ABSTRACT

The various lead-alloy-product shapes commonly used include sheets, rods, tubes, strips, wire, and complex-shaped bulk components. All the four major manufacturing processes, namely fonning, casting, machining, and joining, are used in the production of engineering components made of lead alloys. The ease of production of the different fonns (or shapes) of lead using one or more of the above processes make the processing costs extremely low and the use of lead attractive. The fonns in which lead is used is classified into (1) basic lead, (2) supported lead, (3) bonded lead, (4) brickllead, and (5) lead coatings [61]. Basic lead is the type of component fonn where lead is not mechanically supported by other materials and the mechanical strength and corrosion resistance of the component arises primarily from lead alloy. Supported lead is the form in which lead is reinforced by mechanically fastening lead to the supportive material, usually steel. Bonded lead is metallurgically joined laminates of lead and another metal, usually steel. Brick! lead is a combination of an outer supporting structure of steel or concrete, a lead membrane, and an inner layer of acid-brick, tile, or borosilicate glass. Lead coatings are thin films of lead that are applied to provide corrosion resistance and differ from supported or bonded lead mainly in its thickness. The processing of these different fonns, except the coatings, involves one or more of the four basic manufacturing processes, namely casting, fonning, joining, and machining.