The ever increasing use of de-icing products and the falling of
acid rain, contribute, among other things, to the making of a
particularly agressive environment for motor vehicles, creating
sooner or later, corrosion of their components.
The motor makers strive to diminish the deterioration caused by
oxidation by implementing counter-measures which require evaluation
using accelerated aging tests.
The validity of these tests (Representativeness, Exactness,
Sensitiveness) command, to a great extent, the choice and the
efficiency of the solutions adopted.
This paper describes the tests in this particular field selected
by RENAULT, and covers both the laboratory sample tests and those
involving the complete vehicle.
The steps carried out to relate these tests with the real
utilization conditions of the vehicles have also been
presented.