Corrosion of AA 7075 Aluminum Alloy in Media Contaminated with Cladosporium resinae Available to Purchase

In an aircraft fuel, microbial contamination creates serious corrosion problems. The wing tank bottom and sides are affected by the growth of a biological sludge associated with the condensed water. The behavior of the AA⁽¹⁾ 7075 Al alloy in a culture of the principal contaminant, the fungus Cladosporium resinae, is determined. The influences of other microbial contaminants of the medium, alloying elements, and surface heterogeneities of the alloy in the nucleation and propagation of the pitting are analyzed. The electrochemical treatments applied reproduce the attack observed in service conditions.