Aluminum-beryllium alloys provide significant weight savings over conventional
materials
Abstract: Requirements for aerospace and
satellite avionic systmes continue to challenge materials development. Designers are
seeking higher packaging densities, lower deltra junction temperatures, higher heat loads,
and smaller and lighter packaging. To address these higher performance needs a new family
of metal matrix composites made up principally of beryllium and aluminum have been
developed. The ratio of the two metals can be varied to achieve the desired physical,
thermal and mechanical properties.
One composition, AlBeMet (r) (AM 162) is a 62% beryllium / 32% aluminum composite. This is
a powder metallurgy product produced by gas atomization and is available in the form of
rod, bar, tube and sheet. These shapes are derived by consolidating the aluminum/beryllium
powder by hot isostatic pressing (HIP) and col isostatic pressing (CIP) followed by
extrusion or sheet rolling processes.
Comment: Aluminum-beryllium alloys are available from Reade
Advanced Materials.
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