May 1, 2007
Award & High School Teachers Night
5:30 Social Hour
6:30 – 7:15 Dinner
7:15 – 7:35 Awards & Announcements (list below)
7:35 – 7:50 Speaker : Dr. Richard Griffin, Professor, Texas A & M University
A Successful University Student
7:50 – 8:30 Speaker : Rob Michel, Brush Wellman
Beryllium for Space Materials & Applications
Rob Michel has 27 years of experience working in the composite industry. He has worked at Hercules, Fibertek, R-Cubed Composites and ATK. Rob was a co-founder of R-Cubed Composites and worked there for 15 years. He gained experience with Brush Wellman materials, while working at R-Cubed Composites. R-Cubed fabricated and delivered 50 AlBeMet bus structures for the OrbComm Satellite Constellation. R-Cubed closed in 2001 and Rob went to work at ATKs Space Structures facility managing precision optical bench programs. Rob joined Brush Wellman in September 2005 and is currently the Manager of Market and Business Development for the Space Market. Rob received his Bachelors of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Colorado State University and he is a licensed Professional Engineer.
Beryllium is one of the lightest metals known. It presents the designer with a combination of desirable properties not found in any other material. Strength-to-weight and stiffness-to-weight ratios of beryllium are outstanding. It has the highest specific heat of any metal, as well as excellent thermal conductivity, and has both elevated and cryogenic temperature properties. Beryllium’s unique physical properties make it the material of choice for x-ray and nuclear applications. The high stiffness to weight ratio combined with excellent damping properties make it the premier material for acoustics applications. When combined with pure aluminum, beryllium forms a unique metal matrix composite (MMC), called AlBeMet. This MMC is one of the easiest-to-machine MMCs and has its own unique properties. This material provides an excellent improvement in stiffness, density and thermal conductivity compared to aluminum alloys.
AlBeWeld is a process for Electron Beam welding AlBeMet. This process provides superior structural integrity as well as serves as a means to reduce overall fabrication costs. E Materials are high performance Be-BeO MMCs that have tailor-able thermal, physical and mechanical properties. This family of materials is ideally suited for electronic packaging applications.
Brush Wellman – Beryllium Products is the premier integrated global producer of beryllium-based metals and metal matrix composites. We provide high-performance metals and metal-matrix composites for mission-critical commercial, aerospace, x-ray, acoustics, research and engineering applications that require the highest levels of performance.
