formability issues resulting from the higher mechanical properties. No further heat treatment is necessary beyond a possible light stress relief. It is commonly used in parts that require high strength and electrical conductivity such as musical instruments, precision measurement devices, bullets and aerospace. In solid form and as finished objects, beryllium copper presents no known health hazard. Creep resistance 5. The softer BeCu reduces valve wear and increases valve life. That disease affects primarily the lungs, restricting the exchange of oxygen between the lungs and the bloodstream. Later, it can be age hardened to exhibit spring properties. For example, thermal and electrical conductivity can increase with precipitation hardening. There are two groups of copper beryllium alloys, high strength alloys and high conductivity alloys. It has an excellent capacity for being hot formed. The main features of beryllium copper include: 1. Copper Beryllium is the highest strength copper alloy and is specified when the mechanical strength is the limiting design feature for a copper alloy. Beryllium Copper Properties. You'll notice beryllium copper used in cryogenic equipment because it keeps its strength, even at low temperatures. Beryllium copper alloys are so strong, they often find themselves in competition with steel. This is popular in industrial applications because it has many appealing physical properties. Beryllium copper has the highest strength rating of any copper-based alloy. Overaging beyond the equilibrium phase depletes the beryllide crystals and reduces the strength. Beryllium alloys present a toxic inhalation hazard during manufacture. Beryllium copper is commonly used in electronic connectors, telecommunications products, computer components, and small springs. Beryllium copper is a copper alloy with a beryllium content of less than 3 percent and occasionally other components. Similarly, the machining parameters for high strength copper Combining copper with other metals gives BeCu many unique properties. The ability to form stampings of complicated geometrical shapes with accurate measurements 9. [1] It has good thermal conductivity (62 Btu/ft-deg.F-H) 3-5 times more than Tool steel. C17200 (CuBe2) TD04, also known as CuBe2, is the most commonly specified beryllium copper and offers a wide combination of properties including good electrical conductivity, good formability and very high electrical and mechanical properties after heat treatment. High elastic limit 14. Often alloyed with other metals such as copper, beryllium is a key component of materials used in the aerospace and electronics industries. Beryllium copper attains the greatest strength (to 1,400 MPa (200,000 psi)) of any copper-based alloy. It is a heat treatable copper alloy having the unusual combination of very high hardness and strength and lower electrical conductivity than Class 3 materials. High purity beryllium hydroxide is the input material for major applications of the element, including copper-beryllium alloys, beryllia ceramics, and pure beryllium … Tempered wire is most useful where the properties of beryllium copper are desired, but age hardening of finished parts is not practical. Copper beryllium never ages at room temperature, even if … Temper. Copper beryllium can be supplied in the form of strip, rod, bar, wire or tubing as cold worked product. C17510 beryllium nickel copper (NBC), the overall performance is better than chromium zirconium copper, and has good creep resistance, easy to process and shape. The National Toxicology Program (NTP) also lists beryllium as a carcinogen. It has many specialized applications in tools for hazardous environments, musical instruments, precision measurement devices, bullets, and aerospace. Beryllium copper attains the greatest strength (to 1,400 MPa (200,000 psi)) of any copper-based alloy. Compared to steel tools, beryllium copper tools are more expensive and not as strong, but the properties of beryllium copper in hazardous environments may outweigh the disadvantages. Nonmagnetic 2. That indicates they are made of beryllium copper. Beryllium copper blends high strength with no sparking and non-magnetic properties. 10 8 Cycles. Beryllium copper combines high strength with non-magnetic and non-sparking qualities. It may be age hardened after forming into springs, intricate forms or complex shapes. Copper beryllium alloys feature high strength and good thermal andelectrical properties. 1. The high mechanical strength … The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) lists beryllium as a Group 1 Human Carcinogen. Servicing magnetic resonance imaging (mri) machines, where high strength magnetic fields make the use of ferrous tools dangerous, and where magnetic materials in the field can disturb the image. It can be heat-treated for increased strength, durability, and electrical conductivity. Beryllium copper is a copper alloy that is composed of beryllium bronze and spring copper. These non-sparking features are best applied in explosive environments such as in the Oil & Gas and gun powder industries.[2]. They are used in springs and wire where electrical conduction or retention of properties at elevated temperatures is important. The ability to be stamped into complex shapes with tight tolerances C17200 (Beryllium Copper) US EPA Registered Antimicrobial Chemical Composition (%max., unless shown as range or min.) ksi. Beryllium copper alloys have advantages over steel, including higher resistance to corrosion. The following datasheet will explain about UNS C17200 beryllium copper alloys. Non-sparking 6. Gaskets used to create an RF-tight (resistant to radio frequency leakage), electronic seal on doors used with, For a time, beryllium copper was used in the manufacture of, This page was last edited on 12 September 2020, at 13:50. The wrought high strength alloys consist of 1.6 to2.0% of beryllium and nearly 0.3% of cobalt. It is valued for spring properties, corrosion resistance, stability, conductivity, and low creep. Beryllium copper (BeCu), also known as copper beryllium (CuBe), beryllium bronze and spring copper, is a copper alloy with 0.5–3% beryllium and sometimes other elements. UNS C17200 beryllium copper alloys are ductile and produced in mill hardened and heat treatable tempers. This has outstanding properties in metalworking, shaping and machining. The beryllium concentrate is next treated with ammonium carbonate and heated, thereby precipitating beryllium hydroxide (BeOH 2). Yield Strength. Copper beryllium also has an elastic modulus 10 to 20 percent higher than other specialty copper alloys. The cast alloys are frequently formed with injection molds. Beryllium copper high strength alloys are less dense than conventional specialty coppers, often providing more pieces per pound of input material. For example, tools made from beryllium copper won't cause potentially deadly sparks. MACHINING COPPER BERYLLIUM What design challenges are you facing today? [5], International Agency for Research on Cancer, "Feature -- EDMing Beryllium Copper: An Introduction", Standards and properties - Copper and copper alloy microstructures - Copper Beryllium, National Pollutant Inventory - Beryllium and compounds fact sheet, National Pollutant Inventory - Copper and compounds fact sheet, Copper beryllium and nickel beryllium datasheets, Copper beryllium and nickel beryllium WIRE datasheets, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Beryllium_copper&oldid=978032681, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles with unsourced statements from August 2017, Articles with unsourced statements from May 2014, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, Some percussion instruments for its consistent tone and resonance, especially. Moulds for manufacturing plastic containers (including virtually every plastic milk jug), with the blow molding process. High ductility 10. Tempered beryllium copper is C17200 & C17300 that has been age hardened and cold drawn. This alloy has .5% beryllium and can also contain other alloying elements. The main advantage of beryllium copper is its ability to be formed in a soft state. The tensile strength of C17200 copper is over 1380 MPa (200 ksi). Beryllium copper is non-sparking but physically tough and nonmagnetic, fulfilling the requirements of ATEX directive for Zones 0, 1, and 2. Take a close look at tools like wrenches, screwdrivers, and hammers used on oil rigs and coal mines, and you'll see that they have the letters BeCu on them. Source: Copper Development Association. It has good thermal conductivity (62 Btu/ft-deg.F-H) 3-5 times more than Tool steel. This grade is supplied in age hardenable temper TD04 (H). Terence Bell wrote about commodities investing for The Balance, and has over 10 years experience in the rare earth and minor metal industries. Beryllium copper is a non-ferrous alloy used in springs, spring wire, load cells, and other parts that must retain their shape under repeated stress and strain. C17510 and C17500 beryllium copper alloys are age-hardenable and provide good electrical conductivity, physical properties, and endurance. Beryllium copper alloys are vital to many industries due to their unique combination of strength, hardness, conductivity, and resistance to corrosion. Some other uses include: Beryllium copper wire[4] is produced in many forms: round, square, flat and shaped, in coils, on spools and in straight lengths. Copper is known as a soft metal, whereas BeCu is used for its strength. Beryllium Copper Springs for Supporting Industrial Electric Equipment. The standards in the chart below should be for reference only, as alloys can be subject to considerable variation depending upon conditions of heat treatment. Dimensional stability 15. Beryllium is an important industrial metal because of its material properties, that is, it is lighter than aluminum and six times stronger than steel. [citation needed]. By using ThoughtCo, you accept our, The Properties, Production, and Applications of Tin, The Properties and Composition of Monel 400, Beryllium Properties, History, and Applications, The Properties and Applications of Platinum. It's also worth noting that the precipitation heat treatment that creates maximum hardness does not correspond with that which provides maximum conductivity. While, the casthigh-strength alloys contain up to 2.7% of beryllium. Hardness. Oftentimes shortened to BeCu, beryllium copper is an extremely versatile alloy that's desirable for many different applications and industries. Beryllium copper is a ductile, weldable, and machinable alloy. Copper-beryllium alloys are mainly based on copper with a beryllium addition. That's important for workers in those industries because they need tools that are safe to use in those environments. Pub 54. The small ratio of beryllium to copper creates a family of high copper alloys with strength as high as alloy steel. Strength, resilience, and elastic properties make copper beryllium the alloy of choice. The search phrase you entered, beryllium copper, is common to 335 materials, by searching on the exact phrase [ "beryllium copper"] in the most common text fields. The chemical symbol for Beryllium is Be. Biof… Beryllium copper valve seats and guides are used in high performance four-stroke engines with coated titanium valves. Beryllium copper is also a better conductor of heat and electricity. C17200 Copper (CDA 172) ASTM B196, AMS 4533, SAE J461, RWMA CLASS IV. [citation needed] However, inhalation of dust, mist, or fume containing beryllium can cause the serious lung condition, chronic beryllium disease. Machinability and formability 4. Underaging copper beryllium increases ductility, toughness, and uniform elongation. It can be heat-treated for increased strength, durability, and electrical conductivity. Tools made of beryllium copper alloys are strong and hard and do not create sparks when they strike a steel surface. As noted above, beryllium copper won't spark, and this is another significant benefit the metal alloy has over steel. Copper beryllium high strength alloys are less dense than conventional specialty coppers, often providing more pieces per pound of input material. Beryllium copper (C17200 & C17300) is an age-hardening alloy which attains the highest strength of any copper base alloy. An alternative metal sometimes used for non-sparking tools is aluminium bronze. ThoughtCo uses cookies to provide you with a great user experience. C17200 has the strength to withstand the use of a hand and mechanical tools. Beryllium copper alloys are so strong, they often find themselves in competition with steel. 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