ASTM B117, “Standard Practice for Operating Salt Spray (Fog) Apparatus” has just been updated. This is the go-to standard on how to do a salt spray test, used to determine corrosion and it’s effects on a wide variety of metals and coated metals. Of course, when I first starting taking orders for this extensively used publication, I couldn’t figure out why you’d do such a test. Then someone mentioned ocean water and I got it! Any time something is going to be used on a ship or anywhere near the ocean, the salt spray test is a necessity.
The last update in 2009 had a wide variety of changes. This 2016 Edition has far fewer changes. You’ll use the redline edition to capture them all, but in my review the most notable change is the addition of a new Note 1. Of course, adding a new note at the beginning of the document means that all the other notes are now renumbered…
If you’ve never used this Standard Practice before, you’ll find that it gives you the details on setting up a test chamber to provide a controlled corrosive environment. Your specimens will then be tested in such a way as to produce relative corrosion resistance information. And since this is the type of test that may produce some variation in results, it’s possible that you’ll repeat your testing a number of times to determine variability.
As with many ASTM standards, you’ll not only get information on the test equipment and the test itself, but also on the reporting requirements for your results. So whether you’re buying the services of a test lab to run your test for you or doing the testing for yourself or others, the information to be communicated about your results is set out clearly.
Now if you’re using this document, you’ll want the new 2016 Edition. You can order it online at the Document Center webstore, www.document-center.com. We’re an authorized distributor of the ASTM standards. For your convenience, here’s a direct link to the order page for ASTM B117.
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