How is beryllium use?

Answer 1

Beryllium copper alloys are useful for electrical contacts because they retain the spring force (contact clamping force) over time and temperature and are good conductors.

The downside of beryllium is that its toxic if ingested or inhaled, machining the alloys is usually limited to operations that don't generate dust. (pressure forming operations as opposed to milling, drilling, etc.)

A longer answer

Beryllium enjoys wide use as an alloying metal. Beryllium-copper is used to make electrical contacts, welding electrodes, non-sparking and non-magnetic tools, and also springs (for examples springs for Swiss watches, from the alloy glycodur). In its pure form, it is used as a nozzle in some rocket engines.

It is also found in nuclear applications in that pure, unalloyed state.

Also beryllium is the brazing metal for components from zirconium alloys (for example in the fabrication of nuclear fuel elements cladding from Zircaloy).

This light, strong metal makes for a great window to shoot X-rays and particles or particle streams through. It will interact with them only minimally because of its low atomic number. It's used in nuclear weapons where suitably shaped pieces hold the fissile material and, under the influence of high explosives, drive that material together to set off the device. They also act as a great neutron reflector in that application, too.

Beryllium is used also to make small neutron sources as: Ra-Be, Pu-Be, Am-Be, Po-Be; mirrors for astronomy and military armored vehicles; components for large particles accelerators, etc.

Beryllium is also used to make critical fasteners in specialized applications in the aeronautics and space industries. The metal is strong and hard, but its brittle nature must be accounted for, as well as its toxicity, which makes it a hazard, particularly when airborne, in a manufacturing facility. A link can be found below, and it will lead the curious investigator to the Wikipedia post on this interesting metal.

Beryllium compounds also have many interesting applications.

Answer 2

It is used as components for missiles and rockets. Windows for X-ray tubes, brazing material for zirconium alloys, beryllium bronzes, beryllium alloys for welding, nuclear applications as reflector, beryllium-copper alloys for Transformers, Ra-Be source of neutrons, alloys for aviation industry, alloys for missiles, alloy for watches components, etc. Beryllium oxide: electric insulator but thermal conductor, ceramics for high temperatures, nuclear applications as neutrons reflector, etc.

Answer 3

There really aren't any. Beryllium is fairly rare for and kind of pricey. It's used as a dopant in electronics manufacture, and that's probably the most "everyday" usage of it that there is.

(Unless you are an NMR technician, in which case you probably have a set of expensive beryllium - copper alloy tools that are non-magnetic and safe to use around your magnet. Steel tools near a 4.7 T or so magnet is a bad idea.)

Answer 4

Computers, infrastructure, batteries, Rocket parts, and mainly X-Ray windows.

Answer 5

Liquid beryllium has no known apllications today, excepting of course the Metallurgy of Be.

Answer 6

Usually Ionic

Answer 7

It is used in magnetrons in microwave