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Ted Mooney, P.E. RET
Pine Beach, NJ

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Stainless steel rivets and anodized aluminum

Will these dissimilar materials cause corrode if the make contact with each other.
will a zinc washer prevent corrosion, or will a Teflon washer be better?

Max Burns
manufacturer - Orange, California, USA
June 4, 2009

June 4, 2009

Hi, Max. A Teflon washer will prevent the problem if it prevents the stainless rivet from touching the aluminum; if it does not, it will not. A zinc washer would be of no value. There are, of course, some things like airplanes where galvanic corrosion is of paramount concern, and other things like inexpensive consumer items meant for a short life and only used indoors, where galvanic corrosion may not be a serious issue.

Regards,

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey

As Ted pointed out you really want something non-conductive. Teflon washers would be ideal. The common method in aerospace is to wet assemble the rivets where you put a liquid/paste adhesive in with the rivet during installation. This just gives you a second option to consider.

Ciaron Murphy
Aerospace - South Wales, UK
June 11, 2009

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