What is it and how does the salt spray test work?

Any item that has to operate outdoors is subject to the action of outside agents and oxidation. Whether it’s earth-moving equipment, automobiles, automatic gates or garden furniture components, anything needs to be properly protected to prevent these agents from affecting its life cycle.

 

 

The first thought that comes to mind will probably be about rain, but any atmospheric agent is a potential risk: the sun, the air, snow, ice, salt and time itself, understood as the years of permanence outside of an asset, just to name a few, can compromise metal surfaces.

 

 

It is for this reason that performing preliminary tests can help drastically reduce the component of unpredictability related to the durability and resistance of an item to certain weather conditions.

 

 

In this regard, one of the most performed and reliable tests is called salt spray test (NSS, Neutral Salt Spray), or more simply accelerated weathering test, and it is a process used in quality control processes of painted materials and it is regulated by precise European and international ISO standards.

The reference standards for the correct execution of the test are ISO 9227:2017 and ASTM B117.

Salt spray tests are suitable for ensuring that the quality of a given metal material, with or without corrosion protection, is maintained.

One of the major concerns of those who produce and deal with the quality control of materials is time and this specific type of test is very useful for simulating the real life cycle of a product in order to prove its deterioration in outdoor environments.

From an operational point of view, the salt spray test is carried out by inserting the material to be tested in a special chamber, where a saline solution (5% NaCl) is vaporized at a temperature of 35° C.

 

 

In this way the material in question undergoes the same (possible) alterations that it would undergo if exposed to air for a very long time, allowing the reactions to be quickly verified.

 

 

The residence times in the chamber vary according to the required test and, once completed, it will give those who request it a general picture of the corrosion performance of their product.

 

 

Would you like to receive more information? Contact us by writing to info@zoccaratoverniciature.it or by calling +39 049 9202150.