Accelerated Atmospheric Corrosion Testing Using a Cyclic Wet/Dry Exposure Test

Abstract

Aluminum corrosion is important in overhead electrical conductors constructed from aluminum wire centrally reinforced by galvanized steel strands. Inspection of conductor after long service has implicated rubber bushing material, on the outside, and the galvanized strands, on the inside, as providing potential galvanic sites for the initiation of rapid aluminum corrosion. Therefore, the galvanic corrosion of aluminum in contact with graphite-loaded neoprene rubber, hot-dip galvanized steel and steel was assessed in a cyclic wet/dry exposure test using mixed-salts spray solutions containing appropriate ratios of sulfate and chloride ion. Aluminum was found to corrode at between 3 to 6 times its uncoupled rate when associated with the rubber material. While the eta-phase, relatively pure Zn, galvanized layer remained intact, galvanic corrosion of aluminum was slow. However, on exposure of the zeta-phase, Zn/Fe intermetallic layer, aluminum corroded about 35 times faster than expected in a solution with a high level of Cl– ion. The importance of these data to conductor lifetime is discussed.