Corrosion handbook

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2 HILTI CORROSION PERFORMANCE
ASSESSMENT AND PRODUCT
QUALIFICATION METHODS
Hilti conducts comprehensive laboratory and field corrosion tests to assess the
corrosion protection of its products. Thanks to in-house research Hilti has a
wide variety of tested corrosion protection solutions for different environmental
conditions.
Many methods for testing corrosion resistance are specific to particular materials
and are based on conditions prevailing in certain environments. A large number
of factors affect corrosion behavior. Hence there is not a unique and universal
corrosion test covering all aspects of materials in use. The most reliable indicator
of corrosion behavior is service history, but this information is not always available
exactly as needed. Corrosion protection of our fasteners is also tested by
installing the items on steel or in concrete to simulate potential damage during the
installation process.
Corrosion tests can be a suitable method for assessing new products and to
compare them with known corrosion protection systems. However, such tests
alone are not sufficient to qualify a product for a certain application as the
corrosivity of the environment can differ greatly from one project to another. In
the end, it is the
responsibility of the user to choose the right corrosion protection
based on detailed
information about the application, long-term experience and fundamental
knowledge of the subject.
2.1 Purpose of corrosion testing
Accelerated corrosion lab tests are state-of-the-art when it comes to evaluating
the performance of materials. This is because they represent standardized and
reproducible conditions and allow an assessment to be made after a short period
of testing (days to weeks). One major use of this type of test is in the quality
control of corrosion protection coatings. In order to pass quality control, products
must meet the required performance standards (e.g. two days without showing
red rust). Moreover, these types of tests are very useful in product development
activities, where screening and classifying new coatings and materials for new
products is crucial.