Reference no: EM132650738

The deteriorating iron framework inside the Statue of Liberty was replaced with stainless steel as part of a major restoration project. The work was finished in 1986, exactly one hundred years after the statue was first completed. To avoid any electrochemical contact between the metals, the new stainless steel frame and the external copper plates covering the statue were separated using Teflon spacers. The original statue was constructed using asbestos pads as insulating spacers. Apparently, the pads were still able to act as a conductor (in conjunction with moisture and gases from the atmosphere). Why was the iron framework on the interior of the statue most in need of repair and not the copper plating exposed to the atmosphere on the exterior of the statue?