ABSTRACT
Aluminium is accepted as one of the most durable of metals. Some of the earliest uses of aluminium since the metal’s commercial usage first started just over a hundred years ago are still in excellent condition today. Two classic examples are the statue of Eros in Piccadilly Circus, London, which was erected in 1893, and the cupola roof of the San Gioacchino church in Rome, fitted in 1897. The first example is of castings and the second of rolled sheet, with different alloys being involved in each case. Outstanding examples of longevity in architectural extrusions do not date back so far, but the window frames of the Bodleian Library, Oxford, made and installed in 1934 are still in excellent condition after well over fifty years of trouble-free service.
