An aluminum alloy, an aluminum alloy wire, an aluminum alloy stranded wire, a covered electric wire, and a wire harness that are of high toughness and high electrical conductivity, and a method of manufacturing an aluminum alloy wire are provided. The aluminum alloy wire contains not less than 0.005% and not more than 2.2% by mass of Fe, and a remainder including Al and an impurity. It may further contain not less than 0.005% and not more than 1.0% by mass in total of at least one additive element selected from Mg, Si, Cu, Zn, Ni, Mn, Ag, Cr, and Zr. The Al alloy wire has an electrical conductivity of not less than 58% IACS and an elongation of not less than 10%. The Al alloy wire is manufactured through the successive steps of casting, rolling, wiredrawing, and softening treatment. The softening treatment can be performed to provide an excellent toughness such as elongation and impact resistance and thereby reduce fracture of the electric wire in the vicinity of a terminal portion when the wire harness is installed.

A process for treating a piece of tantalum or of a tantalum alloy, which consists in: placing the piece in a furnace and heating the furnace under vacuum at least at 1 400 C.; forming a carbon multilayer in the peripheral part of the piece, by injecting, in the heated furnace, a gas carbon source at a pressure 10 mbar, the multilayer comprising at least one layer C1 of tantalum carbide, which is located at the surface of the piece, and two layers C2 and C3 comprising a carbon content lower than the carbon content of the layer C1; stopping the formation of the multilayer by cooling the piece; placing around the piece a device capable of trapping carbon, oxygen and nitrogen to protect the piece from carbon and oxygen and nitrogen traces present in the furnace; causing the diffusion of carbon present in the layer C1 towards the layers C2 and C3, by heating the furnace under vacuum, the piece being held in the protecting device; and stopping the diffusion of carbon in the piece by cooling the piece under vacuum before the carbon present in the multilayer reaches the center part of the piece. Thus, a piece the surface of which is free from TaC, the center part of which is free from carbon and the part of which located between the surface and the center part comprises tantalum and carbon is obtained.

A process for treating a piece of tantalum or of a tantalum alloy, which consists in: placing the piece in a furnace and heating the furnace under vacuum at least at 1 400 C.; forming a carbon multilayer in the peripheral part of the piece, by injecting, in the heated furnace, a gas carbon source at a pressure 10 mbar, the multilayer comprising at least one layer C1 of tantalum carbide, which is located at the surface of the piece, and two layers C2 and C3 comprising a carbon content lower than the carbon content of the layer C1; stopping the formation of the multilayer by cooling the piece; placing around the piece a device capable of trapping carbon, oxygen and nitrogen to protect the piece from carbon and oxygen and nitrogen traces present in the furnace; causing the diffusion of carbon present in the layer C1 towards the layers C2 and C3, by heating the furnace under vacuum, the piece being held in the protecting device; and stopping the diffusion of carbon in the piece by cooling the piece under vacuum before the carbon present in the multilayer reaches the center part of the piece. Thus, a piece the surface of which is free from TaC, the center part of which is free from carbon and the part of which located between the surface and the center part comprises tantalum and carbon is obtained.

Provided is a porous metal body having superior corrosion resistance to conventional metal porous bodies composed of nickel-tin binary alloys and conventional metal porous bodies composed of nickel-chromium binary alloys. The porous metal body has a three-dimensional network skeleton and contains at least nickel, tin, and chromium. The concentration of chromium contained in the porous metal body is highest at the surface of the skeleton of the porous metal body and decreases toward the inner side of the skeleton. In one embodiment, the chromium concentration at the surface of the skeleton of the porous metal body is more preferably 3% by mass or more and 70% by mass or less.

Provided is a porous metal body having superior corrosion resistance to conventional metal porous bodies composed of nickel-tin binary alloys and conventional metal porous bodies composed of nickel-chromium binary alloys. The porous metal body has a three-dimensional network skeleton and contains at least nickel, tin, and chromium. The concentration of chromium contained in the porous metal body is highest at the surface of the skeleton of the porous metal body and decreases toward the inner side of the skeleton. In one embodiment, the chromium concentration at the surface of the skeleton of the porous metal body is more preferably 3% by mass or more and 70% by mass or less.

A method of making a pine shaped metal nano-scaled grating, the method including: forming a first metal layer on a substrate, forming an isolation layer on the first metal layer, and locating a second metal layer on the isolation layer; placing a first mask layer on the second metal layer, wherein the first mask layer comprises a body, and the body defines a plurality of openings parallel with and spaced apart from each other; etching the first mask layer and the second metal layer to obtain a plurality of triangular prism structures; etching the isolation layer to obtain a plurality of second rectangular structures using the plurality of triangular prism structures as a first mask; and etching the first metal layer to obtain a plurality of first rectangular structures using the plurality of second rectangular structures as a second mask.

A TiAl alloy for forging, contains 41 at % or more and 44 at % or less of Al, 4 at % or more and 6 at % or less of Nb, 4 at % or more and 6 at % or less of V, 0.1 at % or more and 1 at % or less of B, and the balance being Ti and inevitable impurities.

A method of refining a microstructure of a titanium material can include providing a solid titanium material at a temperature below about 400 C. The titanium material can be heated under a hydrogen-containing atmosphere to a hydrogen charging temperature that is above a transus temperature of the titanium material and below a melting temperature of the titanium material, and held at this temperature for a time sufficient to convert the titanium material to a substantially homogeneous phase. The titanium material can be cooled under the hydrogen-containing atmosphere to a phase transformation temperature below the transus temperature and above about 400 C., and held for a time to produce phase regions. The titanium material can also be held under a substantially hydrogen-free atmosphere or vacuum at a dehydrogenation temperature below the transus temperature and above the phase decomposition temperature to remove hydrogen from the titanium material.

A method of refining a microstructure of a titanium material can include providing a solid titanium material at a temperature below about 400 C. The titanium material can be heated under a hydrogen-containing atmosphere to a hydrogen charging temperature that is above a transus temperature of the titanium material and below a melting temperature of the titanium material, and held at this temperature for a time sufficient to convert the titanium material to a substantially homogeneous phase. The titanium material can be cooled under the hydrogen-containing atmosphere to a phase transformation temperature below the transus temperature and above about 400 C., and held for a time to produce phase regions. The titanium material can also be held under a substantially hydrogen-free atmosphere or vacuum at a dehydrogenation temperature below the transus temperature and above the phase decomposition temperature to remove hydrogen from the titanium material.

The present invention relates to a method of case hardening a Group IV metal or a Group IV metal alloy and to components hardened in the method. The method comprising the steps of: providing a workpiece of a Group IV metal or a Group IV metal alloy, the workpiece being in its final shape; nitriding the workpiece in a nitriding atmosphere comprising NHs as a nitriding species at a first temperature in the range of 450? C. to 750? C. for a nitriding duration of at least 16 hours to provide a hydrogen containing diffusion zone; removing hydrogen from the hydrogen containing diffusion zone at a second temperature of up to 750? C. and a partial pressure of H.sub.2 of up to 10.sup.?4 mbar over a hydrogen removal duration of at least 4 hours to provide a hydrogen depleted diffusion zone. The method and the component are useful for implants, in particular dental implants.