A copper alloy containing about 2% Be that is precipitation-hardened by solution treatment and aging. With tensile strengths above 1 GPa it is the strongest copper alloy and is used for springs and connectors.
Japanese name: ベリリウム銅
Beryllium copper appears in 1 practice question across 1 topic, including Nonferrous metals and alloys.
Field: Nonferrous metals and alloys
Answer: C. Phosphor bronze is strengthened by solid-solution strengthening with Sn and work hardening by cold work, and beryllium copper by precipitation hardening through solution treatment and aging
Phosphor bronze is copper with a few percent of Sn, deoxidized with a little P; its spring strength comes from solid-solution strengthening by Sn and work hardening by cold rolling, and it is not hardened by heat treatment. Beryllium copper contains about 2% Be; when solution treated at about 800 °C, quenched and aged at about 300 °C, fine precipitates form and its tensile strength exceeds 1 GPa, the highest among copper alloys. Its conductivity is also fairly good, and it is used for spark-resistant tools as well, but Be dust and fumes are harmful, so precautions against inhaling them are needed in processing. The option citing phosphide precipitation and Be in solid solution mixes up the mechanisms of the two alloys. Neither alloy is strengthened by martensitic transformation on quenching as steel is.
Beryllium copper contains about 2% Be; when solution treated at about 800 °C, quenched and aged at about 300 °C, fine precipitates form and its tensile strength exceeds 1 GPa, the highest among copper alloys.
Among copper alloys for springs and connectors, which is th…Solid-solution strengthening Work hardening Al-Li alloy Alclad GP zone Temper designation Tough-pitch copper γ'' phase