Counterintuitive Reaction of Aluminium On Steel Balls There is a certain video which I just watched about 2 large cast iron balls. If the balls are struck together, no reaction happens, but if one is covered in aluminium foil and then struck, a large quantity of sparks are produced. This flies in the face of my metalworking experiences with these metals. When cut, steel reacts with oxygen in the atmosphere producing large quantities of sparks, but aluminium will not produce any sparks, despite being cut with an abrasive wheel or grinded with an abrasive wheel. 

So why does the aluminium spark when the balls are grinded together? Could the temperature be higher forming a reaction with oxygen? Is there pure aluminium in the center of the foil which does not have the typical Alumina composition on the exterior and is being exposed to the atmosphere and is being oxidized?

Video: (CrazyRussianHacker): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w7yWoO7vqvI
This is actually related to the thermite reaction, where the rust on the balls reacts with the pure aluminum in the foil. Here is a pdf detailing the experiment.

The activation energy for the reaction is reached through the friction and pressure, and the rust on the balls is actually very important, since it is the exchange of oxygen between the iron oxide and aluminum that releases the heat as iron and aluminum oxide form.