DIN EN 13523-19:2011-09

In the past it has been common practice in the northern hemisphere to expose test panels at 45° facing South. Whilst this orientation is appropriate for degradation of the organic coating, investigations have shown that it has little bearing on the overall corrosion performance of the product when used in building applications. Exposure at 45° facing South takes no account of, for instance: - overhangs which produce unwashed areas; - sheet overlaps; - low pitched roofing, etcetera. The Outdoor Exposure Committee of the European Coil Coating Association (ECCA) designed an exposure system which aligns more closely with "real life" situations and which is the basis of this part of EN 13523. Three panel orientations are specified: a) PANEL 1: 45° to horizontal facing South, namely, the traditional orientation for evaluation of organic coatings: colour change, gloss change, chalking, etcetera; b) PANEL 2: 90° to horizontal facing North, with an overhang for evaluating general corrosion on side cladding, particularly in unwashed areas; c) PANEL 3: 5° to horizontal facing South. This panel which includes an overlap is principally for evaluation of general corrosion in roofing applications. One or more panel design(s) and their corresponding orientations is (are) chosen according to the exposure data required. This part of EN 13523 specifies the test panel design and describes the method for determining the resistance to outdoor exposure of an organic coating on a metallic substrate. The Committee responsible for this standard is NA 002-00-07 AA "Allgemeine Prüfverfahren für Beschichtungsstoffe und Beschichtungen" ("General test methods for coating materials and coatings") at DIN.