Lightweight Metal Matrix Composite Segmented for Manufacturing High-Precision Mirrors

High-precision mirrors for space applications are traditionally manufactured from one piece of material, such as lightweight glass “sandwich” or beryllium. The purpose of this project was to develop and test the feasibility of a manufacturing process capable of producing mirrors out of welded segments of AlBeMet® (AM162H). AlBeMet® is a HIP’d (hot isostatic pressed) material containing approximately 62% beryllium and 38% aluminum. As a result, AlBeMet® shares many of the benefits of both of those materials for use in high performance mirrors, while minimizing many of their weaknesses.