Because of lead’s high density and relatively low cost, it has found numerous uses in the form of lead weights, lead ingots and lead billets.
Some common uses include counterweights, ship ballast, fishing sinkers, diving weights and in sports handicapping.
Lead Counterweights
lead counterweight is an equivalent counterbalancing weight that balances a load.
A counterweight is often used in elevators, cranes and funfair rides. In these applications, the expected load multiplied by the distance that load will be spaced from the central support (called the “tipping point”) must be equal to the counterweight’s mass times its distance from the tipping point in order to prevent over-balancing either side.
Lead Ballast
Lead ship ballast is used to provide distribution of weight, to counteract buoyancy and to provide stability. Rectangular Lead Bricks are often used in ballast.
Ballast is used in sailboats to provide moment to resist the lateral forces on the sail.
On larger modern vessels, the keel is made of or filled with a high density material, such as lead ballast. The lead weight is typically kept as low possible to provide the maximum righting moment that can be extracted from the given mass. Traditional forms of ballast carried inside the hull were stones or sand.
Ballast Lead comes in a variety of sizes, shapes and grades; common is Machine Lead which is around 1-4% Antimony content and the balance is Pure Lead.
For additional information on lead weight for ballast applications please click
Lead Fishing sinkers
A lead fishing sinker is a weight used to force a lure or bait to sink sometimes to the bottom of the waterway. Sinkers are made of lead, since the material is inexpensive to produce and mold into a large variety of shapes for specific fishing applications.
For example, lead pyramid sinkers, shaped as the name implies, are used when it is desirable to anchor on the bottom of water bodies
Lead Diving Weights
Divers wear lead weighting systems, lead weight belts or lead weights, to counteract the buoyancy of other diving equipment, such as diving suits and aluminium diving cylinders.
Sports handicapping
Horse racing weights
Horses carry lead weights during the course of a race as a form of handicap. Such a race is also sometimes termed a “handicap.” The jockeys use saddle pads with pockets called lead pads to hold the lead weights.
These lead riding weights are assigned by the Racing secretary based on factors such as performances, distance so as to equalize the chances of the competitors
Car Racing Weights
In a similar way weights are added in auto racing, here though the lead racing weights are used both to stabilize the car, by putting more weight over the drive wheels, and to ensure that the car is within the required weight class for the race.
Nuclead can supply sizes and weight up to 40,000 lbs. (special pours up to 100,000lbs.) in any material from 99.99% pure lead to any percentage of alloy, including antimony, tin, zinc, bismuth and copper.
For additional Lead weight application information please click
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