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Improved Aluminum Cleaning Method to Prevent Copper Enrichment
Title: Senior Chemical Engineer
Phone: (303) 940-5380
Email: jelliott@tda.com
Title: Vice President
Phone: (303) 940-2300
Email: jdwright@tda.com
Since pure aluminum is soft and has only moderate strength, aluminum alloys are used for aerospace and other structural applications. However, the copper in these alloys significantly reduces the corrosion resistance of the aluminum. The standard pretreatment used to clean aluminum alloys before painting or coating enriches the surface of the aluminum with copper, creating sites for corrosion. An ideal aluminum cleaning procedure would degrease and deoxide the surface without dealloying the copper and allowing it to redeposit on the surface. In this Phase I proposal TDA will develop an additive for surface pretreatment cleaners that prevents copper enrichment during pretreatment of high strength aluminum alloys.
* Information listed above is at the time of submission. *