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Show Find Mountain Of Beryllium Hailed as World's Largest Known Deposit of Critical Metal. WASHINGTON. Discovery of a "mountain" of beryllium ore in southern Oregon puts the United States in position to develop this strategic material right In its own back yard. Hailed as the world's largest known deposit and as having high percentage content of the war essential metal, the deposit has been reported to the War Production board. Normally, beryllium is imported im-ported from Brazil, Argentina and South Africa, says the National Geographic Geo-graphic society. Pure beryllium is three times lighter than aluminum, is harder than steel and is rust-proof. It would be ideal for airplane construction it it were not so brittle. A piece dropped on the floor will shatter. Scientists are working on a treatment treat-ment that will retain the metal's lightness and hardness, while overcoming over-coming its brittleness. Hardens Soft Metals. Adding 2 per cent beryllium to 98 per cent copper or nickel changes these "soft" metals into alloys harder, hard-er, stronger and with more tensile strength than the best steel. The non-corrosive quality is also transmuted trans-muted to the alloys. Beryllium is found in beryl, a "poor relation" of the emerald. The New world is rich in beryl; Europe is poor. Had Hitler taken the Urals, in Russia, he would have plenty for his war machine. Now he must rely on one small deposit in the Austrian Tyrol. Before Pearl Harbor, American Amer-ican companies were receiving but not filling orders from "Swiss watchmakers" for amounts of the metal large enough to supply beryllium beryl-lium parts for all the watches in the world. Beryllium - copper is used for springs In precision instruments. The metal never tires, will spring back at least a billion times as against 400,000 times for tha best bronze the reason why German agents masquerading as Swiss watchmakers wanted beryllium. The gauges, instruments and precision parts in airplanes, tanks, ships and autos are the nerve centers that control con-trol their operation. Beryllium assures as-sures the longest life to these parts. Will Not Corrode. Because beryllium-copper springs will not corrode, they are especially valuable under rust-forming conditions condi-tions met in warfare. Beryllium-constructed Beryllium-constructed refrigerators, vacuum cleaners, cameras, timepieces and thermostats will last longer in civilian civil-ian use. Beryllium - copper is replacing bronze and steel, traditional war metals, in many uses. Bronze, an alloy of copper and tin, is on the critical list because our Malayan tin Imports have been cut off. Big guns of steel must be rough cast, then laboriously machined down to the finished form. Beryllium-copper, malleable until heated, allows for easier precision finishing while soft. The British designed, built and were turning out a new gun of this "wonder metal" in two months. Safety tools hammers, chisels, shovels made of beryllium-copper are used In powder factories and many other places where a spark from a steel tool might cause an explosion. The full usefulness of beryllium, especially in its pure state, is not known. Much secret research is under way. |
