MXPA95005080A - Method for preparing an aluminum alloy quecontiene berilio and alloy obten - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for preparing an aluminum alloy containing beryllium, characterized in that it comprises the following steps: a) to provide a solid aluminum component and a solid beryllium component, to form the alloy filler; melt the charge from step (a) in the furnace vessel, internally coated with ceramic material, inside a vacuum melting furnace; c) pour the molten liquid material from step (b) into the disposable envelope mold; ) freeze the molten material inside the disposable wrap mold, and e) remove the discarded wrap mold

Description

ALUMINUM ALLOYS CONTAINING BERILIO. Y PRECISION COLADA. OF SUCH ALLOYS OWNER: BRUSH WELLMAN INC. American-born corporation, residing at: 17876 St. Clair Avenue Cleveland, Ohio 44110 United States of America INVENTORS: Mr. Fritz C. Grensing residing at: 632 Indian Wells Lane, Perrysburg, OH 43551, USA United States citizen: Profession: Scientific Researcher at Brush Wellman Inc.

Mr. James H. Marder residing at: 2888 Warrington Road, Shaker Heights, OH 44120, USA United States citizen Profession: Director of Technical Research at Brush Wellman Inc.

Mr. Jere H. Brophy residing at: 31905 Jackson Road, Chagrin Falls, OH 44022, USA United States citizen Profession: Vice President of Technology at Brush Wellman Inc. fifteen twenty Field of the Invention The present invention relates to alloys of beryllium and aluminum. More particularly, the invention describes a method for making aluminum alloys containing beryllium and for transforming them into useful structural products, by precision casting techniques. Brief Description of the Prior Art Aluminum and beryllium alloys are known in the art. For example, in Cooper Patent No. 1,254,987, the addition of aluminum to beryllium is described to improve its machinability. In the Patent No. 3,337,334, by Fenn, reveals and claims a commercial product called "Lockalloy" (developed by Lockheed and Berylco in the 1960s), which comprises aluminum as the base metal and 62 weight percent of beryllium . The Lockalloy was produced in the form of plates and incorporated in the ventral fin of the experimental aircraft YF12 (Duba, YF-12 Lockallov Ventral Final Program, Final Report, NASA CR-144971, 1976). After the introduction of Lockalloy into the market, a substantial amount of data has been collected on laminated alloys made of pre-alloyed aluminum having 62 percent by weight of beryllium. See, for example: London, Alloys and Composites. Beryllium Science and Technology, Volume 2, Plenum Press, New York, USA, (1979). In the technical literature there are reports on additions of elements, second and third order, to aluminum-beryllium alloys. Said additions include additions of magnesium, silicon, nickel or silver, to prepare ternary and quaternary alloys of aluminum and beryllium, as described in Patent No. 3,664,889, to McCarthy. Said alloys are made of an alloy powder that is rapidly solidified, consolidated and worked by conventional means. The works done by the Russians on the aluminum-beryllium ternary alloys and of higher order, have been described in various ways in: Molchanova, Phase Equilibria in the Al-Be-Ni Svstem at 600 Deg. C. Vest. Mosk. Univ. Khim., Vol., 27 (3), pages 266-271 (1986); Komarov, Increasing the Strength of Welded Joints in an Al-Be-Mg AUov bv Heat Treatment. Weld. Prod., Vol. 26 (1) p. 32-33 (1979); Kolachev, Constructional Alloys of Aluminum Beryllium and Magnesium. Metalloved. Term. Obrab. Metal. Vol. 13, p. 196-249 (1980); Nagorskaya, Crvstallization in Al-Be-Mg-Zn Ouaternarv System Allovs. Metalloved. Term. Obrab. Metal., Vol. 9, p. 72-74 (1973). Typically, minor amounts of beryllium are added to the aluminum-rich alloys, in order to prevent oxidation of aluminum and other components of the alloy during processing steps such as melting and pouring. As a prime example, Brush Wellman Inc., Elmore, Ohio, USA. produces and markets aluminum-rich master alloys containing 10 percent or less of beryllium for further processing by industrial producers of raw material. The residual level of beryllium in the aluminum product downstream in the industrial chain is preferably less than 0., 01 percent. The most usual phase diagram of aluminum-beryllium shows a simple eutectic essentially lacking a terminal solubility of solids, at either end. Said aluminum-beryllium phase diagram, taken from Murray's work, The Aluminum-Beryllium System. Phase Diagrams of Binary Beryllium Alloys, ASM International Monographs on Alloy Phase Diagrams, page 9 (1987), is reproduced as Figure 1 in the present specification. Brush Wellman has done extensive research on aluminum alloys containing from about 10 to about 75 weight percent of beryllium. See: Hashiguchi, Aluminum Beryllium Alloys for Aero-space Application. European Space Agency Structural Materials Conference, Amsterdam (March 1992). This research has shown that an approximately 62 percent by weight beryllium aluminum alloy contains approximately 70 percent by volume of beryllium, and that a 50 percent by weight beryllium alloy contains approximately 59 percent by weight. one hundred in volume, of beryllium. It has also been discovered that the density or specific weight, and the Elasticity Modulus of the alloyed compositions of this system, follow the Mixtures Rule, that is, it is generally possible to interpolate the properties of the alloys between the respective properties of pure beryllium and pure aluminum. The results of the studies done in the facilities of Elmore, from Brush Wellman, has also shown it is possible to produce large cast ingots and fine atomized pre-alloy powder particles, whose micro-structures show a metallic composite that includes beryllium in an aluminum matrix. Currently, Brush Wellman markets these alloys in the form of extruded products and stamped sheet products, under the trademark AlBeMet M.R. Brush Wellman has processed the AlBeMet M.R. in the form of useful component parts (pieces), by means of two alternative paths. Both processes require vacuum fusion of aluminum and beryllium starting materials in a refractory crucible, coated with ceramic material, at temperatures typically in the range between 1350 and 1450 ° C. In the first alternative, the melted liquefied beryllium-molten material is poured through a refractory nozzle in order to produce a current that is intercepted by high-velocity jets of an inert gas. The jets of gas break the liquid stream in the form of tiny grains that solidify in the form of a pre-alloy powder. The individual grains that comprise the pre-alloy in powder form, have a very fine dentritic micro-structure consisting of a beryllium phase inside the aluminum-matrix of the alloy. The pre-alloy powder is then consolidated by cold isostatic pressing, hot isostatic pressing or extrusion, obtaining a coarse configuration that can then be machined to obtain a useful article. The second alternative to process the AlBeMet in order to obtain component parts, is a conventional operation of pouring ingots, in which the molten aluminum-beryllium is poured into the cavity of a graphite mold and cooled in the form of a solid ingot that It has a diameter of up to six inches (15.24 cm). The micro-structure of this casting is a phase of dentritic beryllium, relatively thick, within a matrix of the alloy, which is aluminum. The casting surface and the hot upper part are removed and scraped, and the ingot is subjected to a complementary processing consisting of its rolling, extrusion or machining, obtaining the desired final configuration for the article. Said alternatives are relatively expensive, and the most economical processes are preferred to achieve the finished net configuration.

The precision casting is part of the precision processing of metals, which allows parts or parts with final net configurations to be obtained, which reduces subsequent losses by machining. As a mold for casting metal alloy articles, disposable ceramic wrappings are used whose configuration is based on the configuration of the intended desired structure. See: Horton, Investment Casting. Metals Handbook, 9th Ed., Vol. 15, pages 253-287 (1984). The molten alloy is poured into the mold, an article is made, and the ceramic shell is destroyed as it is separated from the part, or piece, of cooled metal alloy. Prior to the present disclosure, there were no reports on precision castings for beryllium aluminum alloys, because conventional knowledge predicts great difficulties for precision casting for any alloy that presents a large difference between its liquidus and solidus temperatures, such as the temperatures found in the aluminum-beryllium alloy system (see Figure 1). The great difference between the liquidus and solidus temperatures of the aluminum alloys containing the most useful beryllium levels, theoretically makes the casting of these useful alloys very difficult or almost impossible. For example, a casting defect known in the art, known as "hot tearing", increases with increasing differences between the liquidus and solidus temperatures of the cast alloys. See: Davies, Contraction Cracks. Solidification and Casting, pages 174-176, Applied Science Publishers, Essex, England (1973).

In the present specification, solutions are described to the problems enunciated for preparing aluminum alloys containing beryllium, and furthermore an improvement is revealed for the precision casting of metal alloys. OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION One of the objects of the present invention is to provide parts (pieces) with a practical net configuration of aluminum-based alloys with beryllium additions in the range of 1 to 99 weight percent, by precision casting processing, modified. Another object of the present invention is to provide parts with a practical net configuration of an alloy based on aluminum, with beryllium additions, preferably in the range of to 80 weight percent. Yet another object is to provide a method for precision casting in which alloying elements are selectively used to improve the castability and the properties of the resulting parts having net configurations. And another object of the present invention is to provide a precision casting method, improved and cost-effective, to produce alloys of complex shapes, based on aluminum with beryllium additions, preferably in the range from 5 to 80 weight percent. Another object of the present invention is to provide a production method in which matrices of almost net configurations are used to reduce machining costs. And yet another object of the present invention is to provide a method by which it is possible to form precision aluminum components, with net configurations, including significant amounts of beryllium. Through a review of the following disclosure, persons skilled in the art will be able to devise other objects of the present invention.

Summary of the Invention The current state of the art to manufacture structures from alloys based on aluminum-beryllium, is oriented to the metallurgy of powders. The pre-alloyed powder is atomized, consolidated and subjected to standard work practices for metals, in order to produce a pre-form that is then machined, obtaining the finished part. The present disclosure teaches the precision casting of aluminum-based alloys containing significant amounts of beryllium, to produce beryllium aluminum components of practical net configurations, directly from raw materials applied. As used herein, the expression "net configuration" serves to describe a component whose shape is very close to its finished final form, ie, said expression refers to a precision casting that requires very little subsequent machining before its intended final application. In the present invention, precision casting is successfully used to manufacture beryllium-containing aluminum alloys. The alloys claimed herein (and the corresponding parts), have specific densities or weights lower than those of other known aluminum alloys, and a modulus of elasticity that approaches that of beryllium. The module increases with increasing beryllium content and approximates a linear combination between the aluminum module, of 10.0 million psi (703,000 kg / cm) and the beryllium module, of 44 million psi (3,093,000 kg / cm2). In the following Table I the properties of the various beryllium-containing aluminum alloys made according to the invention are reported. TABLE I Properties (Comparison) of Aluminum Alloys Containing Beryllium Be (% Density Modulus E / Rho (in. CONSTANT weight) (lb / Dla3) MSI x 106) (*) 0 0.097 10.0 102.6 13, 1 5 0.095 12.4 130.5 12.6 10 0.093 14.7 158.3 12.2 15 0.091 17,0 186.2 11.7 20 0.089 19.1 214.0 11.3 25 0.087 21.1 241.9 10.9 30 0.086 23.1 269.7 10.5 35 0.084 25.0 297.6 10.2 40 0.082 26.8 325.4 9.8 45 0.081 28.5 353.3 9.5 50 0, 079 30.2 381.1 9.1 62 0.076 33.9 448.0 8.4 70 0.074 36.3 492.5 7.9 80 0.071 39.0 548.2 7.4 90 0.069 41.6 603 , 9 6.9 100 0.067 44,0 659.7 6.4 (*) units: (plg / plg / ° F x 10-6) Aluminum alloys with a modulus of elasticity are required on the commercial market. elevated, and of a specific density or weight, lower. As indicated in Table I, a continuous variation of the properties is achieved, between those of the aluminum alloy at one end, and those of beryllium at the other end. For example, an increase of beryllium of 5 percent, results in a 25 percent increase in the modulus, with approximately the same specific weight, with respect to the base-aluminum alloy. The precision casting of aluminum and beryllium offers an amplitude, previously unknown, to select the size and configuration of the component parts. According to the invention, the parts of net highly porous configurations, require very little machining to reach the final product. As a result, labor and material costs are drastically reduced compared to products that are "trimmed or cut" from a coarse configuration. The present invention has a universal application for a wide variety of parts, including, but not limited to, aerospace fuselages, emergency door locks, vehicle steering wheel columns, engine pylons, support structures, stabilizers of wings, rotor plates, avionics, turbine engines, manifolds, gearboxes, diffusers, particle separators, oil tanks, stators, compressors, pumps, hydraulic equipment, electronic gaskets, electro-optical components, computer hardware and floppy drives, sports equipment and the like. A complete description of the present invention is provided below, with reference to the following Figures and Examples Brief Description of the Figures Figure 1 is a diagram of Aluminum-Beryllium Phases, of current use. Figure 2 is an X-ray radiograph of an aluminum beryllium floppy disk arm made by precision casting, made in accordance with the present invention. Figure 3 is a precision casting, consisting of an avionic box, made of an aluminum-beryllium alloy prepared in accordance with the present invention. Figure 4 illustrates an assembled assembly of read and write heads consisting of the aluminum-beryllium alloy disclosed herein. Figure 5 shows an individual arm of an actuator, with a net configuration, taken from the assembly of Figure 4. The forces exerted on the arm, are represented by vectors or curved arrows. Detailed Description of the Invention The following Examples were carried out to achieve net configurations of aluminum alloys containing beryllium additions. Said alloys of aluminum-beryllium, were transformed into net configurations by precision casting, following the selected parameters. The Examples clearly demonstrate that the precision casting according to the methods herein, of an aluminum alloy with significant amounts of beryllium, is successful. All equipment related to the protection of the environment and industrial safety and hygiene, including additional HEPAVAC ventilation, were installed before the tests were carried out. Air measurements were made periodically, during the tests and during the final cleaning operation. During the tests, all the participants wore the masks with air filter and clothing, adequate. More details on safety can be obtained by requesting them from: Brush Wellman Inc., Cleveland, Ohio, USA. EXAMPLE 1 Precision Casting of a Part (Aluminum Alloy-Beryllium Part) An alloy filler that weighed four pounds (36.29 kg), with a composition of 38 percent by weight of clean aluminum rods and 62 percent in weight of clean beryllium lumps, was placed in a crucible of alumina-magnesia heated by induction.

The aluminum rods, with a purity of 99+ percent, were provided by Alfa Johnson Mathey, Ward Hill, Massachusetts, USA; Beryllium, of quality B-26-D, was supplied by Brush Wellman, USA. The crucible was placed inside a steel chamber cooled by water, in which chamber the air could be extracted until a vacuum of 1 was obtained. x 10 torr. In the steel chamber there was also a preheating oven, heated by electrical resistances, which furnace contained a ceramic wrapping mold. The mold had been manufactured by dipping a suspension of berilia (BeO) on a wax pattern consisting of three rods fixed to each other by a sprue. A commercial part is manufactured using a wax pattern that matches the configuration of interest. The vacuum oven was equipped with an optical pyrometer, in order to measure the temperature of the molten material, and with a thermocouple to measure the temperature of the ceramic mold. The electric current communicated to the pre-heating oven was adjusted to achieve a temperature of 600 ° C. When the mold temperature reached 600 ° C (total time: about 16 hours), the induction field was activated, and the aluminum charge melted under a vacuum of about 0.1 torr. The total time between electric ignition and fusion was two hours. Once molten, the temperature of the liquid metal was increased to 1375 ° C in order to provide superheat to the molten material. During this period of time, the vacuum increased to 0.8 torr, due to the exit of the gases from the molten material. The molten material was maintained at 1375 ° C for five minutes, in order to provide uniform heating and agitation to the molten material. After the maintenance period of these conditions, the molten material was poured into the ceramic mold, in which it solidified. After casting, all the electric current to the crucible and the furnace was stopped for the pre-heating of the mold, and the mold was allowed to cool to room temperature overnight. Once cooled, the ceramic material was separated from the beryllium aluminum alloy, now solidified, using a hammer-blaster unit. The bars were cut from the sprue, and samples were prepared for the metallographic analyzes and to measure the mechanical properties. The micro-structure of the cast alloy consisted of beryllium dentrites surrounded by an aluminum matrix. In the micro-structure several small porosity regions were also observed. The traction samples machined from the other bars were not tested, due to the porosity existing in the microstructure. EXAMPLE 2 Precision casting of an Aluminum-Beryllium Disk Drive Arm.

To demonstrate the principles of the present invention, we proceeded to prepare by precision casting from aluminum and beryllium, a floppy disk arm of net configuration. The resulting floppy disk arm is shown on the X-ray radiograph depicted in Figure 2. The company Brush Wellman, drafted the specifications for a wax pattern, which was designed by Precision Castparts Corporation, Minerva, Ohio, USA, in order to simulate a four-finger floppy disk arm. This four-finger configuration was selected to demonstrate the versatility of the present invention.

Two wax patterns were united in such a way that two parts could be recovered from a single cast. The wax was coated to prepare a mold of ceramic material for casting, and removed by the technique of "lost wax", which is well known in the art. The mold was placed in a vacuum casting oven, and electrically pre-heated. An aluminum alloy containing 62 percent beryllium was melted in the vacuum furnace and poured into the mold, as described in Example 1. After cooling, the ceramic mold was cut from pieces of the piece. casting, leaving two well-formed floppy disk arms with their associated recesses. The castings were subjected to X-rays, and their superior integrity was confirmed by the X-ray of Figure 2. EXAMPLE 3 Precision casting of parts The procedures outlined in Examples 1 and 2 were used to prepare the illustrated avionics box in Figure 3. Said box has all the characteristics suitable for modern aircraft, including high rigidity, good mechanical support, low weight and excellent thermal removal characteristics, and has a coefficient of thermal expansion low enough to ensure its stability during the cycling of temperatures. The methods of Examples 1 and 2 were also followed to prepare the structures of Figures 4 and 5. Said Figures illustrate a set of rotary arms of an actuator having a bore to rotate about the axis of a floppy disk drive in order to position a head radially through a disc, the arm assembly being a unitary piece essentially consisting of an aluminum alloy containing from about 1 to about 99 weight percent beryllium made by precision casting. In particular, Figure 4 illustrates a assembled literacy assembly 10 for driving a hard disk, which assembly is provided with multiple heads 12 mounted on the arms 14 of the actuators. The heads 12 and arms 14 of the actuator are assembled together on the drive shaft 16, which is rotated by the interaction between the conductor wire coil 18 and the magnet 20 arranged in the housing 22 of the magnet. The arms 14 of the actuator are spring-loaded so that they rest on the disk when it is stationary. When the disk rotates, below the head 12 an air pressure develops which slightly raises the head above the disk.

The arms 14 of the actuator are subjected to the vertical forces 24 and to the angular forces 26 shown in Figure 5. The arms 14 of the actuator must be sufficiently rigid to minimize the amplitude of the vertical vibrations and to avoid damaging the located discs. above and below the actuator arms 14. Similarly, the actuator arms must be rigid enough to minimize the amplitude of lateral vibrations and to provide a faster response time to read or write at an appropriate address on the disk . Laminated materials are effective to minimize deflections, mainly in the vertical direction. The beryllium aluminum alloy made in accordance with the present invention is effective to minimize deflections in both directions: vertical and lateral. EXAMPLE 4 Precision Casting for an Al-Be-Ni Ternary Alloy An alloy load weighing 10 pounds (4.536 kg), with a composition of 35 percent by weight, of clean aluminum rods, 62 percent by weight was produced of clean beryllium lumps and 3 percent by weight, nickel pellets (purity, 99.7 percent, provided by Alfa-Johnson Mathey). The charge was placed in an alumina-magnesia crucible heated by induction, located in the vacuum chamber described in Example 2. A wrapping mold placed in the preheating furnace heated by electric resistances, was adapted as a pattern after ten and six bars of tensile test. For commercial applications, the bars were replaced by final configurations such as the avionics box described above. Using the pre-heating furnace heated by electrical resistances, the temperature of the mold was increased to 700 ° C over a period of approximately 16 hours. The induction field was activated, and the charge of aluminum, beryllium and nickel, was melted under a vacuum of approximately 0.1 torr. The total time between electric ignition and fusion was two hours. Once melted, the temperature of the liquid metal was increased to 1375 ° C, in order to provide superheat to the molten material. The molten material was maintained at 1375 ° C for five minutes, in order to provide uniform heating and agitation, to the molten material. During this period, argon gas was mixed inside the furnace chamber, until the pressure reached an atmosphere. The molten alloy material was then poured into the ceramic mold. After pouring, the electric current to the crucible and to the pre-heating furnace was interrupted, and the mold of ceramic material, filled with metal, was allowed to cool overnight. Once cold, the ceramic material was separated from the cast piece of aluminum-beryllium-nickel alloy, by means of a hammer-blaster unit. The traction bars were cut by a band saw, and some samples were cut from the waste material that remains in the channel or opening in the mold by which the molten material is cast into the mold cavity, for metallographic analysis . The micro-structure of the cast alloy consisted of beryllium dendrites surrounded by an aluminum matrix. Examination of the specimen in a scanning electron microscope, equipped with an X-ray energy dispersal capability, indicated that the nickel alloying addition had migrated to the beryllium phase. A porosity was observed in the microstructure, but the volume fraction of porosity had decreased. The tensile properties were measured for several test bars. The yield strength of 0.2 percent was found to be 22. 000 psi (1547 kg / cm2); the final tensile strength was 25,000 psi (1758 kg / cm2), and the elongation was 2.1 percent. The castings manufactured in this example were placed in a hot isostatic press (HIP), and heated to a temperature of 450 ° C for two hours, while applying a pressure of 15,000 psi (1055 kg / cm2). The metallographic analyzes of the parts, carried out after this treatment, revealed that the combination of temperature, time and pressure, eliminated most of the porosity not connected to the surface. EXAMPLE 5 Precision Casting of Aluminum Alloys - Beryllium Order Superior Through the process outlined in Example 3, it is possible to manufacture aluminum and beryllium alloys that also contain other elements.

The composition of the alloy can be represented by the following Formula: (30-75% Be) + (25-70% Al) + (0.25-5% X) + (0-5% Y) + (0 - 0.5% Z) in which Formula, the letters X, Y and Z designate the elements indicated in the following Table II, and the total weight of the components of the alloy, must be equal to 100 percent. TABLE II Alloy Additions for Aluminum Alloys - Beryllium X - Nickel, Cobalt, Copper Y - Silver, Silicon, Iron Z - Titanium, Zirconium, Boron, Scandium, Yttrium, and all the elements included in the Rare Earth Group. For example, the components for an alloy load of 10 pounds (4.536 kg) with a composition of 30 percent by weight, of aluminum rods, 64 percent by weight, of beryllium lumps, 3 percent by weight, of nickel, 1.5 weight percent, silver and 1.4 weight percent silicon were placed in an induction-heated alumina-magnesia crucible located in the vacuum oven described in Example 2. A adding 0.1 percent by weight, titanium is placed in a hopper, to be added to the molten material just before casting. A wrapping mold for receiving the molten alloy is placed in a preheating furnace heated by electrical resistances. The mold can match the configuration corresponding to drawbars, engineering design figures, sports equipment, and the like. Using the pre-heating oven, the temperature of the mold is increased to between 350 ° C and 1275 ° C. The exact temperature depends on the shape (configuration) of the mold and the casting of the alloy. If a mold pre-heater unit is available, the mold can be heated outside the furnace, and placed in a casting chamber just before casting. Said casting chamber must be separated from the melting chamber by means of a vacuum-tight valve, which may or may not have its own heat source. When the mold reaches the pre-selected preheating temperature, the field of induction is activated, and the components of the aluminum-beryllium alloy are fused together.

During melting, the vacuum must not be less than 0.0001 torr, or excessive vaporization of the alloying elements will take place. Once molten, the temperature of the liquid metal was increased to not more than 1500 ° C, in order to provide superheat to the molten material. One minute before pouring, titanium is added to the molten material in order to promote fine grains and to produce a dispersion of fine and hard intermetallic particles in the final product.

One minute after the addition of the titanium, the molten material is poured into the ceramic shell in the mold. After pouring, the electric current to the crucible and the pre-heating furnace was interrupted, and the metal-filled ceramic mold was allowed to cool overnight at room temperature.

As an alternative, the hot mold can be removed from the oven, for cooling. Once cold, the ceramic material was separated from the cast aluminum-beryllium-nickel alloy, by mechanical or chemical methods, or by a combination thereof. The useful parts are removed from the casting for further processing. It is possible to improve the strength and ductility of higher order alloys such as those described in this example, by one or more heat treatment processes which are well known in the art of aluminum alloys. A hot isostatic pressing step (FTIP) can be used,

Claims (24)

1. as described in Example 3, either before or after the thermal treatments. Based on a review of this disclosure, it is possible to appreciate the possibility of various modifications and alterations of the present invention. Said changes and additions are intended to fall within the scope and spirit of this invention, as it is defined in the appended claims. NOVELTY OF THE INVENTION 1. A method for preparing an aluminum alloy containing beryllium, characterized in that it comprises the following steps: (a) provide a solid aluminum component and a solid beryllium component, to form the alloy filler; (b) melting the filler from step (a) in the homogen container, internally coated with ceramic material, inside a vacuum melting furnace; (c) pouring the molten liquid material from step (b) into the disposable wrap mold; (d) freezing said molten material within said disposable wrapping mold; and (e) removing said disposable wrap mold.
2. 2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the resulting beryllium-containing aluminum alloy comprises from about 5 to about 80 weight percent of beryllium.
3. 3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that said resulting beryllium-containing aluminum alloy comprises from about 5 to about 80 weight percent of beryllium, dispersed in substantially pure aluminum.
4. 4. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that said solid aluminum component of step (a) is a composition rich in aluminum, and said resulting aluminum alloy containing beryllium, comprises from about 5 to about 80 percent in weight, beryllium dispersed in said composition rich in aluminum.
5. 5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that said aluminum-rich composition contains an element selected from the group consisting of magnesium, nickel, silicon, silver and lithium.
6. 6. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the resulting aluminum alloy containing beryllium has a modulus of elasticity at least 25 percent higher than that of aluminum.
7. 7. A method for preparing a net configuration article of an aluminum alloy containing beryllium, according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises the following steps: (a) provide a solid aluminum component and a solid beryllium component, in order to form the alloy filler; (b) melting the filler from step (a) in the container of a furnace, internally coated with ceramic material, inside a vacuum melting furnace; (c) pouring the liquid molten material from step (b), into a disposable wrapping mold; (d) freezing said molten material within said disposable wrapping mold; (e) detaching said disposable wrap mold, so as to obtain a cast piece of net configuration; and (f) removing the excess material left in the channels and openings of the mold cavity, and the surplus of the alloying materials, in order to obtain an article with a net configuration.
8. 8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that the resulting beryllium-containing aluminum alloy comprises from about 5 to about 80 weight percent of beryllium.
9. 9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that said article comprises from about 5 to about 80 weight percent of beryllium, dispersed in substantially pure aluminum.
10. 10. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that said solid aluminum component of step (a) is a composition rich in aluminum, and said article with a net configuration comprises from about 5 to about 80 weight percent. , of beryllium dispersed in said composition rich in aluminum.
11. 11. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that said composition rich in aluminum, contains an element selected from the group consisting of magnesium, nickel, silicon, silver and lithium.
12. 12. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that the resulting article has a modulus of elasticity at least 25 percent higher than that of aluminum.
13. 13. A precision casting article, of net configuration, characterized in that it consists of an aluminum alloy containing from about 1 to about 99 weight percent of beryllium.
14. 14. The article of net configuration according to claim 13, characterized in that it comprises from about 5 to about 80 weight percent of beryllium.
15. 15. The article of net configuration according to claim 14, characterized in that it comprises from about 5 to about 80 weight percent, of beryllium, dispersed in substantially pure aluminum.
16. 16. The article of net configuration according to claim 14, characterized in that it contains from about 5 to about 80 weight percent, beryllium dispersed in a composition rich in aluminum.
17. 17. The article of net configuration according to claim 16, characterized in that said composition rich in aluminum, contains an element selected from the group consisting of magnesium, nickel, silicon, silver and lithium.
18. 18. The article of net configuration according to claim 13, characterized in that it has a modulus of elasticity at least 25 percent higher than that of aluminum.
19. 19. A rotating set of arms, of an actuator, made according to the method according to claim 7, characterized in that it comprises a perforation to rotate around an axis of a floppy disk drive in order to position a head radially to through a disk of said floppy disk drive, said set of arms being a one-piece unit consisting essentially of an aluminum alloy containing beryllium and comprising from about 5 to about 80 weight percent of beryllium, the remainder being , an aluminum component.
20. 20. An article of precision cast net configuration, characterized in that it comprises an aluminum alloy containing beryllium, said article being a rotating set of arms for an actuator, said set of arms having a bore to be able to rotate around an axis of a floppy disk drive for the purpose of positioning a head radially through a disk of the floppy disk drive, the arm assembly being a unit of a single piece essentially consisting of an aluminum alloy containing beryllium and comprising approximately 5 to about 80 weight percent of beryllium, the rest being an aluminum component.
21. 21. An avionics box made by the method according to claim 7, characterized in that it consists essentially of an aluminum alloy containing beryllium, and comprising from about 5 to about 80 weight percent, of beryllium, being the rest, an aluminum component.
22. 22. An item of precision cast net configuration, characterized in that it comprises an aluminum alloy containing beryllium, said article being an avionics box consisting essentially of an aluminum alloy containing beryllium and comprising from about 5 to about 80 percent by weight of beryllium, the rest being an aluminum component.
23. 23. An alloy of higher order aluminum, containing beryllium, characterized in that it is represented by the following Formula: (30-75% Be) + (25-70% Al) + (0.25-5% X) + (0 - 5% Y) + (0 - 0.5% Z) in which Formula: X is an element selected from the group consisting of nickel, cobalt and copper; And it is an element selected from the group consisting of silver, silicon, and iron; and Z is an element selected from the group consisting of titanium, zirconium, boron, scandium, yttrium, and the elements included in the Rare Earth Group.
24. 24. The higher order aluminum alloy, according to claim 23, characterized in that it has the following properties: (a) a coefficient of thermal expansion, in the range of approximately 6.4 to approximately 13.0 in. / in / 0F x 10; (b) a module in the range between about 44.0 and about 10.0 MSI; and (c) a density in the range between about 0.067 and about 3 0.063 lbs / inch. An item of net configuration, characterized in that it comprises a higher order alloy, containing beryllium, represented by the following Formula: (30) - 75% Be) + (25 - 70% Al) + (0.25 - 5% X) + (0 - 5% Y) + (0 - 0.5% Z) in which: X is a selected element from the group consisting of nickel, cobalt and copper, and is an element selected from the group consisting of silver, silicon, and iron, and Z is an element selected from the group consisting of titanium, zirconium, boron, scandium, Yttrium, and the elements included in the Rare Earth Group 26.- The article of net configuration, according to claim 25, characterized in that it has the following properties: (a) a coefficient of thermal expansion, in the range from about 6.4 to about 13.0 in./in./f.F.x.10; (b) a module in the range between about 44.0 and about 10.0 MSI; and (c) a density in the range between about 0.067 and about 0.063 lbs / inch. EXTRACT OF THE INVENTION A practical alloy based on aluminum and containing 1 to 99 weight percent beryllium is disclosed, and improved methods are also disclosed for the precision casting of parts (pieces) of beryllium-aluminum alloy with sharply defined configurations. The figure presents a current aluminum-beryllium phase diagram.