Plasma Transferred Arc Deposition of Beryllium
Dr. Kendall J. Hollis1, Brian D. Bartram1, J. C. Withers2, R. Storm2 and Dr. J. Massarello3, 1Materials Science & Technology, Los Alamos National Laboratory, P.O. Box 1663, MS G-770, Los Alamos, NM 87545, 2MER Corporation, 7960 S. Kolb Road, Tucson, AZ 85706, 3Air Force Research Laboratory, 3500 Aberdeen Ave. SE, Albuquerque, NM 87117

The exceptional properties of beryllium (Be) including low density and high elastic modulus, make it the material of choice in many defense and aerospace applications. However, health hazards associated with Be material handling limit the applications that are suited for its use. Innovative solutions that enable continued use of Be in critical applications while addressing worker health concerns are highly desirable. Plasma Transferred Arc solid freeform fabrication is being evaluated as a Be fabrication technique for civilian and military space based components. Initial experiments producing beryllium deposits are reported here. Deposit shape, microstructure and mechanical properties are reported.

Session 12: PTA & Laser Surfacing 2

The Preliminary Program for International Thermal Spray Conference And Exposition (ITSC) (May 15-18, 2006)