Aluminum and its alloys are vital to the aerospace industry and important in transportation and building industries. Aluminum is found in many products including automobiles, window frames, kitchen appliances and more. Known for its strength, ductility and low weight, it’s also popular because of its resistance to rust.
Aluminum is Rust-Resistant
Though aluminum is rust-resistant, it can still corrode. Rust and corrosion are two different things. Corrosion happens thanks to environmental elements causing chemical degeneration of metal. Rust, on the other hand, is a specific type of corrosion whereas iron oxidizes from exposure to oxygen. Aluminum doesn’t contain iron, so it won’t rust.
But It Can Corrode Over Time
So, aluminum won’t rust but it can corrode over time. Usually, corrosion takes quite a while to occur. Aluminum corrosion is the gradual decay of aluminum molecules into its oxides that degrades its physical and chemical properties.
Ways to Protect Aluminum From Corrosion
If you want to protect your aluminum items from corrosion, store them in a climate-controlled environment to avoid harsh environmental factors. For instance, a vehicle stored inside a garage will do better than one left out in the snow, rain, wind, etc. Natural elements like rain and humidity can cause aluminum to corrode.
What else can you do? Get your aluminum item “clear coated” for protection against corrosion. This involves putting a protective layer over the surface of aluminum protecting it from the surrounding environment.
Eagle Alloy Supplies Industrial Aluminum
Need aluminum? Eagle Alloys of Talbott, Tennessee, sells Aluminum 4032 and Aluminum 4047 in various forms. If and when you need aluminum castings, forgings, billets, foil, fin, coil, ribbon, strip, sheet, plate, wire, rod, bar, tubing, rings, blanks and/or custom sizes, contact Eagle Alloys at 800-237-9012 or email sales@eaglealloys.com. Eagle Alloys is an ISO-certified corporation and has supplied countless companies all over the world with high quality aluminum for several decades.
Check out Eagle Alloys’ online page(s) about aluminum, here.
