Beryllium copper

Beryllium copper, also known as beryllium bronze, is the "king of elasticity" of copper alloys. After solution aging heat treatment, products with high strength and conductivity can be obtained.The machinability, weldability and polishing properties of beryllium bronze are similar to those of common high copper alloys. 

Beryllium bronze can be divided into two categories. According to the composition of the alloy, beryllium content is 0.2%-0.6% for high conductivity (electrical and thermal) beryllium bronze, and beryllium content is 1.6%-2.0% for high strength beryllium bronze. According to the manufacturing process, it can be divided into cast beryllium bronze and deformed beryllium bronze. C is the most widely used beryllium bronze alloy in the world. Deformed beryllium bronze includes C17000, C17200 (high strength beryllium bronze) and C17500 (high conductivity beryllium bronze). The corresponding cast beryllium bronzes are C82000, C82200 (high conductivity cast beryllium copper) and C82400, C82500, C82600, C82800 (high strength wear resistant cast beryllium copper). The largest beryllium-copper alloy manufacturer in the world is Brush Wellman Company of the United States, whose enterprise standards correspond to international standards and have certain authority. The history of beryllium bronze production in China is almost synchronized with that in the former Soviet Union and the United States, but only high strength beryllium bronze QBe1.9, QBe2.0 and QBe1.7 are listed in the national standards. Other high-conductivity beryllium bronze or cast beryllium bronze have been put into mass production according to the needs of the development of petroleum industry and national defense industry.

Beryllium bronze has good comprehensive properties. Its mechanical properties, such as strength, hardness, wear resistance and fatigue resistance, rank first among copper alloys. Its electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, non-magnetic, spark resistance and other properties can not be compared with other copper materials. The strength and electrical conductivity of beryllium bronze are at the lowest value in the solution soft state. After work hardening, the strength is improved, but the electrical conductivity is still the lowest value. After aging and heat treatment, the strength and conductivity of the alloy increase obviously.