Salt fog and salt spray can corrode surfaces and coatings on maritime equipment, highway infrastructure, and automobiles. A salt spray test can help predict how materials will corrode under different salt fog conditions. To understand the performance materials, coating systems, inhibited coatings, corrosion preventative compounds, or surface preparation methods, Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) performs a wide range of standardized accelerated corrosion and weathering tests using cyclic salt fog chambers, RH/T chambers and UV weathering chambers.
Salt Spray Fog Testing & Research
We perform Salt Fog Test ASTM B117 among standard testing.
Salt fog test chambers in our Corrosion Testing Laboratory have been modified to accept not only standard test coupons but also functioning components. We also regularly work with clients to design tests that simulate an environment of interest that may not be captured in traditional standardized test.
In addition to standard coating evaluation techniques such as scribe creepback and adhesion testing defined by ASTM, SwRI has developed a variety of novel techniques for evaluating test articles during and after atmospheric corrosion testing. Image processing using Precision Analysis macroscope 3D images allows quantitative measurement of a variety of parameters simultaneously, such as depth of attack, scribe creepback, and percentage of area corroded.
SwRI also uses multi-electrode arrays for Sensors & Corrosion Monitoring in the test environment to measure corrosion rates directly as a function of wet/dry cycles. This has provided our clients with the ability to directly examine crevice drying kinetics, explore inhibited coatings’ release rate and efficiency, and investigate galvanic coupling under thin-film electrolyte conditions.
Salt Spray Test Standards
SwRI offers several salt fog chambers in addition to applied R&D expertise to help clients develop materials and coatings suitable to withstand various salt fog conditions. Our standard test procedures include:
- Salt Fog Test ASTM B117
- ASTM G85, A2, A3, A5: Standard Practice for Modified Salt Spray (Fog) Testing
- ASTM D1735: Standard Practice for Testing Water Resistance of Coatings Using Water Fog Apparatus
- GM9540/GMW 17872: Accelerated Corrosion Test
- SAE J2334: Laboratory cyclic Corrosion Test
- ISO 9227: Corrosion Tests in artificial atmospheres-Salt Spray Tests
- NACE SP108: Corrosion Control of Offshore Structures by Protective Coatings
Related Services
- Atmospheric Corrosion Research & Testing
- Corrosion Detection Sensor Research
- Corrosion Testing Laboratory
- Stress Corrosion Cracking
- Sulfide Stress Cracking (SSC) Testing
Or call James Dante at +1 210 522 5458.