IEC 60068-3-4:2023
(Main)Environmental testing - Part 3-4: Supporting documentation and guidance - Damp heat tests
Environmental testing - Part 3-4: Supporting documentation and guidance - Damp heat tests
IEC 60068-3-4:2023 provides the necessary information and the basic principles of the effect of humidity in the context of environmental testing to assist in preparing relevant specifications, such as standards for components or equipment. Furthermore, information is provided on operating climatic test chambers. This second edition cancels and replaces the first edition published in 2001. This edition constitutes a technical revision. This edition includes the following significant technical changes with respect to the previous edition:
a) the requirements for distilled and deionized water have been revised;
b) recommendations for the cleaning procedure of test chambers have been included;
c) humidification systems (ultrasonic humidifiers and atomizers) have been added;
d) the description of water penetration mechanisms has been refined.
Essais d'environnement - Partie 3-4: Documentation d'accompagnement et recommandations - Essais de chaleur humide
L'IEC 60068-3-4:2023 contient les informations nécessaires et les principes de base concernant les effets de l’humidité dans le contexte des essais d'environnement pour fournir un appui à l'élaboration des spécifications pertinentes (normes pour les composants ou les matériels, par exemple). Des informations relatives au fonctionnement des chambres climatiques d'essai sont également données. Cette deuxième édition annule et remplace la première édition parue en 2001. Cette édition constitue une révision technique. Cette édition inclut les modifications techniques majeures suivantes par rapport à l'édition précédente:
a) les exigences relatives à l'eau distillée et à l'eau déionisée ont été révisées;
b) des recommandations concernant la procédure de nettoyage des chambres d'essai ont été introduites;
c) des systèmes d'humidification (humidificateurs à ultrasons et atomiseurs) ont été ajoutés;
d) la description des mécanismes de pénétration d'eau a été affinée.
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IEC 60068-3-4 ®
Edition 2.0 2023-06
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INTERNATIONAL
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Environmental testing –
Part 3-4: Supporting documentation and guidance – Damp heat tests
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International Standards for all electrical, electronic and related technologies.
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IEC 60068-3-4 ®
Edition 2.0 2023-06
REDLINE VERSION
INTERNATIONAL
STANDARD
colour
inside
Environmental testing –
Part 3-4: Supporting documentation and guidance – Damp heat tests
INTERNATIONAL
ELECTROTECHNICAL
COMMISSION
ICS 00.000 ISBN 978-2-8322-7183-4
– 2 – IEC 60068-3-4:2023 RLV © IEC 2023
CONTENTS
FOREWORD . 3
INTRODUCTION . 2
1 Scope . 6
2 Normative references . 6
3 Terms and definitions . 6
4 Procedures for the production and control of humidity . 7
4.1 General . 7
4.2 Injection of water (spraying) . 7
4.3 Injection of water vapour (steam) . 8
4.4 Saturation type . 8
4.5 Surface evaporation . 8
4.6 Aqueous solutions. 8
4.7 Dehumidification . 8
4.8 Control of humidity . 8
5 Physical appearance of the effects of humidity . 9
5.1 General . 9
5.2 Condensation . 9
5.3 Adsorption . 9
5.4 Absorption . 10
5.5 Diffusion . 10
6 Acceleration of tests . 10
6.1 General . 10
6.2 Acceleration factor . 10
7 Comparison of steady-state and cyclic tests . 11
7.1 Test C: Damp heat, steady-state . 11
7.2 Test Db: Damp heat, cyclic test . 11
7.3 Sequences of tests and composite tests . 11
8 Influence of test environment on specimens . 12
8.1 Change of physical characteristics . 12
8.2 Change of electrical characteristics . 12
8.2.1 With surface moisture . 12
8.2.2 With penetrated moisture . 12
8.3 Corrosion . 13
Annex A (informative) Humidity effects diagram . 14
A.1 General . 14
A.2 Explanatory notes . 14
A.2.1 Water penetration . 14
A.2.2 Physical process.
A.2.3 Effects .
A.2.2 Examples of effects . 15
Bibliography . 20
Figure A.1 – Physical processes involved in humidity testing . 17
INTERNATIONAL ELECTROTECHNICAL COMMISSION
____________
ENVIRONMENTAL TESTING –
Part 3-4: Supporting documentation and guidance – Damp heat tests
FOREWORD
1) The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) is a worldwide organization for standardization comprising
all national electrotechnical committees (IEC National Committees). The object of IEC is to promote international
co-operation on all questions concerning standardization in the electrical and electronic fields. To this end and
in addition to other activities, IEC publishes International Standards, Technical Specifications, Technical Reports,
Publicly Available Specifications (PAS) and Guides (hereafter referred to as "IEC Publication(s)"). Their
preparation is entrusted to technical committees; any IEC National Committee interested in the subject dealt with
can participate in this preparatory work. International, governmental and non-governmental organizations liaising
with the IEC also participate in this preparation. IEC collaborates closely with the International Organization for
Standardization (ISO) in accordance with conditions determined by agreement between the two organizations.
2) The formal decisions or agreements of IEC on technical matters express, as nearly as possible, an international
consensus of opinion on the relevant subjects since each technical committee has representation from all
interested IEC National Committees.
3) IEC Publications have the form of recommendations for international use and are accepted by IEC National
Committees in that sense. While all reasonable efforts are made to ensure that the technical content of IEC
Publications is accurate, IEC cannot be held responsible for the way in which they are used or for any
misinterpretation by any end user.
4) In order to promote international uniformity, IEC National Committees undertake to apply IEC Publications
transparently to the maximum extent possible in their national and regional publications. Any divergence between
any IEC Publication and the corresponding national or regional publication shall be clearly indicated in the latter.
5) IEC itself does not provide any attestation of conformity. Independent certification bodies provide conformity
assessment services and, in some areas, access to IEC marks of conformity. IEC is not responsible for any
services carried out by independent certification bodies.
6) All users should ensure that they have the latest edition of this publication.
7) No liability shall attach to IEC or its directors, employees, servants or agents including individual experts and
members of its technical committees and IEC National Committees for any personal injury, property damage or
other damage of any nature whatsoever, whether direct or indirect, or for costs (including legal fees) and
expenses arising out of the publication, use of, or reliance upon, this IEC Publication or any other IEC
Publications.
8) Attention is drawn to the Normative references cited in this publication. Use of the referenced publications is
indispensable for the correct application of this publication.
9) Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this IEC Publication can be the subject of patent
rights. IEC shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.
This redline version of the official IEC Standard allows the user to identify the changes
made to the previous edition IEC 60068-3-4:2001. A vertical bar appears in the margin
wherever a change has been made. Additions are in green text, deletions are in
strikethrough red text.
– 4 – IEC 60068-3-4:2023 RLV © IEC 2023
IEC 60068-3-4 has been prepared by IEC technical committee 104: Environmental conditions,
classification and methods of test. It is an International Standard.
This second edition cancels and replaces the first edition published in 2001. This edition
constitutes a technical revision.
This edition includes the following significant technical changes with respect to the previous
edition:
a) the requirements for distilled and deionized water have been revised;
b) recommendations for the cleaning procedure of test chambers have been included;
c) humidification systems (ultrasonic humidifiers and atomizers) have been added;
d) the description of water penetration mechanisms has been refined.
The text of this International Standard is based on the following documents:
Draft Report on voting
104/985/FDIS 104/1001/RVD
Full information on the voting for its approval can be found in the report on voting indicated in
the above table.
The language used for the development of this International Standard is English.
This document was drafted in accordance with ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2, and developed in
accordance with ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1 and ISO/IEC Directives, IEC Supplement, available
at www.iec.ch/members_experts/refdocs. The main document types developed by IEC are
described in greater detail at www.iec.ch/publications.
A list of all parts in the IEC 60068 series, published under the general title Environmental
testing, can be found on the IEC website.
The committee has decided that the contents of this document will remain unchanged until the
stability date indicated on the IEC website under webstore.iec.ch in the data related to the
specific document. At this date, the document will be
• reconfirmed,
• withdrawn,
• replaced by a revised edition, or
• amended.
IMPORTANT – The "colour inside" logo on the cover page of this document indicates that it
contains colours which are considered to be useful for the correct understanding of its
contents. Users should therefore print this document using a colour printer.
INTRODUCTION
Temperature and relative humidity (RH) of the air, in varying combinations, are climatic factors
which act upon a product during storage, transportation and operation.
Meteorological measurements made over many years have shown that a relative
humidity > 95 % combined with a temperature > 30 °C does not occur in free-air conditions over
long periods, except in regions with extreme climates. In dwelling rooms and workshops
temperatures of > 30 °C may can occur but in most case
...
IEC 60068-3-4 ®
Edition 2.0 2023-06
INTERNATIONAL
STANDARD
NORME
INTERNATIONALE
Environmental testing –
Part 3-4: Supporting documentation and guidance – Damp heat tests
Essais d'environnement –
Partie 3-4: Documentation d'accompagnement et recommandations – Essais de
chaleur humide
All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, no part of this publication may be reproduced or utilized in any form
or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and microfilm, without permission in writing from
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les coordonnées ci-après ou contactez le Comité national de l'IEC de votre pays de résidence.
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CH-1211 Geneva 20 www.iec.ch
Switzerland
About the IEC
The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) is the leading global organization that prepares and publishes
International Standards for all electrical, electronic and related technologies.
About IEC publications
The technical content of IEC publications is kept under constant review by the IEC. Please make sure that you have the
latest edition, a corrigendum or an amendment might have been published.
IEC publications search - webstore.iec.ch/advsearchform IEC Products & Services Portal - products.iec.ch
The advanced search enables to find IEC publications by a Discover our powerful search engine and read freely all the
variety of criteria (reference number, text, technical publications previews. With a subscription you will always have
committee, …). It also gives information on projects, replaced access to up to date content tailored to your needs.
and withdrawn publications.
Electropedia - www.electropedia.org
IEC Just Published - webstore.iec.ch/justpublished
The world's leading online dictionary on electrotechnology,
Stay up to date on all new IEC publications. Just Published
containing more than 22 300 terminological entries in English
details all new publications released. Available online and once
and French, with equivalent terms in 19 additional languages.
a month by email.
Also known as the International Electrotechnical Vocabulary
(IEV) online.
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If you wish to give us your feedback on this publication or need
further assistance, please contact the Customer Service
Centre: sales@iec.ch.
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IEC 60068-3-4 ®
Edition 2.0 2023-06
INTERNATIONAL
STANDARD
NORME
INTERNATIONALE
Environmental testing –
Part 3-4: Supporting documentation and guidance – Damp heat tests
Essais d'environnement –
Partie 3-4: Documentation d'accompagnement et recommandations – Essais de
chaleur humide
INTERNATIONAL
ELECTROTECHNICAL
COMMISSION
COMMISSION
ELECTROTECHNIQUE
INTERNATIONALE
ICS 19.040, 29.020 ISBN 978-2-8322-7135-3
– 2 – IEC 60068-3-4:2023 © IEC 2023
CONTENTS
FOREWORD . 3
INTRODUCTION . 5
1 Scope . 6
2 Normative references . 6
3 Terms and definitions . 6
4 Procedures for the production and control of humidity . 7
4.1 General . 7
4.2 Injection of water (spraying) . 7
4.3 Injection of water vapour (steam) . 7
4.4 Saturation type . 8
4.5 Surface evaporation . 8
4.6 Aqueous solutions. 8
4.7 Dehumidification . 8
4.8 Control of humidity . 8
5 Physical appearance of the effects of humidity . 8
5.1 General . 8
5.2 Condensation . 9
5.3 Adsorption . 9
5.4 Absorption . 9
5.5 Diffusion . 9
6 Acceleration of tests . 10
6.1 General . 10
6.2 Acceleration factor . 10
7 Comparison of steady-state and cyclic tests . 10
7.1 Test C: Damp heat, steady-state . 10
7.2 Test Db: Damp heat, cyclic test . 11
7.3 Sequences of tests and composite tests . 11
8 Influence of test environment on specimens . 11
8.1 Change of physical characteristics . 11
8.2 Change of electrical characteristics . 12
8.2.1 With surface moisture . 12
8.2.2 With penetrated moisture . 12
8.3 Corrosion . 12
Annex A (informative) Humidity effects diagram . 13
A.1 General . 13
A.2 Explanatory notes . 13
A.2.1 Water penetration . 13
A.2.2 Examples of effects . 14
Bibliography . 17
Figure A.1 – Physical processes involved in humidity testing . 15
INTERNATIONAL ELECTROTECHNICAL COMMISSION
____________
ENVIRONMENTAL TESTING –
Part 3-4: Supporting documentation and guidance – Damp heat tests
FOREWORD
1) The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) is a worldwide organization for standardization comprising
all national electrotechnical committees (IEC National Committees). The object of IEC is to promote international
co-operation on all questions concerning standardization in the electrical and electronic fields. To this end and
in addition to other activities, IEC publishes International Standards, Technical Specifications, Technical Reports,
Publicly Available Specifications (PAS) and Guides (hereafter referred to as "IEC Publication(s)"). Their
preparation is entrusted to technical committees; any IEC National Committee interested in the subject dealt with
can participate in this preparatory work. International, governmental and non-governmental organizations liaising
with the IEC also participate in this preparation. IEC collaborates closely with the International Organization for
Standardization (ISO) in accordance with conditions determined by agreement between the two organizations.
2) The formal decisions or agreements of IEC on technical matters express, as nearly as possible, an international
consensus of opinion on the relevant subjects since each technical committee has representation from all
interested IEC National Committees.
3) IEC Publications have the form of recommendations for international use and are accepted by IEC National
Committees in that sense. While all reasonable efforts are made to ensure that the technical content of IEC
Publications is accurate, IEC cannot be held responsible for the way in which they are used or for any
misinterpretation by any end user.
4) In order to promote international uniformity, IEC National Committees undertake to apply IEC Publications
transparently to the maximum extent possible in their national and regional publications. Any divergence between
any IEC Publication and the corresponding national or regional publication shall be clearly indicated in the latter.
5) IEC itself does not provide any attestation of conformity. Independent certification bodies provide conformity
assessment services and, in some areas, access to IEC marks of conformity. IEC is not responsible for any
services carried out by independent certification bodies.
6) All users should ensure that they have the latest edition of this publication.
7) No liability shall attach to IEC or its directors, employees, servants or agents including individual experts and
members of its technical committees and IEC National Committees for any personal injury, property damage or
other damage of any nature whatsoever, whether direct or indirect, or for costs (including legal fees) and
expenses arising out of the publication, use of, or reliance upon, this IEC Publication or any other IEC
Publications.
8) Attention is drawn to the Normative references cited in this publication. Use of the referenced publications is
indispensable for the correct application of this publication.
9) Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this IEC Publication can be the subject of patent
rights. IEC shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.
IEC 60068-3-4 has been prepared by IEC technical committee 104: Environmental conditions,
classification and methods of test. It is an International Standard.
This second edition cancels and replaces the first edition published in 2001. This edition
constitutes a technical revision.
This edition includes the following significant technical changes with respect to the previous
edition:
a) the requirements for distilled
...
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