Metal plate members including amorphous metal or nanocrystalline metal and layered body of metal plate members

Abstract

The present invention improves the joining strength between metal plate members that include an amorphous metal or a nanocrystalline metal and form a layered body. According to the present invention, metal plate members that include an amorphous metal or a nanocrystalline metal and form a layered body (M) have respective welding protrusions (50) that protrude from first side surfaces (61) that are different from surfaces that face in the layering direction of the layered body (M). The welding protrusions (50) join plate members that face in the layering direction when the welding protrusions (50) are melted.

Description

A metal plate member containing an amorphous metal or a nanocrystalline metal and a laminate thereof

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a metal plate member containing an amorphous metal or a nanocrystalline metal and a laminate thereof.

[0002] The core of the stator provided in the motor described in Patent Document 1 is composed of a laminate of an amorphous metal or a nanocrystalline metal. Compared with general electromagnetic steel sheets, in an amorphous metal plate or a nanocrystalline metal plate, eddy currents in the plate thickness direction are less likely to flow, and an increase in iron loss can be suppressed.

[0003] Japanese Patent No. 6656428

[0004] By the way, as a method of welding amorphous metal or nanocrystalline metal plate members facing each other in the stacking direction, there is a method of heating the side surface of the laminate. In this method, the side surface of the laminate is linearly heated from one end to the other end in the stacking direction. Thereby, the heated portions of each plate member are melted, and the plate members facing each other in the stacking direction are welded to each other.

[0005] Here, the surfaces of amorphous metals and nanocrystalline metals are relatively rough, and there are innumerable minute irregularities. As a finding, it has been obtained that minute gaps are generated between the stacked amorphous metal and nanocrystalline metal plate members due to such innumerable irregularities. Thereby, when welding amorphous metal plate members to each other or nanocrystalline metal plate members to each other as shown in FIGS. 10A and 10B, the case where there are gaps (FIG. 10B) has a smaller volume of the welded portion (the portion indicated by the hatching in FIGS. 10A and 10B) of the laminate than the case where there are no gaps (FIG. 10A) by the amount of the gaps. When the volume of this welded portion decreases, there is a risk that the bonding strength between the plate members constituting the laminate decreases.

[0006] An object of the present disclosure is to improve the bonding strength between metal plate members containing an amorphous metal or a nanocrystalline metal constituting a laminate.

[0007] The first embodiment is a metal plate member containing an amorphous metal or nanocrystalline metal that constitutes a laminate (M), having a welding projection (50) protruding from a first side surface (61) different from the surface facing the lamination direction of the laminate (M), and the welding projection (50) joins the plate members facing each other in the lamination direction by melting the welding projection (50).

[0008] In the first embodiment, plate members (38) can be welded together by melting adjacent welding protrusions (50) in the stacking direction while the plate members (38) are stacked. At this time, even if there is a gap between adjacent plate members (38) in the stacking direction, the volume of the melted welding protrusions (50) compensates for the volume reduction of the welded portion that would occur if the welding protrusions (50) were not present. This suppresses the reduction in the volume of the welded portion and prevents a decrease in the joint strength between the plate members (38) that constitute the laminate (M). In other words, it is possible to provide a laminate (M) with sufficient strength between the plate members (38) formed by welding.

[0009] In the second embodiment, the shape of the welding protrusion (50) is determined according to the irradiation width of the welding laser or welding beam that melts the welding protrusion (50).

[0010] In the second embodiment, when the first side surface (61) is viewed from the front, the width direction of the plate member (38) is defined as the width direction. By designing the length of the welding protrusion (50) in the width direction according to the irradiation width, which is the length of the welding beam in the width direction on the first side surface (61) when the welding beam is irradiated onto the first side surface (61), the welding protrusion (50) can be heated evenly. This suppresses the accumulation of unmelted material on the welding protrusion (50).

[0011] In the third embodiment, the shape of the welding protrusion (50) is determined according to the beam profile of the welding laser.

[0012] In the third embodiment, the welding protrusion (50) can be heated evenly by making it the optimal shape for a specific beam profile.

[0013] The fourth embodiment is a plate member according to any one of the first to third embodiments, wherein the plate thickness is 50 μm or less.

[0014] In the fourth embodiment, if the welding protrusion (50) is not provided, there is a gap between the opposing plate members (38), so the volume of the welded portion decreases as the thickness of the plate members (38) decreases. However, by providing the welding protrusion (50), the reduction in the volume of the welded portion can be suppressed even if the plate members (38) have a thickness of 50 μm or less.

[0015] The fifth embodiment is a laminate of any one of the first to fourth embodiments, wherein the gap between plate members (38) facing each other in the lamination direction is 25% or less of the plate thickness of the plate members (38).

[0016] In the fifth embodiment, when the distance (gap) between opposing plate members (38) in the lamination direction is 25% or less of the plate thickness of the plate members (38) constituting the laminate (M), the reduction in volume of the welded portion can be suppressed, and the same effect as in the first embodiment can be obtained.

[0017] The sixth embodiment is a stator core composed of a laminate (M) of the fifth embodiment.

[0018] In the sixth embodiment, a stator core can be provided in which the joint strength between the plate members (38) by welding is sufficient.

[0019] The seventh embodiment is a motor equipped with the stator core (32) of the sixth embodiment.

[0020] In the seventh embodiment, motor (30) failures caused by defective welding between plate members (38) of the stator core (32) can be suppressed.

[0021] The eighth aspect is a compressor equipped with the motor of the seventh aspect.

[0022] In the eighth embodiment, the bonding strength between the plate members (38) of the stator core (32) is sufficient, which can suppress compressor failures caused by damage to the motor (30).

[0023] The ninth aspect is a blower equipped with the motor of the seventh aspect.

[0024] In the ninth embodiment, the bonding strength between the plate members (38) of the stator core (32) is sufficient, which can suppress blower failures caused by damage to the motor (30).

[0025] The tenth embodiment is a refrigeration system equipped with the compressor of the eighth embodiment.

[0026] In the tenth embodiment, a refrigeration system equipped with the compressor of the eighth embodiment can be provided.

[0027] The eleventh aspect is a method for manufacturing a laminate in which a plurality of metallic plate members containing amorphous metal or nanocrystalline metal are stacked, wherein at least a portion of the plurality of plate members has a welding projection (50) provided on a first side surface (61) different from the thickness direction surface of the plate member (38), and the method for manufacturing a laminate includes a stacking step of stacking the plurality of plate members such that at least one of the adjacent plate members (38) in the stacking direction has the welding projection (50), and a welding step of welding adjacent plate members in the stacking direction by heating the welding projection (50).

[0028] In the eleventh embodiment, the welding protrusion (50) melts during the welding process, thereby suppressing the reduction in volume of the welded portion. This makes it possible to obtain the same effect as in the first embodiment.

[0029] A twelfth aspect is a method for manufacturing a laminate, wherein the lamination step involves laminating a plurality of plate members such that at least a portion of the welding protrusions (50) overlap each other when viewed from the lamination direction.

[0030] In the twelfth embodiment, multiple welding protrusions (50) can be melted at once by heating linearly along the stacking direction. In this way, the welding process can be carried out simply.

[0031] Figure 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a refrigeration device according to an embodiment. Figure 2 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view corresponding to a cross-section parallel to the axial direction in the compressor according to the embodiment. Figure 3 is a transverse cross-sectional view corresponding to a cross-section perpendicular to the axial direction in the motor. Figure 4 is a top view of a plate member according to the embodiment. Figure 5 is a three-dimensional perspective view of a part of a laminate showing the shape and arrangement of welding protrusions in the laminate before welding. Figure 6 is a three-dimensional perspective view of a part of a laminate after the welding protrusions have melted. Figure 7 is a schematic diagram showing the shape of welding protrusions in another embodiment. Figure 8 is a three-dimensional perspective view showing the welded portion of a laminate after welding in another embodiment. Figure 9 is a three-dimensional perspective view showing the welded portion of a laminate after welding in another embodiment. Figure 10A shows the shape of the welded portion of a laminate after welding in which no welding protrusions are provided on the plate members, and there is no gap between the plate members facing each other in the stacking direction. Figure 10B shows the shape of the welded portion of a laminate after welding in which no welding protrusions are provided on the plate members, and there is a gap between the plate members facing each other in the stacking direction. Figure 11 shows an example of the state of the welded portion of a laminated body after welding, in which no welding protrusions are provided on the plate members.

[0032] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The following embodiments are essentially preferred examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention, its applications, or its uses. Furthermore, the embodiments, modifications, and other examples described below can be combined or partially replaced to the extent that the present invention is implementable.

[0033] (1) Refrigeration device The refrigeration device (1) shown in Figure 1 has a refrigerant circuit (1a) filled with refrigerant. The refrigerant circuit (1a) is equipped with a compressor (10), a heat sink (2), an expansion valve (3), and an evaporator (4). The refrigerant circuit (1a) performs a vapor compression type refrigeration cycle.

[0034] In the refrigeration cycle, the refrigerant compressed by the compressor (10) releases heat into the air in the heat exchanger (2). The refrigerant that has released heat is depressurized by the expansion valve (3) and evaporates in the evaporator (4). The evaporated refrigerant is drawn back into the compressor (10).

[0035] The refrigeration system (1) may also be an air conditioning system, a water heater, a chiller unit, a cooling system for cooling the air inside the storage unit, etc.

[0036] (2) Compressor The compressor (10) shown in Figure 2 has a casing (11), a motor (30), a drive shaft (20), and a compression mechanism (22).

[0037] (2-1) Casing The casing (11) houses the motor (30), the drive shaft (20), and the compression mechanism (22). The casing (11) is a fully sealed container. The inside of the casing (11) is filled with high-pressure coolant discharged from the compression mechanism (22).

[0038] The casing (11) is made of a metal material. The casing (11) has a body (12), a bottom (13), and a top (14). The body (12) is a cylindrical metal member. Openings are formed at both axial ends of the body (12). The bottom (13) closes the lower opening of the body (12). The top (14) closes the upper opening of the body (12).

[0039] (2-2) Motor As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the motor (30) is positioned above the compression mechanism (22). The motor (30) has an inverter that controls its operating frequency. In other words, the compressor (10) is an inverter type with a variable operating frequency.

[0040] The motor (30) has a stator (31) and a rotor (40). The stator (31) is supported by the body (12) of the casing (11).

[0041] The stator (31) has a stator core (32) and a coil (33) wound around the stator core (32). The stator core (32) has an annular back yoke (34) and a plurality of teeth (6 in this example) (35) extending radially inward from the inner circumferential surface of the back yoke (34). A plurality of core cuts (6 in this example) (36) are formed on the outer circumferential surface of the back yoke (34). The core cuts (36) are grooves extending axially from the stator core (32).

[0042] The stator core (32) has a laminate (M). The laminate (M) is formed by laminating metal plate members (38) in the thickness direction thereof. The plate member (38) is a thin plate-like component shaped to have a back yoke (34) and teeth (35). In other words, the plate member (38) of the present disclosure constitutes the laminate (M) of the stator core (32). The thickness of the plate member (38) is formed to be 20 μm or more and 100 μm or less per sheet, preferably 20 μm or more and 50 μm or less, and more preferably 20 μm or more and 30 μm or less. Details of the plate member (38) will be described later.

[0043] The rotor (40) is disposed inside the stator core (32). A drive shaft (20) is fixed to the axis of the rotor (40). A plurality of slots (41) are formed in the rotor (40). Permanent magnets are embedded inside the slots (41).

[0044] (2-3) Drive Shaft The drive shaft (20) extends vertically along the axis of the casing (11). The drive shaft (20) is rotationally driven by the motor (30). The drive shaft (20) is rotatably supported by a bearing (29).

[0045] (2-4) Compression Mechanism The compression mechanism (22) has a cylinder (23) and a piston (24) provided inside the cylinder (23). A cylinder chamber (25) is formed between the inner peripheral surface of the cylinder (23) and the outer peripheral surface of the piston (24). In the cylinder chamber (25), a fluid is compressed by the piston (24) driven by the drive shaft (20).

[0046] (2-5) Suction Pipe and Discharge Pipe The compressor (10) has a suction pipe (26) and a discharge pipe (27). The suction pipe (26) penetrates the body (12) in the radial direction and communicates with the cylinder chamber (25). The low-pressure refrigerant in the refrigerant circuit (1a) is sucked into the cylinder chamber (25) through the suction pipe (26). The discharge pipe (27) penetrates the top (14) in the axial direction and communicates with the internal space of the casing (11). The refrigerant compressed by the compression mechanism (22) flows through the core cut (36) of the motor (30) and the like, and then is sent from the discharge pipe (27) to the refrigerant circuit (1a).

[0047] (3) Issues related to the manufacture of a laminate having an amorphous metal plate The plate member described below is a metal plate containing an amorphous soft magnetic material. The plate member will be described as an amorphous metal plate. The amorphous metal plate is a plate material made of an alloy mainly containing iron with a thickness of 50 μm or less. The amorphous metal plate is manufactured by rapidly cooling a molten metal formed into a thin plate shape. For example, by supplying the molten metal to the outer peripheral surface of a cylindrical copper roll member, the molten metal that touches the surface of the roll member is rapidly cooled, and a thin amorphous metal plate is formed on the surface of the roll member. By continuously supplying the molten metal to the roll member while rotating the roll member, the amorphous metal plate is extruded from the roll member in a foil strip shape. A plate member formed into a product shape can be obtained by punching the thus extruded foil strip-shaped amorphous metal plate using a punch and a die.

[0048] The plate member made of amorphous metal is very thin and has a property of not undergoing plastic deformation. Therefore, fixing by caulking is not practical, and it is preferable to fix it by some other method. For example, there is a method of welding amorphous metal plates facing each other in the stacking direction. This welding method includes a method of heating the side surface of the laminate. Specifically described, by linearly heating the surface of the laminate viewed from the direction orthogonal to the stacking direction, which is the side surface of the laminate, from one end to the other end in the stacking direction, the heated portion melts and adjacent plate members are welded together. By performing such welding at a plurality of locations on the side surface of the laminate, the plate members of the laminate are fixed to each other.

[0049] Here, the surface of the foil strip-shaped amorphous metal plate is relatively rough and has minute irregularities. In particular, as a finding, it has been obtained that in the method of rapidly cooling the molten metal on the outer peripheral surface of a rotating metal roll member as described above, the surface of the amorphous metal plate that is not in contact with the roll member tends to become rough. Therefore, minute gaps are formed between adjacent plate members in the stacking direction in the laminate of the plate members made of amorphous metal.

[0050] When metal is heated and melted, it attempts to continuously weld each plate member in the stack. However, if there are gaps, the volume of the welded area decreases compared to when there are no gaps (see Figure 10). When the volume of the welded area decreases, the joint strength between the plate members decreases accordingly. Also, as shown in Figure 11, because amorphous metal plates are very thin, if the ratio of gaps to the thickness of the amorphous metal plate members is large, the molten metal tends to aggregate in one or more places. As a result, the molten metal does not spread sufficiently from one end to the other in the stacking direction, and there is a risk of welding defects occurring in multiple plate members of the stack. In particular, when heating the side of the stack from a plate member located at one end to a plate member located at the other end, welding defects can occur due to gaps between the plate members, regardless of the heating method, such as high-frequency welding, arc welding, infrared welding, electron beam welding, or laser welding. These problems also occur when the plate members are metal plates made of nanocrystalline soft magnetic material.

[0051] In this embodiment, to address these issues, a welding projection (50) is provided on the plate member (38). The plate member (38) will be described in detail below.

[0052] (4) Plate Member The plate member (38) shown in Figure 4 is formed as a thin, generally annular plate with the back yoke (34) and teeth (35) integrally molded. The plate member (38) is a metal plate of amorphous soft magnetic material. The plate member (38) may also be a nanocrystalline metal plate containing a nanocrystalline soft magnetic material. The amorphous soft magnetic material or nanocrystalline soft magnetic material is composed of, for example, at least one magnetic metal selected from the group consisting of iron, cobalt, and nickel, and at least one nonmagnetic metal. The at least one nonmagnetic metal is selected from the group consisting of, for example, boron, carbon, phosphorus, aluminum, silicon, titanium, vanadium, chromium, manganese, copper, yttrium, zirconium, niobium, molybdenum, hafnium, tantalum, and tungsten. The amorphous soft magnetic material or nanocrystalline soft magnetic material is not limited to the above examples.

[0053] As shown in Figure 5, each plate member (38) has a welding projection (50) formed on it. The welding projection (50) is used to weld together plate members (38) that face each other in the stacking direction when multiple plate members (38) are stacked. In other words, the molten welding projection (50) joins together plate members (38) that face each other in the stacking direction. To put it another way, the welding projection (50), by melting, joins together multiple plate members (38) that are arranged to overlap each other.

[0054] The welding projection (50) is formed on a first side surface (61) that is different from the surface facing the lamination direction. The first side surface (61) is the outer edge of the plate member (38). In other words, the first side surface (61) is the surface viewed from a direction perpendicular to the thickness direction of the plate member (38). In this embodiment, the first side surface (61) is the outer edge of the annular back yoke (34) and is the surface viewed from a direction perpendicular to the thickness direction of the back yoke (34). To put it another way, the first side surface (61) is the surface of each plate member (38) viewed from a direction perpendicular to the lamination direction of the laminate (M). In this embodiment, the welding projection (50) is positioned radially outward of the teeth (35) at the outer edge of the back yoke (34). In other words, the welding projection (50) is provided at a position that coincides with the radial direction in which the teeth (35) extend. This prevents the welded portion from interfering with the magnetic flux generated in the stator core (32) when the motor (30) is running.

[0055] The welding projection (50) is formed to protrude radially outward from the outer edge of the back yoke (34). In other words, the welding projection (50) is erected radially outward from the outer edge of the back yoke (34).

[0056] As shown in Figure 4, multiple welding protrusions (50) are formed on a single plate member (38). The multiple welding protrusions (50) are provided at positions that divide 360° equally around the center point of the back yoke (34). For example, if the plate member (38) has two welding protrusions (50), the welding protrusions (50) are provided at positions 0° and 180° around the center point of the back yoke (34). If the plate member (38) has three welding protrusions (50), the welding protrusions (50) are provided at positions 0°, 120° and 240° around the center point of the back yoke (34). In this embodiment, the plate member (38) has three welding protrusions (50).

[0057] The shape of the welding protrusion (50) is determined according to the irradiation width of the welding laser that melts the welding protrusion (50). In this embodiment, the welding protrusion (50) is melted by irradiation with laser light. Alternatively, the shape of the welding protrusion (50) may be determined according to the irradiation width of the welding beam that melts the welding protrusion (50).

[0058] When viewing the side surface (first side surface (61)) of the plate member (38) from the front, and defining the direction perpendicular to the thickness direction of the plate member (38) as the width direction, the length of the welding projection (50) in the width direction generally coincides with the laser irradiation width. The length of the welding projection (50) in the width direction refers to the length of the base end of the welding projection (50), which is the length from P1 to P2 in Figure 5. Since the plate member (38) in this embodiment is formed in an annular shape, it may be the length of the arc connecting P1 to P2 with the center of the plate member (38) as the center point, or it may be the length of a straight line. The laser irradiation width refers to the length in the width direction of the laser irradiated onto the first side surface (61). The first side surface (61) irradiated by the laser may melt more than the laser irradiation width due to heat conduction. Therefore, the length of the welding projection (50) in the width direction may be shorter than the laser irradiation width, taking into account the melting due to heat conduction. The welding laser irradiates based on a beam profile. A beam profile describes the characteristics of the laser beam emitted from a welding laser. These characteristics include, for example, beam diameter and spatial intensity distribution.

[0059] The shape of the welding protrusion (50) may be determined according to the beam profile of the welding laser. In this embodiment, a beam profile suitable for melting a triangular shape as viewed from the front of the paper in Figure 4 is selected. In other words, the welding protrusion (50) in this embodiment is formed in a triangular shape as viewed from the front of the paper in Figure 4. All the welding protrusions (50) of the plate members (38) constituting the laminate (M) are the same shape.

[0060] (5) Method for manufacturing a laminate The method for manufacturing a laminate comprises a lamination step and a welding step. In the lamination step, multiple plate members (38) are laminated such that at least a portion of the welding protrusions (50) overlap when viewed from the thickness direction of the plate members (38). In this embodiment, all plate members (38) constituting the laminate (M) are arranged so that all of the welding protrusions (50) overlap when viewed from the lamination direction. The laminate (M) of this embodiment is configured such that the distance (gap) between opposing plate members (38) in the lamination direction is 25% or less of the plate thickness of the plate members (38) constituting the laminate (M). Preferably, the distance between opposing plate members (38) in the laminate (M) is 20% or less of the plate thickness, more preferably 15% or less, and most preferably 10% or less.

[0061] As shown in Figure 6, the welding process involves heating and melting the welding protrusions (50) of each plate member (38) while multiple plate members (38) are stacked, thereby welding adjacent plate members (38) in the stacking direction. In other words, because all the welding protrusions (50) are aligned in a line in the stacking direction by the stacking process, the welding is performed in a straight line. The welding protrusions (50) disappear upon melting, and the side surface of the stack (M) becomes approximately flush. At this time, the welded portion (Q) shown by the hatching in Figure 6 is formed.

[0062] (6) Features (6-1) Feature 1 The amorphous metal plate members (38) constituting the laminate (M) of this embodiment have welding protrusions (50) that protrude from a first side surface (61) that is different from the surface facing the lamination direction of the laminate (M). The welding protrusions (50) join the plate members (38) facing each other in the lamination direction by melting the welding protrusions (50).

[0063] With the plate members (38) stacked, the plate members (38) can be welded together by melting adjacent welding protrusions (50) in the stacking direction. At this time, even if there is a gap between adjacent plate members (38) in the stacking direction, the volume of the molten welding protrusions (50) compensates for the volume reduction of the welded area that would occur if the welding protrusions (50) were not present. In other words, by using the welding protrusions (50) as a weld allowance, the volume of the welding protrusions (50) can be added to the welded area of ​​the laminate (M). This suppresses the volume reduction of the welded area caused by gaps between the plate members (38), and prevents a decrease in the joint strength between the plate members (38) that make up the laminate (M). Ultimately, this makes it possible to provide a laminate (M) with sufficient joint strength between the plate members (38) formed by welding.

[0064] (6-2) Feature 2 The shape of the welding protrusion (50) in this embodiment is determined according to the irradiation width of the laser that melts the welding protrusion (50).

[0065] The length of the welding protrusion (50) in the width direction is set to match the laser irradiation width so that the welding protrusion (50) can be heated uniformly. This suppresses the accumulation of unmelted material on the welding protrusion (50).

[0066] (6-3) Feature 3 The shape of the welding protrusion (50) in this embodiment is determined according to the laser beam profile.

[0067] By shaping the welding protrusion (50) to be optimal for a specific beam profile, the welding protrusion (50) can be heated uniformly and evenly.

[0068] (6-4) Feature 4 The plate member (38) of this embodiment is formed to have a thickness of 50 μm or less. If there were no welding protrusions (50), the volume of the welded portion would decrease as the thickness of the plate member (38) decreases. However, by providing welding protrusions (50), the reduction in the volume of the welded portion can be suppressed even if the plate member (38) has a thickness of 50 μm or less.

[0069] (6-5) Feature 5 The laminate (M) of plate members (38) in this embodiment is configured such that the gap between adjacent plate members (38) is 25% or less of the plate thickness of the plate member (38). This makes it possible to suppress the reduction in volume of the welded portion when the distance (gap) between plate members (38) facing each other in the lamination direction is 10% or less of the plate thickness of the plate members (38) constituting the laminate (M).

[0070] (6-6) Feature 6 The stator core (32) comprises the laminate (M) of this embodiment. As described in Feature 1 above, a stator core (32) can be provided with sufficient bonding strength between the plate members (38) by welding.

[0071] (6-7) Feature 7 The motor (30) is equipped with the stator core (32) of this embodiment. This suppresses motor (30) failures caused by defective welding between the plate members (38) of the stator core (32).

[0072] (6-8) Feature 8 The compressor (10) is equipped with the motor (30) of this embodiment. Because the strength of the joints between the plate members (38) of the stator core (32) is sufficient, failure of the compressor (10) due to, for example, damage to the motor (30) can be suppressed.

[0073] (6-9) Feature 9 The manufacturing method of a laminate composed of amorphous metal plate members (38) of this embodiment includes a lamination step of laminating a plurality of plate members (38) such that at least a portion of the welding protrusions (50) overlap when viewed from the lamination direction, and a welding step of welding adjacent plate members (38) in the lamination direction by heating the plurality of welding protrusions (50). By such a manufacturing method, a laminate (M) with sufficient bonding strength between the plate members (38) can be easily obtained.

[0074] (7) Other embodiments The plate member of the above embodiment may be configured as follows.

[0075] As shown in Figure 7, the welding protrusion (50) can be determined according to the beam profile and may be formed in a trapezoidal, square, or semicircular shape. Furthermore, the welding laser may have multiple beam profiles. The user may select one beam profile from the multiple beam profiles according to the shape of the welding protrusion (50).

[0076] As shown in Figure 8, the welding protrusions (50) may be formed to a size or shape such that they bulge radially outward from the side surface of the laminate (M) after welding. This increases the volume of the welded portion of the laminate (M) and increases the strength of the joint between the plate members (38).

[0077] As shown in Figure 9, the welding protrusion (50) may be formed to a size or shape such that it is recessed radially inward from the side surface of the laminate (M) after welding of the laminate (M). This not only makes it easier to insert the stator core (32) into the body (12) of the casing (11) when fixing the stator core (32) to the body (12) by interference fit, but also suppresses localized contact between the outer surface of the stator core (32) and the inner surface of the body (12), so that the stator core (32) is stably fixed to the body (12) by almost the entire outer surface of the stator core (32) contacting the inner surface of the body (12), and the increase in stress generated in the stator core (32) due to interference fit can be suppressed.

[0078] In the manufacturing method of the laminate (M), the lamination process is sufficient if the plate members (38) are laminated such that at least a portion of the welding protrusions (50) overlap each other when viewed from the lamination direction.

[0079] In the method for manufacturing the laminate (M), the lamination step only requires laminating a plurality of plate members (38) such that at least one of adjacent plate members (38) in the lamination direction has a welding projection (50), and it is not necessary to laminate the plate members (38) so that all welding projections (50) are aligned in a line.

[0080] Not all of the plate members (38) constituting the laminate (M) have welding protrusions (50). The laminate (M) may be configured such that one of the adjacent plate members (38) in the lamination direction has a welding protrusion (50).

[0081] The motor (30) in the above embodiment may also be applied to a blower (not shown). The blower has a motor (30) and a fan having a rotating shaft that rotates when driven by the motor (30).

[0082] Typical amorphous or nanocrystalline soft magnetic materials include, for example, iron-cobalt alloys, iron-nickel alloys, iron-aluminum alloys, iron-silicon alloys, iron-tantalum alloys, or iron-zirconium alloys. Examples of iron-cobalt alloys include Fe・Co alloys and Fe・Co・V alloys. Examples of iron-nickel alloys include Fe・Ni alloys, Fe・Ni・Mo alloys, Fe・Ni・Cr alloys, and Fe・Ni・Si alloys. Examples of iron-aluminum or iron-silicon alloys include Fe・Al alloys, Fe・Al・Si alloys, Fe・Al・Si・Cr alloys, Fe・Al・Si・Ti・Ru alloys, and Fe・Al・O alloys. Examples of iron-tantalum alloys include Fe・Ta alloys, Fe・Ta・C alloys, and Fe・Ta・N alloys. Iron-zirconium alloys include, for example, Fe-Zr-N alloys.

[0083] Typical amorphous soft magnetic materials or nanocrystalline soft magnetic materials may include, for example, cobalt alloys containing cobalt and at least one element from the group consisting of zirconium, hafnium, niobium, tantalum, titanium, and yttrium. The cobalt alloy preferably contains 80 at% or more cobalt. Cobalt alloys containing 80 at% or more cobalt tend to become amorphous when formed into films. Furthermore, cobalt alloys containing 80 at% or more cobalt have excellent magnetic properties due to their low crystalline magnetic anisotropy, low crystalline defects, and low grain boundaries. Suitable amorphous soft magnetic materials include, for example, Co·Zr alloys, Co·Zr·Nb alloys, and Co·Zr·Ta alloys.

[0084] Amorphous soft magnetic materials have an amorphous structure as their main structure. When observing the X-ray diffraction pattern of amorphous soft magnetic materials, they do not have clear peaks in the X-ray diffraction pattern. When observing the X-ray diffraction pattern of amorphous soft magnetic materials, they have a broad halo pattern.

[0085] Nanocrystalline soft magnetic materials are formed by applying heat treatment to amorphous soft magnetic materials that have an amorphous structure. Nanocrystalline soft magnetic materials are soft magnetic materials in which nanocrystals are deposited by heat treatment of amorphous soft magnetic materials. Nanocrystalline soft magnetic materials have a nanocrystalline structure. Nanocrystals are polycrystalline materials with particle sizes ranging from several nanometers to tens of nanometers.

[0086] When observing the X-ray diffraction pattern of nanocrystalline soft magnetic materials, X-ray diffraction peaks are found at positions corresponding to the lattice spacing of the crystal planes. The crystallite size can be calculated from the width of the X-ray diffraction peaks using Scherrer's equation. A nanocrystal is defined as a material whose crystallite size, calculated from the full width at half maximum of the diffraction peaks using Scherrer's equation, is less than 1 micrometer. In this disclosure, the crystallite size of the nanocrystal (the crystallite size calculated from the full width at half maximum of the diffraction peaks using Scherrer's equation) is preferably 100 nanometers or less, and more preferably 50 nanometers or less. Furthermore, the crystallite size of the nanocrystal is preferably 5 nanometers or more.

[0087] Nanocrystalline soft magnetic materials can improve magnetic properties because the crystallite size of the nanocrystals is 100 nanometers or less, as described above. In contrast, the crystallite size of conventional electrical steel sheets is on the order of micrometers, and is generally 50 micrometers or larger.

[0088] While embodiments and modifications have been described above, it will be understood that a variety of changes in form and details are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the claims. Furthermore, these embodiments and modifications may be combined or substituted as appropriate, as long as they do not impair the functions of the subject matter of this disclosure. The terms “first,” “second,” etc., described above are used to distinguish the phrases to which these terms are attached and do not limit the number or order of such phrases.

[0089] As described above, this disclosure is useful for plate members and laminates thereof.

[0090] 10 Compressor 30 Motor 32 Stator core 38 Plate member 50 Welding protrusion 61 First side M Laminate

Claims

1. A plate member made of metal containing amorphous metal or nanocrystalline metal that constitutes a laminate (M), having a welding projection (50) protruding from a first side surface (61) that is different from the surface facing the lamination direction of the laminate (M), wherein the welding projection (50) melts to join adjacent plate members in the lamination direction.

2. The plate member according to claim 1, wherein the shape of the welding protrusion (50) is determined according to the irradiation width of the welding laser or welding beam that melts the welding protrusion (50).

3. The plate member according to claim 2, wherein the shape of the welding protrusion (50) is determined according to the beam profile of the welding laser.

4. The plate member according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the plate thickness is formed to be 50 μm or less.

5. A laminate of plate members according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the gap between plate members (38) facing each other in the lamination direction is 25% or less of the plate thickness of the plate members (38).

6. A stator core comprising the laminate described in claim 5.

7. A motor comprising the stator core described in claim 6.

8. A compressor comprising the motor described in claim 7.

9. A blower equipped with the motor described in claim 7.

10. A refrigeration apparatus comprising the compressor described in claim 8.

11. A method for manufacturing a laminate comprising a plurality of plate members made of a plurality of amorphous metal or nanocrystalline metal, wherein at least a portion of the plurality of plate members has a welding projection (50) provided on a first side surface (61) different from the thickness direction surface of the plate member (38), and the plurality of plate members (38) are stacked such that at least one of the adjacent plate members (38) in the stacking direction has the welding projection (50); and a welding step of welding adjacent plate members (38) in the stacking direction by heating the welding projection (50).

12. The method for manufacturing a laminate according to claim 11, wherein the lamination step involves laminating a plurality of plate members (38) such that at least a portion of the welding protrusions (50) overlap each other when viewed from the lamination direction.

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