Document 93EKbGbO2ko5jnE4XJJMgJn1V

^ yii i nwwpqwww!wiiiniit"jLi \u22236 w+ I i SCCE Hr: DEVELOP?2TTS DJ LIT.D* Report of tho Technical Director Edward J. Itallarkey load Industries Association Gentlemen, I have been asked by tho ijcrotary to expand on tho Inportant neu developments In lead which have cone to our attention this year In order to point out that the possibilities for lead ere by no neens exhausted but In fact are on the upturn. As industry representatives, technically speak ing, we know where we've been, where no arc, end perhap, less, where we ore going. Considerable attention has been given rocontly to the so-called exotic metals end their newly found narkets and to other technological accorpllehnents -- to the cooperative exclusion of lead, Tochnlcal firsts last year havo been nany and varied and ere, I believe, tho best Indication of where wo arc going as a teehnieal-ninded nation and Industry. Our space accomplishments need no further consent and as significant as those end other developments ere, the revelations with respect to lead ere in the very least and contrary to popular belief, proportionately as great. Lead's firsts would havo to include a newly developed use In connection with a high tenpcratura structural natcrlal, its first praetical use as a super conductor, the realization if not the revelation that a certain lead coapound la virtually a black body, that lead has an inportant place in tho future of elec tronic or electroluminescent lighting, and that lead aa an anodo has found uso In cathodic protection circles, that lead boccusc of sound attenuation properties has developed cs a requisite material for nissllc guidance and control aysten calibration atudlcs, and that load alone or In combination with various organic materials has found new applications in the nuclear field. Of these latter uses, one in particular may be os explosive in impact to the Iced industry as the application is to tho purpose for 'hich it is intcr.dod. To further elaborate, the implications with respect to the above firsts in terms of lead tonnages consumed might be considjcblo and on the other hand they may not. Vhat I have to say will in the very least arouse your imagination and will indicate clearly that the future for lead is indeed a bright one. Offhand, it would be difficult to imagine a structural application for loed in excess of 1,000F. Houaver, it has developed thet titanium, a modern metal, is benefited by os much os two weight percent lead at high temperatures. Lead has the ability, becauso of diffusion and solubility characteristics, to move with Imperfections or dislocations iu tho metal and thereby maintain the properties of tho bulk natcrlal, Tonnagcwisc, in this case, wo aro goared to titanium consumption which may cr acaln nay not bo larger. Presented at tho 30th Annual Meeting, Load Industries Association, St. Imuia, lb,, April 15-16, 1958. o V Kr. Edward J. Bullarkey -2- 3ooe new developments in lead lou may alao b# aware of the superconductive behavior of lead at low temperatures, on the order of -Ii52F., and the aifficulty in finding a practi cal use for such an elegant property. But, XP1 report* lead's use as a durable superconducting connection to solder or film-coated wire for various electro nic uses, an indication of things to come. I think you have all heard of or had experience with radiant beating, that is, the heating of home or factory by heat emitted from the walls, floors and ceilings. Little do we realize that we can absorb useful heat only as a minor fraction of that produced by such Deans. In a sense, cosfortwiee, we respond to only a very limited portion of the heat spectrum. To expand further, as based on the behavior of unite leao which is virtually a black body, it appears that, lead compounds or combinations of them can be manufactured to absorb perfectly and emit characteristic or important frequencies of radiation and as such would be infinitely core efficient than existing materials for this purpose. One can cite the heat trap devices slated for the future home, which in daylight would be used to absorb, use and transmit to storage excess heat fron the sun for heating purposes. In the same sens^ lead compound coatings for walls or decorations, heated electrically, right be used as inconspicuous radiators at unheard-of efficiencies. To furtner explore this possibility the LIA has under consideration specific research proposals. Needless to say, tonnages could be considerable. The efficacy of heat or comfort in the hone, factory or office at low cost is always attractive to the consumer or builder. Electronic lighting, a large potential consuming industry for phosphor compounds holds promise for lead, again as an additive or making up approximate ly two mole percent of the total used. Such companies as bestlnghouse, General Electric and Sylvania are active in this field -- which have in the offing as consumer products, multicolored wall-hung or ceiling panels for decorative and lighting purposes, wall-hung T.V. and so forth. Lead has the ability In this ease to enable the tungstate phesphera or compounds to operate at peak luminous efficiency. Again it is too soon to tell, but already such electroluminescent panels are being used on dial radios and cabinets for both decorative and functional purposes. In future we may be able to light up our walls and ceilings st the flick of a switch thus dispensing with such unnecessaries as the floor lamp. The February issue of "header4 Digest" has an excellent coverage of this "new kind of light." This feature of lesd is also being considered by LIA as an area for research. Our English friends have brought forth the use of lead as an insoluble anode for cathodic protection purposes. They are now being used or engineered for use by American firms, Ebasco in particular, for ship hull, steel pier and pipe line protection purposes. Lead has always been important In the areas of general chemical, water nd soil corrosion and its use as an impressed current anode :srves to round out the applications picture. Concomitant With the demands of the op>ace age, lead has moved Into the "white noise" room at Mimeapolls-Honeywell rterulttor Co.'s new Florida iMrtlal 0 Guidance Center at St. Petersburg. This particular installation uses approxi mately 25 tons of lead as port cf a mass balanced on a knife edge, for the support of vibration equlpetent. This use of lead is quite unique as it forma LIA22240 te Mr. Edward J, Vullarkey So d * new development* In lead o part of a sandwich construction, the purpose of which is twofold, (1) to Isolate transmission of vibration to adjacent ground aid structure and (2) to assist in preventing undeslred planes of vibration in missile component test equipment so that the vibratory motion will be confined to a slnvle plane. This new and provocative use harks back to the older use of lead for vibration damping in building construction. And finally, in the areas of shielding, I can offer two new items differing both in importance and potential consumption, first, I should sientlon lead's use in connection with neutron reflection which is new to s materiel here* tofore used primarily as a ^ann* shield. Atcnios International la producing a portable research reactcr making use of this property -- 3,800 lb. of it. Secondly, the use of lead-impregnated plastic to shield components sensitive to radiation levels lo*^r than those that affect man. In this regard, all I can aay la that the Unlveraity of California Radiation Laboratory at Berkeley ha* the material under study for classified purposes. But it remains as a new and practical use. ---- vr