A heat treatment apparatus for a laminated body of amorphous alloy ribbon includes: a lamination jig that holds the laminated body of amorphous alloy ribbon; two heating plates that sandwich the laminated body from upper and lower surfaces in a lamination direction without coming into contact with the lamination jig; and a heating control apparatus that controls a heating temperature of the two heating plates.

A non-oriented electrical steel sheet containing: in mass %, C: 0.005% or less; Si: 0.1% to 2.0%; Mn: 0.05% to 0.6%; P: 0.100% or less; and Al: 0.5% or less, in which 10 pieces/μm.sup.3 or less in number density of non-magnetic precipitate AlN having an average diameter of 10 nm to 200 nm are contained, and an average magnetic flux density B50 in a rolling direction and in a direction perpendicular to rolling is 1.75 T or more. This non-oriented electrical steel sheet can be manufactured by two methods of a method of performing hot rolling annealing at a temperature of 750° C. to an Ac1 transformation point and a method of setting a coil winding temperature to 780° C. or higher and performing self annealing.

A method of joining a first work piece and a second workpiece. The first and second workpieces may be rotor wheels of a rotor for a turbomachine. At least one of the workpieces includes an oxide dispersion strengthened alloy material and the first and second work pieces may be joined by welding a cladding on at least one of the workpieces to the other of the workpieces, without welding a substrate of the at least one workpiece which includes an oxide dispersion strengthened alloy material.

An alloy is provided which consists of Fe.sub.100-a-b-c-d-x-y-zCu.sub.aNb.sub.bM.sub.cT.sub.dSi.sub.xB.sub.yZ.sub.z and up to 1 at % impurities, M being one or more of the elements Mo, Ta and Zr, T being one or more of the elements V, Mn, Cr, Co and Ni, Z being one or more of the elements C, P and Ge, 0 at %≦a<1.5 at %, 0 at %≦b<2 at %, 0 at %≦(b+c)<2 at %, 0 at %≦d<5 at %, 10 at %<x<18 at %, 5 at %<y<11 at % and 0 at %≦z<2 at %. The alloy is configured in tape form and has a nanocrystalline structure in which at least 50 vol % of the grains have an average size of less than 100 nm, a hysteresis loop with a central linear region, a remanence ratio Jr/Js of <0.1 and a coercive field strength H.sub.c to anisotropic field strength H.sub.a ratio of <10%.

A method for preparing a magnesium-based hydrogen storage material, includes: a Mg—Ce—Ni family amorphous alloy is prepared by a rapid cooling process; the amorphous alloy is pulverized, so as to obtain a amorphous powder; the amorphous alloy is activated, so as to obtain a MgH.sub.2—Mg.sub.2NiH.sub.4—CeH.sub.2.73 family nanocrystalline composite; the abovementioned composite is carried out a hydrogen absorption and desorption cycle, then the composite is placed in a pure Ar atmosphere for passivation, finally, the passivated composite is oxidized, so as to obtain a MgH.sub.2—Mg.sub.2NiH.sub.4—CeH.sub.2.73—CeO.sub.2 family nanocrystalline composite.

A method for producing a nanocrystalline rare earth magnet having a grain and a grain boundary phase includes: quenching a melt of a rare earth magnet composition to form a quenched thin ribbon having a nanocrystalline structure; sintering the quenched thin ribbon to obtain a sintered body; heat treating the sintered body at a temperature which is higher than a lowest temperature in a first temperature range where the grain boundary phase diffuses or flows, and which is lower than a lowest temperature in a second temperature range where the grain becomes coarse; and quenching the heat treated sintered body to 200° C. or less at a cooling speed of 50° C./min or more.

Aspects of the invention relate to a metal material and product made from the metal material having biological properties, such as antibiotic properties.

There is provided a metal sheet producing method that can avoid a decrease in magnetic properties. The metal sheet producing method is a method for producing metal sheets by applying heat treatment to metal sheets made of amorphous soft magnetic material while conveying the metal sheets along a bar and thus crystallizing the amorphous soft magnetic material into nano-crystal soft magnetic material. The method includes attaching the plurality of metal sheets in a laminated state to an upstream portion of the bar, separating the plurality of metal sheets from each other using magnetic force and moving the metal sheets while applying heat treatment thereto so as to allow them to pass by a midstream portion of the bar, and sequentially laminating the metal sheets that have passed by the midstream portion on a downstream portion of the bar.

An R—Fe—B base sintered magnet is provided consisting essentially of R (which is at least two rare earth elements and essentially contains Nd and Pr), M.sub.1 which is at least two of Si, Al, Mn, Ni, Cu, Zn, Ga, Ge, Pd, Ag, Cd, In, Sn, Sb, Pt, Au, Hg, Pb, and Bi, M.sub.2 which is at least one of Ti, V, Cr, Zr, Nb, Mo, Hf, Ta, and W, boron, and the balance of Fe, and containing an intermetallic compound R.sub.2(Fe,(Co)).sub.14B as a main phase. The magnet contains an R—Fe(Co)-M.sub.1 phase as a grain boundary phase, the R—Fe(Co)-M.sub.1 phase contains A phase which is crystalline with crystallites of at least 10 nm formed at grain boundary triple junctions, and B phase which is amorphous and/or nanocrystalline with crystallites of less than 10 nm formed at intergranular grain boundaries and optionally grain boundary triple junctions.

There is provided a method for manufacturing a soft magnetic member where a coating formed of an α-Fe.sub.2O.sub.3 single phase having a high electrical resistivity is formed on a soft magnetic alloy substrate. A soft magnetic alloy substrate is heated in an atmosphere containing water vapor and inert gas to form a coating on the soft magnetic alloy substrate. The atmosphere has an oxygen partial pressure in a range of 0 to 1.5 kPa. A soft magnetic member including the soft magnetic alloy substrate and the coating formed on its surface can be obtained.