High-Speed Corrosion Testing Without Compromise – Advanced Salt Spray Chambers

Shanghai – TOBO GROUP, a leader in integrated material performance testing technology, is proud to launch the MechCorr Link Salt Spray Tester—a groundbreaking system that combines continuous salt spray corrosion testing with real-time mechanical strength monitoring, addressing a critical gap for industries where corrosion-induced mechanical degradation directly impacts safety and durability. Unlike traditional salt spray testers that only evaluate corrosion appearance (e.g., rust, pitting) and require separate, post-corrosion mechanical tests (creating delays and disconnects between data), this platform tracks both corrosion progression and changes in key mechanical properties (tensile strength, bending resistance, shear strength) in a single, uninterrupted test—essential for structural materials used in bridges, aerospace components, offshore platforms, and building construction, where even minor corrosion can weaken load-bearing capacity.
At the core of the MechCorr Link is its Corrosion-Mechanical Coupling Test Chamber, which integrates a compact, high-precision mechanical testing module directly within the salt spray chamber. The module features motorized grips that secure specimens (e.g., steel plates, alloy bars) and apply controlled loads—either constant stress (to simulate real-world structural loads) or cyclic stress (to mimic repeated use)—while the chamber delivers standard or custom salt spray conditions (3-5% NaCl concentration, 35-50°C temperature, adjustable fog density). Throughout the test, the system captures dual streams of data: corrosion metrics (via in-chamber cameras and ultrasonic thickness sensors) and mechanical data (via load cells and displacement trackers). For example, a bridge construction firm testing high-strength low-alloy (HSLA) steel used the MechCorr Link to run a 300-hour salt spray test while applying a constant 60% of the steel’s ultimate tensile strength; the system recorded that after 200 hours of corrosion, the steel’s actual load-bearing capacity dropped by 12%—a trend they could not detect with separate corrosion and mechanical tests, which would have only shown surface rust and post-test strength loss. The chamber’s corrosion-resistant mechanical components (made of ceramic and Hastelloy alloy) ensure no interference between salt spray and load application, maintaining data accuracy for both parameters.
Complementing the coupled test chamber is the Real-Time Degradation Correlation Software, which merges corrosion and mechanical datasets to create actionable insights. The software automatically maps corrosion indicators (e.g., rust coverage percentage, pitting depth) to mechanical degradation (e.g., tensile strength loss, elastic modulus reduction) and generates a “Corrosion-Mechanical Failure Threshold” curve—for instance, it might reveal that a 7% increase in rust coverage on a particular aluminum alloy correlates to a 10% drop in bending strength, helping engineers define safe corrosion limits for their applications. It also supports compliance with dual-property standards, such as ASTM G102 (standard practice for calculating corrosion rates) and ASTM E8 (standard test method for tensile testing of metallic materials), by aligning data formats with both corrosion and mechanical testing protocols. An aerospace component manufacturer used this software to validate titanium alloy fasteners for aircraft wings: the curve showed that even 2% pitting corrosion led to a 8% reduction in shear strength—prompting them to upgrade the fasteners’ coating to delay pitting onset. The software also lets users export integrated reports, eliminating the need to manually combine data from two separate tests and reducing analysis time by 40%.
Real-world applications across structural material sectors highlight the system’s value: An offshore oil platform operator used the MechCorr Link to test duplex stainless steel support rods, discovering that 150 hours of salt spray (mimicking seawater exposure) reduced the rods’ tensile strength by 9%—leading them to schedule more frequent inspections to prevent overloading.
“MechCorr Link solves the ‘two-test problem’ that has long frustrated engineers working with structural materials,” said TOBO GROUP’s Integrated Material Testing Director. “Corrosion doesn’t just change how a material looks—it changes how it performs under load. This system lets you see that connection in real time, so you can design materials and structures that don’t just resist corrosion, but keep performing safely even when corrosion occurs.”
For more information about the MechCorr Link Salt Spray Tester, including mechanical testing capacity, corrosion parameter ranges, and software correlation features, visit Info@botomachine.com.