Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-02-02
De0elQping Metal for Planes.

THE growth of a new industry always brings
accompanying problems, and with the
problems come unthought-of solutions, His
tory in this connection seems about to repeat
itself in the aircraft industry The need for
light but strong metal has ben met to a
large extent with the application of aluminium
and magnesium, but science now steps for
ward with the hope that rare metal even
more adaptable to the needs Of the aircraft
manufacturers, may be developed on q large
scale.
The rare metal, beryllium or glucinuu. as Il
Is sometimes called, now sells for somewhere
around 5000 pound a prohibitive price, yet
with the example OF helium, which has grown
In few short years from q very expensive
element, used only as a laboratory plavtl1inr
to gas sufficiently low in price to warrant its
use In dirtgibles, it seems reasonable to EXPECT
that In few years beryllium will be In regular
use for the framework Of planes
Beryuium probably is more abundant in the
earthS crust than many Of the minor metals
that are ordinarily considered rather common
states Alice " Petar, in report lust made
public by the Bureau of Mines It IS not n
new metal, for it has been known for more
than hundred years, but even yet 1t has not
been put to work commercially except to an
extremely limited extent Since beryllium is
very light and exceptionally hard and strong,
many believe that it is destined to share with
magnesium and aluminium in the fast-growing
demands.
The mineral beryl, which seldom contains
more than about per cent Of the element, Is
the only recognized ore Of beryllium. It IS q
common accessory In pegmatite veins and Is
also found in clay slate and mica schist but
nltherto only the gem varieties, including en-
erald and aquamarine have been actively
sought In several localities, however, ordinary
peryl Is produced as by-product in mining
mica 1eldspar, and often beryl has accumulated
on the dumps because no buyer could be found.
Only within the last two or three years has
there been an active demand for the mineral.
even in ton lots, and as yet requests for car
load shipments are extremely rare. Consid-
cradle interest has been awakened, neverthe-
less, in the possibility Of opening deposits that
will yield beryl in substantial quantity.
The metal beryllium, or glucium, has aroused
the interest OF many investigators, who have
worked out various processes Of extracting IL
from its ores Beryllium Is very light having
ABOUT the same specific gravity as magnesium,
and Is almost as hard as quartz It win scratch
glass, and 1t takes high polish. Early investi-
gators claimed that beryllium was malleable
and could be easily forged and cold-rolled into
sheets, but later studies do not support these
claims.
While 1t Is possible that absolutely pure
berynium, If obtained might have the qualities
formerly attributed to it. Investigations con-
Quoted at the Bureau of Standards with metal
of 987 per cent purity indicated the contrary.
inns produce was described as "coarsely crystal
line, reminding one Of anthony or bismuth.
hard and brittle, and apparently in
capable Of being wrought cold"
1t Is further stated that more recently metal
OF more than S9.5 per cent purity has been
produced. some lots Of which are semi-malIe-
able cold and can be rolled hot into q thin
sheet. The melting point Of beryllium has
been determined as 1926 degrees centigrade,
or a little above that of manganese
Considerable research has been carried ON
m this country and abroad toward the develop