Materials: Non-Ferrous Metals
Lead
Lead is the most impervious
of all common metals to X-rays and gamma
radiation and it resists attack by many
corrosive chemicals, most types of soil,
and marine and industrial environments.
Main reasons for using lead often include
low melting temperature, ease of casting
and forming, high density, good sound and
vibration absorption, and ease of salvaging
from scrap. Sheet lead, lead-loaded vinyls,
lead composites, and lead-containing laminates
are used to reduce machinery noise. The
natural lubricity and wear resistance of
lead make the metal suitable, in alloys,
for heavy-duty bearing applications such
as railroad-car journal bearings and piston-engine
crank bearings.
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