As the Department of Defense transitions away from the use of hexavalent chromium due to health concerns and increasing regulations, new corrosion protection technologies must be developed and validated. In order to more quickly and reliably evaluate these technologies, accelerated corrosion tests that more accurately mimic operational environments are needed. The development of a new accelerated corrosion test method is discussed in this work. Six test methods were designed to explore the effect of relative humidity cycling, electrolyte deposition duration & frequency, and test assembly design on the resulting corrosion damage of coated metallic assemblies. After exposure to each method, assemblies were analyzed for corrosion damage using optical and laser profilometry along with cross sectioning across fastener holes. An optimal method was identified based on the degree to which the performance of various chromated and non-chromated coating stack ups could be distinguished after exposure to the method for 1,250 hours.

You do not currently have access to this content.