Atmospheric pitting corrosion of aircraft aluminium alloys

Aircraft aluminium alloys tend to be engineered to maximise their mechanical properties and therefore have an increased susceptibility to localised corrosion. The Australian Defense Force (ADF) have witnessed numerous occurrences of localised corrosion on aluminium alloys that have in some cases reduced structural integrity of the aircraft and in most cases lead to costly repair. The initiation and growth of pitting corrosion on aircraft exposed to atmospheric conditions is not fully understood due to the majority of pervious work concentrating on immersed experiments.