20.05.

2020 by Andreas Velling

Aluminium Corrosion & Its

Different Types

Aluminium is the second most abundant metal on earth and due to its excellent
properties, is one of the most widely used metals today. Therefore, it is useful to be
aware of the conditions that shorten the lifetime of these metals.
Corrosion of any metal can significantly impact its functional strength causing
structural damage like cracks, partial fracture, and total material failure in extreme
cases. In this article, we shall take an in-depth look into aluminium corrosion to help
understand the different types of corrosion that can affect the metal.
Table of Contents hide
I What is Aluminium Corrosion?
II Types of Aluminium Corrosion

What is Aluminium Corrosion?

Aluminium corrosion is the gradual decay of aluminium molecules into its oxides
that degrades its physical and chemical properties.
By nature, aluminium is a reactive metal but it is also a passive metal.
It means that while nascent aluminium will react with oxygen and water in the
environment, the resulting compound will form a layer on the surface protecting the
material underneath from further corrosion. This non-reactive oxide layer sticks well to
the surface and does not flake off easily, similarly to stainless steel.
Unlike deliberate processes like laser etching, anodising, or brightening, corrosion is a
slow process and will occur over many months or years. What makes aluminium unique
though is that there are many different types of corrosion pathways. Understanding these
different corrosion phenomena is the first step in applying control measures to reduce or
completely prevent their occurrence.
Types of Aluminium Corrosion
Atmospheric corrosion
The most common form of aluminium corrosion. Atmospheric corrosion of aluminium
occurs as a result of exposure to natural elements. Due to its possibility of occurring
in most places, atmospheric corrosion forms the lion’s share of the total damage caused
to aluminium in the world by all types of corrosion combined.
Atmospheric corrosion can be divided into three subcategories. These are dry, wet and
damp, depending on the moisture levels of the service environment.
As the moisture content can change quite a bit depending on your geographical location,
some regions will observe greater corrosion than others.
Other environmental factors that affect the extent of atmospheric corrosion are wind
direction, temperature and precipitation changes. Concentration and variety of pollutants
in the air, closeness to large water bodies, etc. also play a significant role.
Atmospheric corrosion may be exacerbated if the design does not allow for drainage of
moisture. Creating pockets of water for rain and condensation, for example, are harmful
design flaws.
Galvanic corrosion
Galvanic corrosion, also known as dissimilar metal corrosion can affect aluminium
when it is physically or through an electrolyte connected to a noble metal. The
noble metal can be any metal that has lesser reactivity compared to aluminium.
Reactivity of a metal depends on its position in the electrochemical series. The severity
of corrosion will be worse if the other metal is further away from aluminium in the
electrochemical series.
The intensity of corrosion is highest at the intersection, where the two metals meet, and
reduces as we go further away from this interface.
For example, if aluminium and brass are in contact or even close to each other and
placed in seawater, a galvanic cell is formed. Then the aluminium part will corrode as it
acts as the anode (positive terminal).
This can be a problem in boats where brass fittings may be close to aluminium fittings
while they are both immersed in seawater. The electrons flow from aluminium to brass
through the seawater.
This type of galvanic cell may be inadvertently formed in other service environments and
lead to galvanic corrosion. Galvanic corrosion can be much quicker than normal
atmospheric corrosion.
Pitting corrosion
Pitting corrosion is a surface corrosion phenomenon of aluminium metal
characterised by small holes (pits) on the surface. Usually, these pits do not affect
the strength of the product. Rather, it is an aesthetic issue but can lead to failure if
surface appearance is critical.
Pitting corrosion generally occurs in regions where salt is present in the atmosphere, as
the presence of chloride anions is responsible for it. Sulphate salts can also cause pitting
corrosion to some extent. The worst case of pitting corrosion is observed in the presence
of alkaline and acidic salts.
For pitting corrosion to occur, the alloy’s potential must be above the electrolyte’s (salt
solution) potential. The existence of surface defects at grain boundaries and second
phase particles is a precursor to pitting corrosion.
Crevice corrosion
Crevice corrosion is a form of localised corrosion process in materials. Overlapping
materials or unintentional design mistakes can lead to the formation of crevices. As a
result, collecting seawater into those pockets can lead to crevice corrosion.
Even a small gap between a bolt and the structure is enough for this type of corrosion to
begin. As time passes, aluminium from the material dissolves and precipitates into the
seawater. This ionic aluminium absorbs oxygen from the surrounding air and hydroxide
ions from the electrolyte, forming aluminium hydroxide.
This oxygen reduction makes the crevice acidic in the presence of chlorides which
accelerates the rate of corrosion.
Intergranular corrosion
When it comes to aluminium, the grain boundary is electrochemically different compared
to the alloy microstructure. This causes an electrochemical potential set up between the
two and an exchange of electrons takes place.
There are multiple variations of intergranular corrosion based on thermochemical
treatments and metallic structures. It is also found to different degrees in different series
of aluminium alloys. The 6xxx series alloys, for instance, are relatively less susceptible to
this type of aluminium corrosion.
The anodic path will vary with different alloy systems. While in the 2xxx series it appears
as a narrow band on either side of the grain boundary, in the 5xxx series it is manifested
as a continuous path along the grain boundary.
Like pitting corrosion, intergranular corrosion begins from a pit. However, it
propagates far quicker along susceptible grain boundaries.
Exfoliation corrosion
Exfoliation corrosion is a special type of intergranular corrosion found in aluminium alloys
that have marked directional structures. This is predominantly evident in aluminium
products that have undergone hot or cold rolling processes.
It occurs along elongated grain boundaries in the microstructure. The term exfoliation
comes from the fact that the corrosion product is more voluminous and gives the
impression of lifting from the material surface.
This type of aluminium corrosion expands above the surface as well as sideways
building up stresses in the product. In turn, this causes a wedging action initially at the
surface before it migrates into the bulk of the product. Severe delamination takes place
and the material weakens. Surface degradation results like pitting, flaking, and blistering
can occur.
The 2xxx, 5xxx, and 7xxx series are more prone to exfoliation corrosion due to their
highly directional grain structures. This makes the grain boundaries far more sensitive to
intergranular corrosion.
The susceptibility to exfoliation corrosion can be modified by using heat treatment
methods to redistribute the precipitates.
General corrosion
When corrosion takes place almost uniformly on an aluminium product surface, it is
uniform or general corrosion.
This type of corrosion can happen with products constantly exposed to a highly acidic or
alkaline medium. It may also occur in the presence of high electrochemical potential
while the product is in an electrolyte. A typical example is rusting of an aluminium
plate in acidic solution.
Uniform corrosion is the result of the continuous shifting of anode and cathode regions in
contact with the electrolyte which manifests as a uniform corrosive attack on the surface.
In high and low pH solutions, the oxide layer is also unstable and does not protect the
metal underneath. The thickness of the material reduces and it will eventually dissolve
completely.
The attack is not completely uniform and there will exist peaks and valleys. The absence
of small deep corroded areas is enough to term it as a general corrosion example.
Deposition corrosion
Deposition corrosion occurs when a dissimilar metal gets deposited on the
aluminium surface leading to serious localised corrosion.
Imagine water flowing through a copper tubing. When the water flows through, it picks up
copper ions. These copper ions are now in a solution. When this solution comes into
contact with an aluminium surface or vessel, it deposits these copper ions onto it.
These ions now form a subtle galvanic cell which corrodes the aluminium through pitting
if the ions are lower in the electrochemical or galvanic series. The larger the difference
between aluminium and the deposited ion in the galvanic series, the worse the
corrosion.
Even a concentration of 1 ppm copper ion solution is known to perform serious corrosion
on the aluminium surface.
The metals that can cause deposition corrosion of aluminium are referred to as ‘heavy
metals’. Some important heavy metals are copper, mercury, tin, nickel, and lead.
The corrosion caused by this method is more pronounced in acidic solutions as
compared to alkaline solutions. This is because these ions have low solubility in alkaline
solutions.
Stress corrosion cracking (SCC)

Stress corrosion cracking (here on out referred to as SCC) is a form of intergranular

corrosion that can result in total failure of aluminium parts.
Three conditions need to be fulfilled for this corrosion to occur. A susceptible alloy is
the first of them. Not all aluminium alloys are equally prone to SCC. High yield strength
alloys are more likely to suffer from stress corrosion cracking.
The second condition is that the service environment must be humid or wet. The third
condition is the existence of tensile stress in the material. This tensile stress is
responsible for the opening of the crack and its propagation through the metal.
There are two types of SCC processes. The first is intergranular stress corrosion
cracking (IGSCC) in which the crack propagates along the grain boundary. The second
is transgranular stress corrosion cracking (TGSCC) where the crack travels through grain
bodies and not along the boundaries.
Erosion corrosion
Erosion corrosion of aluminium is caused by the impingement of a high-speed water jet
on the aluminium body.
Two factors that aggravate erosion-corrosion are the velocity of the water and its pH
level. The existence of carbonate and silica content in water can further augment the
corrosion rate.
In pure water, aluminium corrosion proceeds at a sluggish rate. But when the pH level
exceeds 9, this rate increases. In acidic water, corrosion is faster.
Erosion corrosion can be prevented by controlling the above factors. Either reducing the
water velocity, or maintaining water quality, or both can significantly reduce erosion-
corrosion. Improving the water quality means maintaining the pH level as close to neutral
as possible (<9), and reducing silica and carbonate content.
Corrosion fatigue
It is a well-known fact that fatigue can cause complete failure of a product if left
unchecked. In the case of aluminium, fatigue cracks can act as initiation sites for
pitting corrosion.
Corrosion fatigue in aluminium occurs when it is repeatedly subjected to low stress
for long periods of time. The crack initiation and propagation takes place with greater
ease in a corrosive environment like seawater and salt solutions.
Corrosion fatigue cannot proceed without the presence of water in the atmosphere. It
also remains largely unaffected by stress direction as the crack propagation is mostly
transgranular. Thus, the stresses do not affect its propagation unlike in the case of SCC.
Filiform corrosion
 Filiform or wormtrack corrosion is initiated as pitting corrosion. It starts at points where
the paint has peeled off the surface of the aluminium. The reason could be scratches
or bruises on the surface that expose the underlying metal surface.
Filiform corrosion occurs and spreads easily in the presence of chloride anions and high
humidity. Though it initiates as saltwater pitting corrosion, the mode of propagation is that
of crevice corrosion.
The head of the wormtrack is acidic and has high chloride content. It absorbs oxygen
and acts as the anode. The latter part of the wormtrack acts as the cathode and the
reaction ensues.
Filiform corrosion can be prevented by keeping the surface free of damage and
closing all the small gaps using paint or wax. The relative humidity of the
environment must be reduced if practical.
Microbiological induced corrosion
Microbiological induced corrosion or MIC is corrosion caused due to
microorganisms/fungi. This type of corrosion is noticed in fuel and lubrication oil tanks.
In the presence of water in oil, microbes and fungi can thrive. Some of these organisms
are capable of consuming oil and excreting acids that can cause corrosion of the
aluminium vessel used for storing.
This acid causes pitting corrosion in the aluminium vessel, eventually leading to leakage.
To prevent this, the oil must be purified as far as possible to remove water content.
Draining water at regular intervals from fuel tanks after purification is also necessary. If
improving the fuel quality is not an option, using fungicides it possible to prevent
germination.

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