Salt spray testing is used to test materials and products for salt damage. A sodium chloride solution is sprayed onto the surface of the material in a temperature-controlled chamber. The duration of the test can be between 24 hours and 1,000 hours. The result is the rusting of the surface, and the number of hours before the first signs of rust are noticed is recorded. However, the test may not take into account natural variables that cause corrosion, and it does not consider exposure to ultraviolet rays. Zinc or aluminum coating is recommended to prevent rust on steel.
Salt spray testing is an accelerated corrosion test conducted on materials and products to see how they handle the damage caused by salt. The material to be tested is usually placed in a chamber and a sodium chloride solution is sprayed onto its surface. The test can help researchers and product designers develop paints, coatings or films that are more resistant to salt damage. However, salt damage is very rare for most products; salt spray testing is generally unreliable as it may not take into account many of the natural variables that cause corrosion.
A salt spray test is also known as a salt spray test. A sample is usually placed in a temperature-controlled container and a 5% sodium chloride solution is dispersed over it. The sample is wet throughout the test and the temperature is kept constant. The duration of the test can be between 24 hours and 1,000 hours. At regular intervals, the samples are rotated to allow for an even coating of the saline solution.
The result of the test is the rusting of a surface. The number of hours before the first signs of rust are noticed is recorded. Other methods include logging the number of hours until 5% of the surface is rusted. The criteria differ between laboratories.
One of the best ways to prevent rust on steel is to coat the steel with zinc or aluminum. Galvanized steel is zinc coated and generally lasts about 10 hours in the salt spray test. The higher performing steel is typically coated with aluminum and zinc. It lasts about 50 hours before 5% of the surface is covered in rust.
This coating is important for applications exposed to the elements, such as roofing material. It is recommended that the roofing material be zinc coated before applying the paint layer. This will reduce corrosion associated with rain or surf splashes.
The salt spray test does not take into account exposure to ultraviolet rays, which are mainly responsible for the degradation of painted materials. Another questionable aspect of the test is the fact that the sample is continuously exposed to wet conditions. This may not be the case with most products when they are actually used. The test also produces discrepancies between identical samples during testing. For example, a sample may take 5 hours to rust, while an identical sample may take 10 hours.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
