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When aluminum meets steel

To: mgs@Autox.Team.Net
Subject: When aluminum meets steel
From: HARTLEY_MC@Acadmn.Mercer.EDU
Date: Tue, 11 Mar 1997 09:05:13 -0400 (EDT)

The problem with putting aluminum that close to steel is, like everyone 
else has mentioned, it corrodes faster.  The reason for this is fairly 
simple.

When you have two dissimilar metals in an electrolytic solution (a solution 
that conducts electricity) the two metals will act like a battery.  Even 
plain rain water is slightly electrolytic because of the imputities in 
the water.  The water that you guys closer to the ocean or in 
regions where they use salt on the roads will have a greater problem 
because salty water is very conductive.  When these two metals are 
placed in the conductive solution (i.e. when your floorboards get wet), 
the battery reaction proceeds and eats away at the two metals in order 
to keep the reaction moving.  For this reason, the metals will corrode 
much faster that they normally would.  To make a long story short, it 
sounds like a great idea to replace the floorboards with honeycomb, but 
I must agree with the others when I recommend that you use marine grade 
plywood instead.

I don't know how the weather is in the rest of the land, but I'm sitting 
here in shorts and a t-shirt on wishing that I didn't have to go to 
class so I could play in the 80 degree weather here in central Georgia.  
I hope that everyone else is having as beautiful a day as we will be 
enjoying!!!!

Mike

hartley_mc@acadmn.mercer.edu
"Desperately seeking an MGA"


Date sent:  11-MAR-1997 08:51:33 




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