Copper Beryllium Machined Products
One of the highest strength copper based alloys available on the market today is beryllium copper, also known as spring copper or beryllium bronze. The commercial grades of beryllium copper contain 0.4 to 2.0 percent beryllium. The small ratio of beryllium to copper creates a family of high copper alloys with strength as high as alloy steel. The first of the two families, C17200 and C17300, includes high strength with moderate conductivity, while the second family, C17500 and C17510, offers high conductivity with moderate strength. The principle characteristics of these alloys are their excellent response to precipitation-hardening treatments, excellent thermal conductivity, and resistance to stress relaxation.
Beryllium copper and its variety of alloys are utilized in very specific and often tailor-made applications such as oilfield tools, aerospace landing gears, robotic welding, and mold making applications. Additional non-magnetic properties make it ideal for down-hole wire line tools. These specific applications are the reason this copper is known as spring copper and other various names.
Most grades of Beryllium Copper feature:
- Moderate electrical and thermal conductivity
- Excellent for galling resistance
- Excellent machineability
- Low friction properties
- Excellent corrosion and erosion resistance
- Non-magnetic
- Multiple tempers
- Able to anneal and re-age
C17200 Beryllium Copper:
C17200 is also known as Alloy 25 and is the most commonly utilized beryllium copper alloy and is notable for exhibiting the highest strength and hardness compared to commercial copper alloys. Its strength and hardness is similar to that of steel. C17200 copper’s ultimate tensile and Rockwell hardness properties in a peak aged condition are in the 200 ksi range and RC 45 respectively (electrical conductivity 22% IACS minimum).
Specs:
AMS: 4650, AMS 4530, AMS 4651, AMS 4533, AMS 4535, AMS 4534, ASTM-B-196, QQ-C-530, ASNA 3417, ASNA 6110, NF L-14709
C17300 Leaded Beryllium Copper:
This alloy is an age-hardened alloy having developed higher strengths while maintaining acceptable levels of toughness for many industrial applications. The age-hardening response of this alloy depends on the factors of time, temperature, and cold work applied to the metal. Toughness, fatigue strength, corrosion resistance, etc., can be modified and controlled by either under-aging or over-aging during the precipitation hardening process of the alloy.
Specs:
ASTM B196, AMS B197, CuBe2Pb, EN CW102C, DIN 2.124, Military Mil-C-21657
C17500 Beryllium Copper:
C17500/C17510 offers a combination of high electrical and thermal conductivity with good strength compared to most copper based alloys. C17500 alloy is the mirror image of alloy C17510 in terms of its properties and characteristics. The beryllium copper differ in that C175 specifies a cobalt alloying addition (2.40-2.70%) and alloy 17510 specifies a nickel alloying addition (1.40-2.20%), but their performance are the same.
Specs:
SAE J461, ASTM B441, ASTM B534, CDA 175
C17510 Beryllium Copper:
C17500/C17510 offers a combination of high electrical and thermal conductivity with good strength compared to most copper based alloys. C17500 alloy is the mirror image of alloy C17510 in terms of its properties and characteristics. The beryllium copper differ in that C175 specifies a cobalt alloying addition (2.40-2.70%) and alloy 17510 specifies a nickel alloying addition (1.40-2.20%), but their performance are the same.
Specs:
ASTM B441 (Rod), ASTM B534 (Plate), RWMA Class III, SAE J463, J461, MILITARY MIL-C-81021