It was first developed in the 1960s by the Lockheed Missiles and Space Company, who called it Lockalloy,[1][2] and used as a structural metal in the aerospace industry because of its high specific strength[3] and stiffness.
In the 1970s production difficulties limited the material to a few specialized uses and by the mid 1970s Lockalloy was no longer commercially available.
[4] AlBeMet is the trade name for a beryllium and aluminium metal matrix composite material derived by a powder metallurgy process.
Aluminium-beryllium metal matrix composite combines the high modulus and low density characteristics of beryllium with the fabrication and mechanical property behaviors of aluminium.
Mechanical properties for HIP’d, extruded, and/or rolled AlBe metal matrix composites are in the annealed condition.