Beryllium Copper Landing Gear Bushings and Avionics

Beryllium copper landing gear bushings and avionics components rely on the alloy's anti-galling behaviour, lasting spring action and stable elasticity, from the undercarriage to the altimeter. With more than 50 years in high performance copper alloys, NGK Berylco supplies strip, wire, rod, plate and block from its European operations, with a dedicated UK office in Salford for local support.

Beyond connectors, beryllium copper's anti-galling properties suit landing gear bushings, and its lasting spring action is used in emergency door release springs and evacuation slide deployment systems. In avionics, it appears in altimeters, GPS and Pitot tubes. Aneroid capsules in altimeters are made only from beryllium copper, thanks to its elastic behaviour, freedom from hysteresis and resistance to corrosion and extreme temperatures.

A civil aircraft contains more than 40,000 electrical contactors, connectors and spring contacts, linked by over 500 km of data cable.

These parts are the largest single use of beryllium copper. The alloy combines conductivity with resistance to vibration, repeated mating, wear and corrosion, and forms into the complex shapes miniaturised equipment needs. It's used on the female side of connectors to grip the male contact reliably.

The core Berylco grades are C17200 (CuBe2, Berylco 25) for high strength, C17300 (CuBe2Pb, Berylco 33/25) for free machining and C17510 (CuNi2Be, Berylco 14) for high conductivity. Where a beryllium-free option suits better, the GMX copper-nickel-tin range covers it. NGK's technical team can help match grade, temper and form to the job.

NGK Berylco is certified to ISO 9001, EN 9100, ISO 14001 and ISO 45001. It also runs a scrap recycling and buyback programme, remelting recovered material into alloy of identical composition.

Need technical advice or a price on Beryllium Copper Landing Gear Bushings and Avionics? Call NGK Berylco UK on +44 (0)161 745 7162 or email enquiries@ngkberylco.co.uk.