 |
|
Why Use Beryllium? |
 |
 |
| |
|
| |
Beryllium is one of the lowest-density metals. It has a remarkable combination
of properties found in no other metal. It has 6 times the specific stiffness of
steel. Beryllium has a very high melting point and it maintains useful
mechanical properties up to much higher temperatures than most other metals,
yet it is also prized for its excellent cryogenic properties. Beryllium
combines high thermal conductivity with the highest specific heat of any metal
for superior thermal diffusivity, making it extremely useful for dissipating
thermal transients. Beryllium has excellent damping characteristics. It is a
low Z material, with the highest x-ray transparency of any engineering
material. This fascinating metal has an extensive heritage in space structures,
airborne, earth- and space-based optics, and the semiconductor, medical and
nuclear industries. Designers continue to specify beryllium due to its
unmatched capabilities for medical, aerospace, defense, information technology,
scientific, nuclear and other applications.
|
|
 |
|
| |
AlBeMet® and E Materials are engineered materials made principally of beryllium. AlBeMet® comes in two formulations, AlBeMet® 140 and AlBeMet® 162, with 40% and 62% beryllium by weight, respectively. Aluminum-beryllium was originally developed for the SR-71 aircraft in the 1960’s and dubbed “LockAlloy”. Aluminum-beryllium under the AlBeMet® trade name was reintroduced in the early 1990’s by Brush Wellman.
|
| |
AlBeMet® is a metal matrix composite, consisting of separate phases
of pure aluminum and pure beryllium. This gives AlBeMet® a
synergistic combination of the toughness, ductility and machinability of
aluminum, combined with all the great properties of beryllium.
|
| |
E Materials are available as E20 and
E60, with beryllium metal and 20% or 60% beryllium oxide (BeO) by volume,
respectively. E Materials were designed to take advantage of the superior
thermal dissipation capabilities of beryllium metal and beryllium oxide ceramic
material for electronics heat sink applications. These materials can be
selected according to their coefficient of thermal expansion to maximize their
compatibility with the electronic substrate.
|
|
|
|
|
 |
| |
No matter where you look, beryllium improves the
way we live. |
|
|