Lead was one of the first metals ever discovered by humans. Because of its high corrosion resistance, Romans used it to make water pipes and line baths. Lead is a soft, malleable metal that belongs to the heavy metal family. When freshly cut, it has a lustrous silver-blue appearance, but when exposed to moist air, it darkens to a dull grayish color. This happens because an oxide film forms immediately, protecting the metal from further oxidation or corrosion. Lead ingots are used in various applications.
Lead’s application has become more versatile and diverse over time. Here are some of the many applications for this versatile metal:
Batteries:
The most common application of lead is in the form of batteries in the automobile industry.
Ammunition:
Lead ingots are used in the manufacture of weaponry such as bullets and shots for firearms.
Sailing Ballast:
Because of its corrosion resistance, high density, and weight-to-volume ratio, lead is used to make scuba diving weight belts and sailboat ballast keels.
Coloring Pigment:
Various lead forms, such as white lead, lead chromate, and lead sulfate, are used in coloring applications such as paints and ceramic glazes.
Sheathing and insulation:
Lead is commonly used as a low-cost additive in plastic. PVC is commonly used to cover electrical wiring. Because of its high density, lead is primarily used as a sheathing material in high-voltage power cables to prevent water diffusion into the insulation.
Coolant:
When combined with bismuth, it can be used to cool certain types of nuclear reactors.
Radiation Shielding:
Lead is found in aprons, which are used to protect patients during x-rays. It is also useful against gamma radiation.
Semiconductor:
Lead selenide, lead telluride, and lead antimonite are used in photovoltaic or solar energy cells and infrared detectors.
Anti-knock Additive:
In piston-driven aircraft, aviation fuel is mixed with tetraethyl lead as an anti-knock additive. Lead was also added to fuel to reduce costs and improve vehicle performance.
In addition to the actual uses of lead mentioned above, other beneficial uses of this metal can be seen in the following:
- Acid plants, chemical treatment baths, and storage vessels are lined with this material.
- Glazing bars are used in stained glass and other multi-lit windows.
- Used as a base metal for organ pipes and mixed with varying amounts of tin to control the tone.
- Lead-in strips are used to add weight to tennis rackets.
- It is still used in sculptures and statues, and lead moldings are used as decorative designs.
- Lead ingots create various products, such as bullets and fishing sinkers.
- It is used as a projectile for fishing sinkers because it is inexpensive and dense but poses an environmental risk due to lead poisoning.
Conclusion:
Lead is combined with other metallic elements to form alloys with critical industrial applications. Tin, arsenic, copper, cadmium, sodium, bismuth, and antimony are examples of these alloys. The primary use for lead alloy ingots is in producing battery parts for lead–acid batteries. Lead is required to produce bearings, solder, type metal, and anti-friction metal. Lead alloyed with tin, with or without antimony, is used to make soft solders.