Performance Assessment of Coated Steel

There are different assessment options available for performance evaluation of coated steel. This article will give some inside to readers on important performance evaluation options related to physical testing, corrosion and paint durability of coated steel.

Options For Testing Coated Steel

When one talk about testing of painted or metallic coated steel products, then one is referring to physical testing, accelerated testing or outdoor exposure. Let's look at these in a bit detail:
Physical Testing - This type of testing is the quickest and usually without any chemical reaction.
Accelerated Testing - Accelerated testing is simulated / aided testing involving chemical/physical changes over a short period of time. This helps in assessing performance over a long period of usage. While these tests are quick, they do not represent actual conditions. Accelerated tests are quick but not quick enough for batch-wise testing and immediate certification post manufacturing. In short, these tests are difficult to perform batch-wise for inclusion of results in Mill Test Certificate.
Outdoor Exposure - Coated steel products are for a long period of usage. Therefore, determining life expectancy of these products is important. While accelerated lab tests give quick assessment of the product performance, they do not account for the difference in actual conditions at usage sites. The differences at these sites occur due to -