A Comparative Study of Corrosion Test Environments at Three Proving Grounds

This paper presents the progress of an ongoing corrosion study of vehicle microenvironments. The study identifies the difference of corrosion microenvironments at various automotive proving grounds, using a sensor-equipped vehicle.

A vehicle was instrumented for the proving ground test study. Various types of environmental sensors were installed at more than thirty-five sites on the vehicle. These sensors measured the temperature and relative humidity of the ambient air, and the temperature and time-of-wetness of the sites' surfaces. Cold rolled steel (CRS) and Zinc (Zn) corrosion rate sensors were also used in the experiments.

The comparative analysis of vehicle microenvironments and corrosion rates of CRS and Zn, from three corrosion proving ground tests, will be discussed.