. A Ni-based alloy consisting of: all by mass %, Ni: 52.0% or more, C: 0.001% to 0.030%, Si: 0.01 to 0.10%, Mn: 0.10 to 1.50%, P: 0.030% or less, S: 0.0050% or less, Cr: 13.0 to 25.0%, Mo: 10.0 to 18.0%, W: 1.00 to 5.00%, Cu: 1.00% or less, Co: 3.00% or less, Al: 0.001 to 0.170%, Fe: 2.00 to 8.00%, Mg: 0.0010 to 0.0200%, Ca: 0.0001 to 0.0040%, V: 0.500% or less, Nb: 0.001 to 0.100%, O: 0.0001 to 0.0050%, wherein the non-metallic inclusions includes one or more of MgO, CaO, CaOMgO-based oxides, CaOAl.sub.2O.sub.3MgO-based oxides, and MgO.Al.sub.2O.sub.3, the MgO.Al.sub.2O.sub.3 has number ratio of 50% or less with all oxide-based non-metallic inclusions.

The present application relates to a dysprosium-rich nickel-tungsten alloy material for nuclear shielding, the composition thereof comprising components of the following mass percentage: C: 0.002-0.02%, W: 5.0-35.0%, Cr: 15.0-30.0%, Dy: 1.0-4.0%, and the remaining components are nickel and unavoidable impurities. A preparation method for the dysprosium-rich nickel-tungsten alloy material for nuclear shielding is also provided. In the present application, a high-dysprosium and high-tungsten nickel-tungsten alloy material is prepared by adding an appropriate ratio of nickel, chromium, tungsten, and dysprosium, and has the advantages of high strength, good plasticity and toughness, corrosion resistance and excellent processing and formability, and can be used as an integrated material of a neutron and photon synergistic shielding functional structure.