Corrosion Testing Standards

The test standard summaries are for general guidance only. Though believed to be accurate at the time of writing, this may change over time. So this information should not be used as a substitute for referring to a complete test standard, at an appropriate revision level.

Note: the terms salt spray, salt mist and salt fog are all in wide spread use within corrosion test standards. In this context they can be considered to be equivalent and interchangeable terms.

RTCA/DO-160

Environmental Conditions & Test Procedures for Airborne Equipment – Section 14; Salt Spray

This ‘Radio Technical Commission for Aeronautics’ test standard had been revised and re-issued several times, with each issue being designated a new sequential suffix letter, which appears after the main standard number. With each revision the section number specific to this particular test may have changed, but the method itself is generally as follows:

Can be used to test the relative resistance to corrosion of equipment, when exposed to a salt spray climate at an elevated temperature.

Test specimens are placed in an enclosed chamber and exposed to a continuous indirect spray of neutral (pH 6.5 to 7.2) salt water solution, which falls-out on to the specimens at a rate of 0.5 to 3.0ml/80cm²/hour, in a chamber temperature of +35C. This climate is generally maintained under constant steady state conditions, but may also be cycled between salt spray for 24 hours and ambient air drying for 24 hours. The test duration is variable.

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