Car body alloys and methods of corrosion protection: Aluminium Sheet

The aluminium industry supplies various car body sheet qualities tailor-made to meet the requirements of the car producers. The most important alloy types are AlMgSi (free from stretcher-strain markings after forming and hence suited for outer skin) and AlMg (for interior use). In addition to the significant weight savings it is its long service life which makes aluminium an attractive alternative to steel sheets. A prerequisite for good corrosion resistance is a surface treatment optimised for aluminium. This includes the creation of a phosphate surface layer to allow lacquer coating together with steel and galvanized steel on existing lines. The Accelerated Outdoor Exposure Test (VDA 621–414) proved to be the only static corrosion test method suitable for assessing the resistance level of the final lacquered car body. In addition to the proper selection of alloy and surface finishing technique it is important that some aluminium-specific precautions are taken during manufacture if the full long service potential of the material is to be realized.