How to conduct salt spray test?
Corrosion is the worst enemy of metal components. This is a natural phenomenon and can occur if there is no protective coating on the component. Some products can corrode even with a protective layer. The reason behind it is poor or low quality coating. This coating is not sufficient to completely protect the product. In some cases, corrosion resistance testing is required.
Salt spray testing is a popular test to evaluate the surface coating of a product. In this test, samples are exposed to salt water mist at approximately 50°C. 37°C. This is an accelerated test that helps evaluate a product's performance within a few hours. This test is usually run for 24 hours, 48 hours, 72 hours or so... or depending on the internal standard.
However, this test should not be directly related to real life, as this test is an absolutely wet test, whereas real conditions are a cyclical cycle of dry and wet environments.
How to conduct salt spray test?
For testing, the samples were placed in the chamber at an angle of 20°. The temperature in the room will be maintained at around 37°C, and the nebulized 5% NaCl solution will be spread in the room after nebulization. Test duration is predefined. The machine is equipped with containers for storage of water and saline solution for uninterrupted operation. The approximate capacity of the reservoir is 60 liters.
Things to keep in mind when testing
Do not open the canopy of the chamber until the test is complete. This interferes with the simulated environment and may lead to inaccurate test results
Use the purge device before opening the cover. When the test is complete, activate the automatic purge function, which deposits the salt mist into a mist without allowing it to disperse in the surrounding environment.
According to the test standard, the amount of mist should be around 5ml. Therefore, keep a tab on the fog beaker to ensure the right amount of fog is formed in the room.
Do not place the specimen too close to the chamber wall. If the sample is next to a wall, the sample will be overheated due to the heaters built into the wall.
