The impact of temperature and mechanical load on corrosion resistance of anodized aluminum EN AW-6063 (T6 temper) alloy for potential architectonic application

Construction and finishing elements of buildings are willingly made of architectural aluminum, mainly as window and door profiles, facades or elevations. Corrosion resistance of such building elements can be affected by the external environment and mechanical loads -both static and dynamic. However, to the date, commonly accepted tests of corrosion resistance of aluminum construction elements do not provide mechanical exposures related to the working environment of the final product (eg. vibrations, wind loads) and physical loads (e.g. temperature changes). Having this in mind, the aim of this manuscript was to determine the impact of selected mechanical and physical loads on the corrosion resistance of architectural aluminum. The experimental results revealed that the temperature above 60 C can greatly affect the properties of EN AW-6063 aluminum alloy. At the same time, we concluded that the mechanical deformation of tested material did not affect anti-corrosion performance of anodized aluminum alloy.

Automated summary

The corrosion resistance of architectural aluminum used in construction and finishing elements may be affected by the external environment and mechanical loads. However, current corrosion resistance tests do not adequately simulate the working environment and physical loads of the final product. Research findings show that temperature above 60°C can greatly impact the properties of EN AW-6063 aluminum alloy, while mechanical deformation does not affect the anti-corrosion performance of anodized aluminum alloy.