Method of manufacturing metal member and metal member therefrom

Abstract

A method of manufacturing a metal member, being capable of manufacturing a metal member including not only a second but also a third component. A metal material consisting of a compound, alloy, or a non-equilibrium alloy and having the second and third components, the second component being mutually insoluble with a first, the third component being mutually soluble with the first and second components. A metal bath having the first and third components, controlled at a temperature lower than the lowest value of liquidus-line temperatures within a compositional variation range from the composition of the metal material to a composition in which the third component in the metal material is decreased to reach an equilibrium with the bath. The metal member having the second composition and the third component is obtained by immersing the metal material into the bath to selectively elute the third component contained therein into the bath.

1 . A method of manufacturing a metal member, the method comprising:
 a metal-material preparation step of preparing a metal material consisting of a compound, an alloy, or a non-equilibrium alloy and having a second component and a third component, the second component being mutually insoluble with a first component, the third component being mutually soluble with the first component and mutually soluble with the second component;   a metal-bath preparation step of preparing a metal bath having the first component and the third component;   a metal-bath control step of controlling the metal bath at a temperature lower than the lowest value of liquidus-line temperatures within a compositional variation range from the composition of the metal material to a composition in which the third component in the metal material is decreased or increased to reach an equilibrium with the metal bath; and   an obtaining step of obtaining a metal member having the second component and the third component by immersing the metal material prepared in the metal-material preparation step into the metal bath temperature-controlled at the metal-bath control step to selectively elute the third component contained in the metal material into the metal bath, or selectively diffusing the third component contained in the metal bath into the metal material.   
     
     
         2 . The method of manufacturing a metal member according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the metal-bath control step comprises controlling the metal bath at a temperature lower than the lowest value of the liquidus-line temperatures within a compositional variation range from the composition of the metal material to a composition in which the third component in the metal material is decreased to reach an equilibrium with the metal bath, and   the obtaining step comprises obtaining the metal member consisting of a porous alloy having minute pores by immersing the metal material into the metal bath to selectively elute the third component contained in the metal material into the metal bath.   
     
     
         3 . The method of manufacturing a metal member according to  claim 2 , wherein the porous alloy consists of partially joined nanometer-scale particles. 
     
     
         4 . The method of manufacturing a metal member according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the metal-bath control step comprises controlling the metal bath at a temperature lower than the lowest value of the liquidus-line temperatures within a compositional variation range from the composition of the metal material to a composition in which the third component in the metal material is increased to reach an equilibrium with the metal bath, and   the obtaining step comprises obtaining the metal member by immersing the metal material into the metal bath to selectively diffuse the third component contained in the metal bath into the metal material.   
     
     
         5 . A method of manufacturing a metal member, the method comprising:
 a metal-material preparation step of preparing a metal material having a second component mutually insoluble with a first component;   a metal-bath preparation step of preparing a metal bath having the first component and a third component, the third component being mutually soluble with the first component and mutually soluble with the second component;   a metal-bath control step of controlling the metal bath prepared in the metal-bath preparation step at a temperature lower than the lowest value of liquidus-line temperatures within a compositional variation range from the composition of the metal material to a composition in which the third component in the metal material is increased to reach an equilibrium with the metal bath; and   an obtaining step of obtaining a metal member having the second component and the third component by immersing the metal material prepared in the metal-material preparation step into the metal bath temperature-controlled at the metal-bath control step to selectively diffuse the third component contained in the metal bath into the metal material.   
     
     
         6 . The method of manufacturing a metal member according to  claim 4 , wherein
 the metal-material preparation step comprises preparing the metal material which is porous;   the obtaining step comprises obtaining the metal member consisting of a porous alloy having minute pores.   
     
     
         7 . The method of manufacturing a metal member according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the metal-material preparation step and the metal-bath preparation step comprise preparing the metal material and the metal bath so that a substance having a composition in which a third component is decreased or increased in the metal material is equilibrated with the metal bath.   
     
     
         8 . The method of manufacturing a metal member according to  claim 1 , comprising:
 a removal step of selectively removing an adhered admixture adhered to the metal member and including the first component and the third component, after the metal member obtained in the obtaining step is lifted from the metal bath.   
     
     
         9 . The method of manufacturing a metal member according to  claim 8 , wherein the removal step comprises selectively removing only the adhered admixture with an acidic or alkaline aqueous solution. 
     
     
         10 . The method of manufacturing a metal member according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the first component includes at least any one of Mg, Bi, Pb, Cu, and Ag;   the second component includes at least one of Fe, Cr, V, Co, Mo, Ni, Zr, Ta, W, Hf, Nb, and Ti; and   the third component includes at least any one of Ni, Pd, Al, Ag, Cu, Mn, and Co.   
     
     
         11 . A metal member,
 having:
 a second component mutually insoluble with a first component, and 
 a third component mutually soluble with the first component and mutually soluble with the second component; and 
   consisting of a porous alloy with minute pores in which nanometer-scale particles are partially joined.   
     
     
         12 . The metal member according to  claim 11 , wherein
 the first component includes at least any one of Mg, Bi, Pb, Cu, and Ag;   the second component includes at least one of Fe, Cr, V, Co, Mo, Ni, Zr, Ta, W, Hf, Nb, and Ti; and   the third component includes at least any one of Ni, Pd, Al, Ag, Cu, Mn, and Co.