3. Types and mechanisms of corrosion

Types of corrosion are described either by the morphology and appearance of the damage (generalized attack, pitting, intergranular attack...), or by the main mechanism of interaction between the material and the medium (galvanic corrosion, corrosion by differential aeration...), or by the corrosive medium (atmospheric corrosion, corrosion by metallic salts...). The combinations of cases are therefore very numerous. The aim of this chapter is to give a few rules for the behavior of aluminum alloys in the most common cases.