Aluminum alloys corrosion boundary structure

Liquid-Metal Corrosion Liquid metals can also cause corrosion failures. The most damaging are liqmd metals which penetrate the metal along grain boundaries to cause catastrophic failure. Examples include mercury attack on aluminum alloys and attack of stainless steels by molten zinc or aluminum. A fairly common problem occurs when galvanized-structural-steel attachments are welded to stainless piping or eqmpment. In such cases it is mandatoty to remove the galvanizing completely from the area which will be heated above 260°C (500°F). 

Corrosion activity may develop because of some heterogeneity in the grain boundary structure. In aluminum-copper alloys, precipitation of AI2CU particles at the grain boundaries leaves the adjacent solid solution anodic and more prone to corrosion. With aluminum-magnesium alloys, the opposite situation occurs, since the precipitated phase Mg Als is less noble than the solid solution. Serious intergranular attack in these two alloys may however be avoided, provided that correct manufacturing and heat treatment conditions are observed. 

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