ABSTRACT
The long-term corrosion products are mainly constituted by amorphous Al(OH)3. The corrosion behaviour of the complex systems 'alloys/corrosion layer' was evaluated by electrochemical measurements. The large use of aluminium alloys for the twentieth century induces that numerous components and objects in aluminium are registered in many collections in museums or are classified as historic buildings. The presence of painting residues with corrosion products is beneficial for the conservation because of the presence of mineral inhibiting compounds. In the practical point of view, the 'corrosion' diagnosis of the aeronautic collection is often uncertain and difficult because of the importance of the internal corrosion. The characterisation of the reactivity of these 'Al alloys/corrosion layer' complex systems in immersed conditions by electrochemical measurements seems to be not sufficient to completely conclude. In the framework of the French National Research Program on materials of cultural heritage, the purpose of this work was to analyse and study different kinds of 'aeronautic' Al artefacts.
