Beryllium

Beryllium is a chemical element. Because any beryllium synthesized in stars is short-lived, it is a relatively rare element in the universe. As a free element it is a steel-gray, strong, lightweight and brittle alkaline metal.

Uses

Beryllium has unique properties that make it ideally suited for many aerospace applications. It is a very hard, tough metal but also extremely lightweight: a 36 pound piece of steel would only weigh about 8 pounds if made from beryllium. When you hold a piece of it, you’d swear it was actually plastic. Because of this, it has been used for guidance and gyroscope systems in many missiles and rockets.

In structural applications, high flexural rigidity, thermal stability, thermal conductivity and low density (1.85 times that of water) make beryllium a quality aerospace material for high-speed aircraft, spacecraft and communication satellites. It is also used as housings for laser repeaters. Beryllium spheres can also be used in starship reactor assemblies. Where this is the case, it is recommended that spare beryllium spheres are always kept on board in the case that the casing is cracked.

Properties

Beryllium increases hardness and resistance to corrosion when alloyed with aluminium, cobalt, copper (notably beryllium copper), iron and nickel. Because of its low density and atomic mass, beryllium is relatively transparent to X-rays and other forms of ionizing radiation; therefore, it is the most common window material for X-ray equipment and in particle physics experiments. The high thermal conductivities of beryllium and beryllium oxide have led to their use in heat transport and heat sinking applications.

The commercial use of beryllium presents technical challenges due to the toxicity (especially by inhalation) of beryllium-containing dusts. Beryllium is corrosive to tissue, and can cause a chronic life-threatening allergic disease in some people. The element is not known to be necessary or useful for either plant or animal life.