Corrosion behaviour of AA8xxx aluminium fins in heat exchangers

Different alloys with composition in the range of AA8xxx series employed in the HVAC&R sector (heating, ventilating, air conditioning and refrigerating) were investigated in this work in order to evaluate the effect of alloy composition on the microstructure and corrosion resistance. The microstructure of the alloys was investigated by optical and scanning electron microscopy. The electrochemical behaviour was evaluated by means of electrochemical methods (open circuit potential and potentiodynamic measurements) and by immersion tests in aggressive electrolytes. The electrochemical behaviour observed for different alloy compositions in the 8xxx series evidenced that the corrosion resistance of alloys employed in the production of heat exchanger finstocks is strongly affected by small variations in the content of alloying elements, as well as by surface modifications due to the rolling process. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.