TG26:22 Galvanic Corrosion of Aluminium Tubes and Prefabricated Beams

Aluminium tubes, prefabricated beams and other components are widely used throughout the scaffolding industry. Whilst aluminium is not as stiff as steel and will deflect more when subjected to equivalent loads, it is much lighter and provides great advantages with regard to manual handling or the reduction weight.

As aluminium couplers are not readily available, aluminium tube and beams are invariably connected with steel couplers and joint pins. Unfortunately, when two dissimilar metals such as aluminium and steel are in contact, a phenomenon known as ‘galvanic corrosion’ can occur where the corrosion of one of the metals, in this case aluminium, can be greatly accelerated. In severe cases this could seriously affect the integrity of the scaffold structure.

SKU: TG26 Category: