Corrosion of existing underground electric plants has become a serious problem for all utilities(1,2,3). More specifically, copper exposed directly to soils has begun to experience corrosion failures. When these corrosion problems are coupled with the increasing cost and uncertain availability of copper, alternate materials come under closer scrutiny. Stainless steels offer possibilities as alternates to copper; however, here again costs and availability are uncertain and pitting corrosion of many stainless steels in the presence of chlorides must be considered. Aluminum and aluminum alloys may be a viable alternate material to copper because of lower costs and better corrosion resistance. To be sure, there are many questions regarding the corrosion behavior of aluminum in soils which must be answered before unrestricted installation of bare aluminum in underground electric plants can be a reality.

Subject
Materials, Galvanic anodes, Cathodic protection, Aluminum, Soil resistivity, Cables, Negative potentials, Metals, Pitting, Corrosion resistance, Aluminum alloys, Polarization, Soil
© 1975 Association for Materials Protection and Performance (AMPP). All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of AMPP. Positions and opinions advanced in this work are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of AMPP. Responsibility for the content of the work lies solely with the author(s).
1975
Association for Materials Protection and Performance (AMPP)
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