Self-sealing of unsealed aluminium anodic oxide films in very different atmospheres

It is widely believed that the corrosion resistance behaviour of bare aluminium in natural environments is superior to that of unsealed anodised aluminium. However, results obtained in the exposure of unsealed anodised aluminium specimens with three different film thicknesses, in 9 atmospheres of Ibero-America with salinity levels between 3.9 and 517 mg.m(-2).d(-1) chloride, clearly shows the reverse to be true. After a sufficient time, which is shorter the higher the precipitation rate and the environmental relative humidity, a self-sealing process takes place, leading to coatings that surpass the quality standards demanded in industrial practice. Anodic films, sealed and unsealed, are protective coatings whose quality improves with ageing in most natural environments.