Corrosion Testing

Neutral Salt Spray Test

The NSS (neutral salt spray) test is done in a well controlled environment, which is provided by the testing chamber. For testing, the substrates are placed onto the rack in the chamber and the parameters are selected by the user. The latter is done usually according to an established standard.

Immersion Test

The immersion test is done by dipping the substrate into a known solution such as synthetic seawater. The duration of the test in most cases is up to 1000h. Due to its relatively low cost, this test is often used for screening.

Electrochemical Test

Various electrochemical tests can be used for screening to quickly assess the performance of materials and coatings. These tests also give a deeper insight into possible corrosion mechanisms that endanger the tested substrates.

Chemical Test

Chemical tests are used to study the behavior of substrates when in contact with specific substances such as acids, alcohols, alkaline solutions, oxidizers etc. Some chemical tests also allow to screen materials for salt spray testing.

Corrosion Testing in Space

Corrosion testing in space is performed on dedicated satellites or by using compact testing modules as payloads on conventional satellites. These tests are done to study the behavior of materials in space.

Characterization

In addition to corrosion testing, the samples are often characterized before, during and after the test. For that purpose, we normally use weighing, photographing, microscopy, spectroscopy, cross-sectioning and other techniques.