Corrosion is one of the common causes of deterioration of metallic materials and their alloys.
Metals and their alloys are found in almost all fields of production: from construction to automotive, from electronics to aerospace.
Therefore, increasingly accurate tests are required to accurately simulate the effects of corrosion on materials.
General Corrosion Test
Corrosion is a natural phenomenon that all metals experience sooner or later and is caused by oxidation reactions that cannot be completely prevented.
However, various environmental factors significantly affect the corrosion process, the main ones being: temperature, humidity and precipitation.
Corrosion testing is used to simulate the effects of these environmental factors on samples of materials in a controlled environment.
Climatic chambers are test vehicles for corrosion testing because they are an isolated environment in which temperature and relative humidity parameters can be changed at will.
In addition, climate chambers can be equipped with salt spray diffusers, simulating the effect of precipitation.
We have discussed corrosion testing in general here; but how is cyclic corrosion testing different?
Cyclic corrosion test and salt spray test
How does cyclic corrosion testing differ from the more common salt spray test, and which of the two is preferable?
Cyclic corrosion testing aims to simulate in a more realistic and authentic way the effects of real environmental factors on materials during their life cycle.
In the classic salt spray test, the ambient conditions remain stable during the test. Whereas in cyclic corrosion testing, the alternation of various phases is programmed, characterized by combinations of various temperatures, relative humidity and occasional salt spray treatment.
For example, a cycle could have: dry phase (temperature 50÷80°C and relative humidity 5÷50%), wet phase (temperature 30÷45°C and relative humidity 90÷99%) alternating with saline treatment.
For these reasons, cyclic corrosion testing is generally considered to be a more faithful reproduction of the climate a material will face in the real world.
Cyclic corrosion testing is generally regulated by two ISO standards: ISO 16701 and ISO 11997-1, while tests related to specific industries have specialized standards.
