A method for preserving the shape of an object during sintering includes filling at least one volume defined by a surface of the object with a plurality of balls, sintering the object together with the balls and separating the object from the balls post sintering. The balls have a diameter of 0.5 mm-12 mm.

A sintered material excellent in thermal stress and bonding strength; a connection structure containing the sintered material; a composition for bonding with which the sintered material can be produced; and a method for producing the sintered material. The sintered material has a base portion, buffer portions, and filling portions. The buffer portions and filling portions are dispersed in the base portion. The base portion is a metal sintered body, each buffer portion is formed from a pore and/or material that is not the same as the sintered body, and each filling portion is formed from particles and/or fibers. The sintered material satisfies A>B. A is the kurtosis of volume distribution of the base portions in a three-dimensional image of the sintered material. B is the kurtosis of volume distribution of the base portions in a three-dimensional image of the sintered material from which the filling portions are removed.

When a size is increased for mass production, an area of a pressurized surface is increased. This raised a problem in that insufficient load or the like causes a pressure during pressure sintering and a relative density of a thermoelectric conversion element to be likely to become insufficient. As a solution, there is provided a method for producing a thermoelectric conversion element, including: a step of mixing a skutterudite-type thermoelectric conversion material powder containing Sb and a sintering agent containing a compound including Mn and Sb, to obtain a mixture; and a step of sintering the mixture.

In an embodiment, a sintered R-T-B based magnet according to the present disclosure has a composition as follows: R: not less than 27 mass % and not more than 37 mass % (R is at least one rare-earth element which always includes at least one of Nd and Pr), B: not less than 0.75 mass % and not more than 0.97 mass %, Ga: not less than 0.1 mass % and not more than 1.0 mass %, Cu: not less than 0 mass % and not more than 1.0 mass %, and T: 61.03 mass % or more (where T is at least one selected from the group consisting of Fe, Co, Al, Mn and Si and always includes Fe, such that the Fe content accounts for 80 mass % or more in the entire T). The molar ratio of T to B ([T]/[B]) is greater than 14.0. An R amount in a magnet surface portion is greater than an R amount in a magnet central portion, and a Ga amount in the magnet surface portion is greater than a Ga amount in the magnet central portion. A molar ratio of T to B ([T]/[B]) in the magnet surface portion is higher than a molar ratio of T to B ([T]/[B]) in the magnet central portion.

The titanium-based porous body according to the present invention is in a form of a sheet and contains titanium, and the titanium-based porous body has a thickness of 0.8 mm or less, a porosity of 30% to 65%, a maximum height Rz1 of one sheet surface of 30 ?m or less, a ratio of a maximum height Rz2 of other sheet surface to the maximum height Rz1 of the one sheet surface (Rz2/Rz1) of 1.2 or more, and a compression deformation rate of 19% or less.

The titanium-based porous body according to the present invention is in a form of a sheet and contains titanium, and the titanium-based porous body has a thickness of 0.8 mm or less, a porosity of 30% to 65%, a maximum height Rz1 of one sheet surface of 30 ?m or less, a ratio of a maximum height Rz2 of other sheet surface to the maximum height Rz1 of the one sheet surface (Rz2/Rz1) of 1.2 or more, and a compression deformation rate of 19% or less.

A method for manufacturing a high melting point metal based object includes providing pure high melting point metal based powder, fabricating a green object from the powder, by way of a laser sintering technique, providing infiltration treatment to the green object, and providing heating pressure treatment to the green object The temperature to the green object is controlled to the re-sintering point of the green object.

A preparation method of high purity and densified tungsten-titanium metal which mixes titanium metal powder and tungsten metal powder together; adds metallic nitrates (such as nickel nitrate) as combustion improvers; then taking into the account of the characteristics of metal nitrate, which is soluble in alcohols to form a liquidous precursor, adds metal powder to mix together thoroughly, so that the sintering agent is expected to be colloid and uniformly spread among the tungsten-titanium metal powder. The preparation method significantly reduces the ratio of the combustion improver during the preparation of the high purity and densified tungsten-titanium target material.

A method for manufacturing a high melting point metal based object includes providing pure high melting point metal based powder, fabricating a green object from the powder, by way of a laser sintering technique, providing infiltration treatment to the green object, and providing heating pressure treatment to the green object. The temperature to the green object is controlled to the re-sintering point of the green object.

A method for manufacturing a sintered magnet according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is provided. The method includes producing an R-T-B-based magnetic powder through a reduction-diffusion method, and sintering the R-T-B-based magnetic powder, wherein R is a rare earth element, and T is a transition metal, and wherein the producing the magnetic powder includes adding a refractory metal sulfide powder to a R-T-B-based raw material.