Summary for steel and aluminum salt spray test Discussion
steel and aluminum together in salt spray test can usually be done in the same chamber, but the key caution is to keep the parts from touching. Peter Van de Luecht said the metals would only create a corrosive reaction if they were in contact, and James Watts added that mixing them on the same rack is not ideal if you have a choice, though being in the chamber at the same time should not be a problem. In the later question, Leon Lin asked about testing aluminum alloy and nickel-plated steel together, and Erick Leong answered that the test remains valid as long as the parts do not touch and the salt solution contacting the parts is not recycled into the fog, since that could create galvanic corrosion. He noted that unused fog may be reused if filtering, pH, and salinity are checked.
Q. Is it possible that having phosphate-coated steel, and anodized aluminum panels, together in the same salt-spray chamber, could be affecting the test results? I.E. creating some sort of corrosive reaction between metals?
Ilene Weisberg
aircraft products – Ravenna, Ohio, USA
2005
A. Only if the parts were touching.
Peter Van de Luecht
– Melbourne,Vic, Australia
2005
A. Given an option, I would not mix them on the same rack. In the same chamber at the same time should not be a problem.
James Watts
– Navarre, Florida
2005
Q. We have two types of products. One is aluminum alloy, the other is steel with nickel plating. We will do the salt spray test. Can we put these two products into the same salt spray testing chamber? Thanks!
Leon Lin
– taipei,taiwan
May 4, 2018
A. Hi Leon,
As long as your parts are not touching (would cause galvanic corrosion) and are ensuring that the salt solution that touches the parts are not being recycled for the fog solution again (another source of galvanic corrosion). The salt spray test will be valid for both parts. (Note that salt fog that does not touch the metal parts can be reused, assuming filtering, pH and salinity are checked before reusing).
Erick Leong
Vapor Bus International – Buffalo Grove, Illinois, USA
June 6, 2018