Durability of aluminium-sealant joints in jet-fuel, water and antifreeze

The durability has been studied of aluminium-sealant joints immersed in jet-fuel, water and antifreeze. The sealants were a polysulfide, a fluorosilicone and a silicone, and durability was primarily controlled by the amount of fluid absorbed by the sealants. This gives polysulfide joints in antifreeze and silicone joints in jet-fuel very poor durability. The performance of polysulfide-aluminium joints was not significantly improved by treatment of the metal with silane coupling agents or phosphoric acid anodisation. Joints with the fluorosilicone sealant were durable in all the fluids. Crown copyright (C) 1997 Published by Elsevier Science Ltd.