Corrosion behavior of Al and Al-Li alloys used as aircraft materials

The aircraft industry is constantly looking for improved materials that offer benefits in terms of performance, weight and cost savings. The advantages of these alloys are lightweight, corrosion resistance, and very good thermal and electrical conductivity. In this paper, the corrosion resistance of two aluminum alloys was investigated by open circuit potential, potentiodynamic polarization and salt spray tests. The results suggest that the AA2198-T851 alloy tend to present a higher corrosion resistance when compared with the AA2524-T3 alloy. Consequently, in cases where corrosion is the main parameter to be considered, the AA2198-T851 may be a substitute for the AA2524-T3 alloy.