Studies of long-term weathering of aluminium in the atmosphere

Much information is available on the short- and mid-term atmospheric corrosion of aluminium, in the form of corrosion data (mass loss and pit penetration) as a function of atmosphere type, corrosion mechanisms, environmental variables, surface orientation, etc. However, information on the atmospheric corrosion of aluminium over longer tune periods (10–20 years) is scarce, despite its great usefulness. Furthermore, few studies have focused on the morphology of corrosion product layers. This paper reports corrosion data and morphology of corrosion products formed on aluminium panels after long-term exposure (13–16 years) in various types of atmospheres in Spain: rural, urban, industrial and marine.