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We did an extreme test on the corrosion resistance of our valves, and the results clearly and undoubtedly attest their reliability.
The salt spray test is a standard test used to verify the resistance of materials and the effectiveness of the treatments they undergo; the material to be tested is placed in a chamber inside which a salt solution of specific concentration is sprayed at a set temperature to create a highly corrosive environment.
In the specific case of our experiment, we assessed the behaviour of three 1” check valves from the Idrja series: one made of AISI 304 stainless that had not been electropolished, one of AISI 304 stainless steel that had, and one of electropolished AISI 316 stainless steel.
We did the test to verify how the steel we use behaves in a highly corrosive environment, to assess the difference between AISI 304 and AISI 316 stainless steel, and to substantiate the effectiveness of electropolishing.
To make the test even more relevant we doubled its duration from the usual 200 hours of exposure to 400 hours, which corresponds to about 6 years of use in a heavy-duty environment, for example a port where valves are constantly exposed to salt and repeated drying.
The test results
Stainless steel is confirmed as being the ideal material for use in highly corrosive environments.
At the end of the test, in fact, all three valves were still operational and their bodies did not show any signs of leakage.
The non-electropolished AISI 304 valve displayed evident signs of corrosion, above all at the weld points. The electropolished AISI 304 valve, instead, showed only slight signs of corrosion, while the electropolished AISI 316 valve did not show any.
The test therefore demonstrated the difference between AISI 304 and AISI 316 steel, and the greater resistance to corrosion of the latter.
The test also confirmed the validity of electropolishing, a process that all our valves undergo. We have a cutting-edge electropolishing system that allows us to treat our products in-house, guaranteeing a higher, always constant standard. The decision to electropolish our valves was not made purely on the grounds of aesthetics, but was also based on solid technical reasons that the experiment has undeniably confirmed.
