Selection of a Microbiological Corrosion System for Studying Effects on Structural Aluminum Alloys

Abstract

Two laboratory methods, a metal-strip test and a tank test, were evaluated as microbiological corrosion systems for producing corroded test specimens on a structural aluminum alloy. The results show that corrosion of the test alloy occurred best in the metal-strip test in a deionized water-fuel medium inoculated with a mixture of microorganisms under aerated conditions. The metal-strip test was more successful for producing large numbers of corroded test specimens and proved more economical than the tank-type test, since less structural material is needed to obtain a specimen with sufficient corrosion areas, and since the corrosion can more easily be restricted by maskants to certain areas for specific test purposes.