Dec 20 2012
Topics Covered
Introduction
Physical Properties
Mechanical Properties
Thermal Properties
Applications
Introduction
In 1798, beryllium was discovered by Louis-Nicholas Vauquelin. It is a fairly soft metal, brittle in nature, with high specific heat, stiffness-to-weight ratio, strength-to-weight ratio and thermal conductivity. It can be easily rolled, machined, extruded, and drawn.
The following datasheet gives an overview of beryllium.
Physical Properties
The following table shows the physical properties of beryllium.
|
Properties |
Metric |
Imperial |
|
Density |
1.844 g/cm³ |
0.06662 lb/in³ |
|
Melting point |
1273 - 1283°C |
2323 - 2341°F |
Mechanical Properties
The mechanical properties of beryllium are outlined in the following table.
|
Properties |
Metric |
Imperial |
|
Tensile strength |
370 MPa |
53700 psi |
|
Yield strength |
240 MPa |
34800 psi |
|
Fatigue strength (@# of cycles 1.00e+7, Kt=3.07 and R = 0.1) |
160 MPa |
23200 psi |
|
Shear strength (hot-pressed block) |
345 MPa |
50000 psi |
|
Shear strength (cross-rolled sheet) |
480 MPa |
69600 psi |
|
Fracture toughness (KIC for hot-pressed structural grades) |
10.6 - 12.3 MPa |
9.65 - 11.2 ksi |
|
Elastic modulus |
303 GPa |
43900 ksi |
|
Poisson's ratio |
0.0700 - 0.180 |
0.0700 - 0.180 |
|
Elongation at break |
3% |
3% |
|
Charpy impact |
1.50-5.50 J |
1.11-4.06 ft-lb |
|
Hardness, Rockwell B (converted from Brinell hardness) |
75 - 85 |
75 - 85 |
Thermal Properties
The thermal properties of beryllium are displayed in the following table.
|
Thermal Properties |
Metric |
Imperial |
|
Thermal expansion co-efficient (@ 25°C/77°F, increases rapidly until 100°C) |
11.5 µm/m°C |
6.39 µin/in°F |
|
Thermal conductivity |
216 W/mK |
1500 BTU in/hr.ft².°F |
Applications
Beryllium has the following applications:
-
X-ray sources/detectors
-
Nuclear reactors
-
Inertial guidance instruments
-
IR target acquisition systems
-
Computer parts
-
Heat sink constraining cores
-
Aircraft and satellite structures