Aluminium Facts

Corrosion Resistance and Durability:

The corrosion resistance and durability of aluminium is excellent, making it a popular choice in green building. The resistance can be increased, along with enhancing the appearance through surface finishing such as anodising and powder coating.

Strength-to-Weight Ratio:

Aluminium has very good mechanical properties and a high strength-to-weight ratio.

Ability

Aluminium is remarkable for the metal’s low density and for its ability to resist corrosion due to the phenomenon of passivation. Structural components made from aluminium and its alloys are vital to the aerospace industry and are important in other areas of transportation and structural materials.

Prevalence

Despite its prevalence in the environment, no known form of life uses aluminium salts metabolically. In keeping with its pervasiveness, aluminium is well tolerated by plants and animals.

Physical Characteristics

Aluminium is a relatively soft, durable, lightweight, ductile and malleable metal with appearance ranging from silvery to dull gray, depending on the surface roughness. It is nonmagnetic and does not easily ignite. A fresh film of aluminium serves as a good reflector (approximately 92%) of visible light and an excellent reflector (as much as 98%) of medium and far infrared radiation.

Chemical Characteristics

Corrosion resistance can be excellent due to a thin surface layer of aluminium oxide that forms when the metal is exposed to air, effectively preventing further oxidation. The strongest aluminium alloys are less corrosion resistant due to galvanic reactions with alloyed copper.

An undeniable advantage of using aluminium is the fact that it requires less maintenance than most competing materials