The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of low melting point phase(LMPP) on mechanical properties in the Al-Cu-Li-X(In, Be) alloys. This study was performed by the differential scanning calorimetry(DSC), the transmission electron microscope(TEM), hardness test, tensile test and notch tensile test. The shape of LMPP in the specimens homogenized at $570^{\circ}C$ was film type due to remelting at grain boundary during homogenization. Low melting point phases had no effects on mechanical properties in the aging treated materials, because the density of LMPPs was low. Mechanical properties of the aging treated materials were affected by the density of matrix precipitation phases and grain sizes. For the In or In, Be added Al-Cu-Li alloys, the optimum solution treatment temperature was $550^{\circ}C$. The strength of Al-Cu-Li-In-Be $T_6$ treated alloy was higher than that of 2090-$T_8$ alloy.

Stainless steel type 304L has been nitrided in the low pressure (600Pa) and high nitrogen (80% $N_2$+20% $H_2$) environment for 5 hours by the square-wave-pulsed-d.c. plasma as a function of temperature $400{\sim}550^{\circ}C$ and pulsation. At the lower temperature range of $400{\sim}500^{\circ}C$ and at the relatively high ratio of pulse duration to pulse period. "S-phase" has been developed in the form of thin nitrided surface layer which has many cracks, leading to be nearly impossible for the industrial anti-wear and anti-corrosion applications. At the higher temperature up to $550^{\circ}C$ with the increasing ratio of the pulse duration to pulse period up to $50{\mu}s/100{\mu}s$, the nitrided layer, whose growth rate has increased also, has been composed mainly of CrN and $Fe_4N$ phases and has become thick, uniform and nearly crack-free.

The high strain-rate dynamic plastic behavior of Fe-X%Mn alloys was investigated. The strain rate did not have an effect when tested under quasi-static strain rates($2{\times}10^{-3}/sec$ and $2{\times}10^{-1}/sec$). However, the true stress increased at all strain levels when the strain rate increased to $6{\times}10^3/sec$. Based on the experimental results, an constitution equation to calculate the dynamic strength for strain rates over $10^4/sec$ was determined. The Fe-5%Mn alloy containing athermal ${\alpha}^{\prime}$ martensite initially did not show work hardening. The work hardening increased with Mn content showing a maximum at 20% Mn. The high work hardening of Fe-20%Mn and Fe-30%Mn alloys appears to be closely related not only to the initial amounts of ${\varepsilon}$ martensite but to the strain induced transformation (${\gamma}{\rightarrow}{\varepsilon}$ and ${\varepsilon}{\rightarrow}{\alpha}^{\prime}$) occurring during each stages of deformation.

To investigate the characteristics of nitrocarburizing for high carbon chromium bearing steel, it was undertaken 4 hours holding at $850^{\circ}C$ in the atmosphere containing 60% endothermic gas and 40% ammonia. The microstructure of nitrocarburized surface consists of ${\varepsilon}-Fe_{2-3}N$, ${\gamma}^{\prime}-Fe_4N$, $Fe_3C$ and $Fe_3$(C,N), and the ${\varepsilon}$-nitride was rich in the surface-internal part. The nitrocarburized surface contains a larger volume fraction of primary carbonitrides and has more retained austenite and is slightly harder than the interior.

The effect of Air/$C_3H_8$ gas addition on the compound layer growth of steels nitrocarburised in $NH_3+Air+C_3H_8$ mixed gas atmospheres was investigated. It is considered that amount of residual $NH_3$ was varied according to alternation of Air/$C_3H_8$ mixing ratio and volume content. The compound layer formed from nitrocarburising was composed of ${\varepsilon}-Fe_{2-3}$(C, N) and ${\gamma}^{\prime}-Fe_4$(C, N). According as Air/$C_3H_8$ mixing ratio increased, the superficial content of ${\gamma}^{\prime}-Fe_4$(C, N) within the compound layer was increased, at the same time the growth rate of compound layer and porous layer was increased. In the case of alloy steel at the fixed gas composition, the growth rate of compound layer and porous layer was worse than carbon steel and compound layer phase composition structure primarily consisted of E phase. As the carbon content of materials was increasing in the given gas atmospheres, the growth rate of compound layer and porous layer was increased and the superficial content of ${\varepsilon}-Fe_{2-3}$(C, N) within the compound layer was increased.

After initial structure of AISI 9260 steel is changed into pearlite and martensite, one is isothermally annealed at $700^{\circ}C$ below of $A_1$ transformation point and the other is isothermally annealed at the same condition after 3 cycles of heating and cooling between $680^{\circ}C$ and $780^{\circ}C$ of $A_1$ transformation point. Analyzing the changes of microstructure, mechanical properties and fractography of tension test, we obtained result as follows. The fastest spheroidization rate by changes of initial structure and heat treatment cycles is appeared at the heat treatment cycle which is isothermally annealed after 3 cycles of heating and cooling at below and above $A_1$ transformation point for martensite. At the above condition, the perfect spheroidization structure is appeared after 60hrs and after then, globular carbide is being coarsened. The mean diameter of globular carbide is $2.4{\times}10^{-3}mm$ after 90hrs. The changes of tension strength during spheroidization heat treatment follows Orwan function, ${\sigma}_o={\sigma}_i+Gb/l$, where l is interspacing of carbide particles and at the above condition, ${\sigma}_o=70.48+2.5{\times}10^{-3}/l(kg/mm^2)$. Fractography of fracture of spheroidization structure in tension test is appeared as dimple which is ductile rupture type by nucleation and growth of void, size of dimple is larger and deeper with increasing of heat treatment time.

Information of change of hardness values during applying load is needed often to control the quality of metal products efficiently, but the relation between applied stress and hardness has not been established. In this paper the theoretical relation between the rebound hardness and stress was examined briefly and the experiment was performed with some materials. Materials used in test were mild steel(SB41), 7-3 brass and copper, which were widely used in the commercial plants. Hardness was measured during stress applied using the Equo-Tip hardness tester as a kind of rebound hardness tester. Hardness values decreased as tensile stress increased, the decreasing rate was effected by the Young's modulus of each material, and the rebound hardness values showed linear relationship with the applied stress in elastic region.

Using natural frequency measurement method, which is one of NDT method, natural frequency of the hot-rolled mild steel plate(specimen) under fatigue loading was measured. Between the degradation of the specimen under fatigue loading and the variation of the natural frequency of the specimen was investigated. As a result, the degradation of the specimen was described and monitored as variation of natural frequency of specimen. The natural frequency of specimen decreased gradually under fatigue loading. This means the variation of material properties of specimen. Especially. It means the variation of Young's modulus of specimen.

The reduction and diffusion process(R-D process) is an economical way to produce the functional materials which contain rare-earth elements and has been applied to the production of rare-earth magnet meterials($SmCo_5$, $Nd_{15}Fe_{77}B_8$), magneto-optical(MO) target materials and hydrogen storage alloy, etc. However, because of difficult to control of the final composition, the R-D process has not been applied to production of the 2-17 type rare earth permanent magnet materials which contain several elements. Therefore, this work was as a basic study for the production of the 2-17 type rare earth permanent materials with composition $Sm(Co_{0.72}Fe_{0.21}Cu_{0.05}Zr_{0.03})_{7.9}$ by the R-D process, the following were mainy examined ; the amount of metallic calcium as a reductant, homogenization condition of the alloy after the R-D reaction, masuring of magnetic properties of the sample after step aging. The sample prepared by the R-D process contained a little more oxygen than that prepared by the melting method, however, showed almost the same magnetic properties.