How you can perform ASTM salt fog test

What Instrument can be used for testing impact of environment on different products?

The Salt Spray Test Chamber is a piece of environmental testing equipment that tests the corrosion resistance of products or metal components by replicating salt spray conditions in a controlled setting. The chamber conducts an accelerated corrosion test that involves corroding coated samples to determine their suitability for use as a protective finish.

The concentration of chloride in the salt spray environment can be tens of times greater than that of the typical natural environment, significantly increasing the corrosion rate. Salt spray testing considerably reduces the time it takes to determine the environmental impact. For example, if a product is evaluated in a natural exposure setting, corrosion could take a year, whereas a test in a salt spray test chamber could take as little as 24 hours to achieve equivalent results.

Salt spray testing is a typical accelerated corrosion test method that involves exposing metallic and non-metallic materials to a highly corrosive environment for a lengthy period of time in order to determine their corrosion resistance. The testing can also be used to see how effective paints and coatings are at preventing corrosion on the substrate.

ASTM Salt Fog Test

The ASTM B177 salt spray test is a standardized test method for determining corrosion resistance in coated and uncoated metallic samples. Because coatings can give products strong corrosion resistance during the intended life of the part in use, corrosion resistance must be checked at a faster pace than it happens in reality.

After a specific length of time, the appearance of corrosive products like oxides or the coating adherence is assessed. The length of the test is determined by the coating’s corrosion resistance; the more corrosion resistant the coating, the longer the period of testing without revealing signs of deterioration.

Composition of a Salt Fog Chamber

A fog chamber, a salt solution reservoir, a supply of adequately conditioned compressed air, one or more atomizing nozzles, specimen supports, equipment for heating the chamber, and essential means of control are all required for salt fog testing. The size and detailed construction of the apparatus are optional, as long as the results fit the practice’s needs.

Benefits of Such Testing

Following the testing, an investigation of the samples may allow for localized corrosion events, such as pitting in metallic materials, to be described properly. This will allow the depth of corrosive penetration to be established and further assist in the determination of corrosion severity.

SEM and EDX examination can reveal whether or not corrosion inhibitors in paints and coatings are effective, as well as provide high magnification, high resolution imaging, and elemental analysis. If you need to know more about the corrosion products, you can use X-Ray Diffraction to figure out what kind of corrosion compound has produced.

The failure of paints and coatings to properly stay on the applied substrate material, such as the creation of blisters owing to paint holidays, can be used to identify ways to enhance the formulation.

Furthermore, to gain a better knowledge of the material system’s corrosion performance, salt spray testing can be used in conjunction with other electrochemical techniques, such as electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and potentiodynamic polarization.

Specifications of Salt Fog Chamber

LISUN offers salt fog chambers that are one of the best available in the market. Furthermore they comply with international standards as well. These equipment don’t have salt spray overflowing issues because the structure between the chamber cover and its body is waterproof. It also has a tower spraying system and a system for filtering of the salt solution. This ensures an even distribution of the spray along with adjustable settlement. The chamber has a working room temperature range from +5 – 50 degree Celsius. The salt spray testing time is adjustable and can be anywhere between 0-99,999 minutes.

There are various testing modes available, that you can choose according to your requirements. You also have the option to choose between continuous spraying and intermittent spraying. The sample holder present within the chamber is at an angle between 15 – 30 degrees from the vertical surface. It is usually recommended to keep the irregular samples tilted. The V-groove and the O-bar of the equipment have a single weighing capacity of 3kg and a single bearing capacity of 5kg respectively. You need to ensure that samples are not placed under weight that is heavier that the limit prescribed before.

Measures to ensure efficient test results

While conducting the test you need to ensure that the drops of solution that gather on the chamber’s ceiling or cover are not allowed to fall on the specimens being exposed. The solution drops that fall from the specimens are not to be returned to the solution reservoir for re-spraying. The construction materials must not impact the fog’s corrosiveness. All water utilized for this exercise must meet Type IV water requirements. This does not apply to water from a running tap. Reagent grade water will be used for everything else.

Where can you use ASTM Salt Fog testing?

These tests can be used in a lot of different fields to test out different corrosive properties. They help to assess the corrosive resistance of different metals or coatings. You can also measure the corrosive tendency of a scratched metal or coated surface. You can determine coating adhesion and corrosion creep as well as corrosion resistance in a marine environment as accurately as possible.

Frequently Asked Questions

When should you refrain from using ASTM B117?

When your product uses decorative chromium plate like nickel-chromium on steel, zinc die castings, or cadmium plate on steel, you should not use ASTM B117 as the corrosion test standard. For these materials it is better to use ASTM B368.

Lisun Instruments Limited was found by LISUN GROUP in 2003. LISUN quality system has been strictly certified by ISO9001:2015. As a CIE Membership, LISUN products are designed based on CIE, IEC and other international or national standards. All products passed CE certificate and authenticated by the third party lab.

Our main products are Goniophotometer, Integrating Spheres, Spectroradiometer, Surge Generator, ESD Simulator Guns, EMI Receiver, EMC Test Equipment, Electrical Safety Tester, Environmental Chamber, Temperature Chamber, Climate Chamber, Thermal Chamber, Salt Spray Test, Dust Test Chamber, Waterproof Test, RoHS Test (EDXRF), Glow Wire Test and Needle Flame Test.

Please feel free to contact us if you need any support.
Tech Dep: Service@Lisungroup.com, Cell/WhatsApp:+8618117273997
Sales Dep: Sales@Lisungroup.com, Cell/WhatsApp:+8618917996096

Tags：YWX/Q-010