Immersion Test — IEC 60529 IPX7/IPX8 / MIL-STD-810 Method 512 · Defence Testing

What Is Immersion?

The immersion test is a test in which the specimen is submerged in water at a defined depth for a defined duration, evaluating whether water enters the enclosure. It is defined as IPX7 and IPX8 in IEC 60529, and in MIL-STD-810 for defence applications.

Purpose of Immersion

The purpose is to verify the enclosure's level of protection against water ingress and to demonstrate that electrical safety is preserved.

Which Products Is Immersion Applied To?

Electronic devices and enclosures
Battery packs
Defence and field equipment
Automotive infrastructure components
Lighting fixtures

In Which Sectors Is Immersion Used?

DefenceAerospaceSpaceElectronics

Standards Related to Immersion

IEC 60529degree of protection provided by enclosures (IP code) test
MIL-STD-810 Method 512
ISO 20653Protection against dust, water and contact (IP) in vehicles test
IEC 62133-2Safety in portable lithium cells and batteries test
MIL-STD-810environmental engineering assessments and laboratory tests test
MIL-STD-461electromagnetic interference in military systems test
MIL-STD-202Testing methods in electronic parts test
MIL-STD-883Test methods in microelectronic devices test
MIL-STD-167mechanical vibration in ship equipment test
MIL-S-901high intensity shock testing on ship equipment test
MIL-STD-704aircraft electrical power characteristics test
MIL-STD-127528 V electrical system in military vehicles test
NATO STANAG TestsTests within the scope of NATO standardization agreements test

Immersion Conditions

IPX7: Immersion at 1 m depth for 30 minutes
IPX8: Conditions more severe than IPX7, as declared by the manufacturer
Water temperature: Defined in the standard; the temperature difference between the specimen and the water is limited
Battery application: Salt-water immersion may be defined as a separate test

Equipment for Immersion

Immersion tank and depth control
Water temperature measurement
Insulation resistance measuring instrument
Function-check arrangement

Sample Requirements for Immersion

The specimen must be tested with its real enclosure and sealing elements
Function and insulation must be measured before the test
Cable entries and connectors must be in the installed condition
The number of specimens is set out in the specification

Duration of Immersion

The immersion duration is defined in the standard; together with preparation and evaluation, it takes half a working day.

Immersion Procedure

1The specimen is identified and initial measurements are taken.
2The water temperature is set and the difference is checked.
3The specimen is lowered to the defined depth.
4It is kept submerged for the defined duration.
5It is removed and its surface is dried.
6The enclosure is opened to check for water ingress; insulation and function are measured.

Immersion Acceptance Criteria

The acceptance criterion is defined in IEC 60529: no ingress of water into the enclosure in a quantity that would impair safety or function. In battery applications, the absence of fire and explosion is also required.

Evaluation of Results

The quantity and location of water ingress, the change in insulation resistance and function status are evaluated together.

Immersion Report

Applied standard and protection class
Immersion depth, duration and water temperature
Observation of water ingress
Insulation resistance and function results
Photographs

Accreditation

EUROLAB holds internationally recognised accreditation obtained from accreditation bodies party to the IAF and ILAC multilateral recognition arrangements, under ISO/IEC 17025 for laboratory testing, ISO/IEC 17020 for inspection and surveillance, and ISO/IEC 17021-1 and ISO/IEC 17065 for system and product certification. This chain ensures the reports and certificates issued are accepted worldwide.

Whether this test can be offered within accredited scope depends on your product and the standard applied; since accreditation is method-based, the scope is confirmed in writing at the quotation stage.

Scope and authorisations

Related Regulations

LVD 2014/35/EU
Machinery Directive
UNECE R100 (battery)

Savunma Testleri — What Does This Testing Field Cover?

The section below describes the field that the Immersion test belongs to; the conditions and acceptance criteria of this particular test are given in the sections above. The scope specific to your product is confirmed in writing at the quotation stage.

Defence testing shows that equipment keeps working in a military mission environment. What distinguishes it from civil testing is not only the severity of the levels; the ASSUMPTION ITSELF is different. The equipment must work on the first attempt, after months of storage, in an environment where maintenance is not available, inside a platform crowded with its own transmitters and receivers.

This assumption shapes the test plan. For a civil product "normal use" can be defined; for military equipment what is defined is the LIFE CYCLE ENVIRONMENTAL PROFILE: the exposure of every stage is listed — from manufacture to storage, from storage to shipment, to transport on a vehicle, to use in the field and to maintenance — and the testing is derived from that list.

On the environmental side, MIL-STD-810 methods are applied: temperature, humidity, altitude, rain, sand and dust, salt fog, fungus, shock, vibration, explosive atmosphere and gunfire vibration. The standard itself sets no acceptance criterion; which method is applied at which level, and what is acceptable, come from the programme specification.

On the electromagnetic side, MIL-STD-461 requirements come into play and interference within the platform is controlled. It measures the same physics as civil EMC but with a different assumption: the equipment will operate on a platform crowded with its own radars and radios, and interference inside the platform puts the mission directly at risk. The limits are therefore far stricter.

Power quality is a separate body of work. MIL-STD-1275 for military vehicles and MIL-STD-704 for aircraft define the supply characteristics: voltage ranges, transients, ripple and interruption behaviour. This is where commercially derived equipment most often gets stuck when integrated into a military platform.

On the shock side, naval vessels carry their own regime: the MIL-S-901 high-impact shock test simulates the effect of an underwater explosion and tests the equipment on a real impact machine. This is an entirely different scale from classical laboratory shock testing.

The suitability of commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) equipment for military use is a growing subject in the field. Cost and lead time pressures encourage the use of commercial products; but a commercial product is not considered suitable unless it has been through the military profile, and a gap analysis plus additional qualification is required.

In this family the test plan comes from the PROGRAMME SPECIFICATION. The phrase "complies with MIL-STD-810" is therefore not a verifiable claim on its own; which method, which procedure, which level and which revision must all be answered.

Method groups in this field

Environmental
MIL-STD-810 methods: temperature, humidity, altitude, solar radiation, rain, sand and dust, fungus, salt fog, immersion, explosive atmosphere.
Mechanical
Vibration (random, sine, gunfire), shock, acceleration, free fall and transport simulation.
Electromagnetic
MIL-STD-461 CE/CS/RE/RS requirements; MIL-STD-464 at platform level.
Power quality
Conformity to the MIL-STD-1275 vehicle and MIL-STD-704 aircraft supply characteristics.
High-impact shock
The MIL-S-901 naval shock test; simulation of the effect of an underwater explosion.
Component qualification
MIL-STD-883 microelectronics and MIL-STD-202 electronic parts test methods.

Commonly confused in this field

The phrase "MIL-STD-810 certified" is incorrect; the standard produces no certificate, the output is a qualification report.
A conformity claim that does not state the method, procedure and level cannot be verified.
The revision letter (F, G, H) changes the content of methods and the procedure numbers; the specification must state the revision.
A civil EMC report does not replace MIL-STD-461; the limits, distances and set-ups are different.
Power quality is the requirement most often skipped when integrating a commercial product into a military platform.
Applying a method does not show that the equipment maintains its function in that environment; the functional acceptance criterion is defined separately.

Which decisions these results support

Qualification under a supply contract
Component verification before platform integration
Suitability of commercially derived equipment for military use and gap analysis
Specification compliance in NATO and export programmes
Establishing the life cycle environmental profile

Related Tests

Frequently Asked Questions About Immersion

What is the difference between IPX7 and IPX8?

IPX7 is a condition fixed in the standard: 1 metre, 30 minutes. IPX8 refers to conditions more severe than IPX7, as declared by the manufacturer; the depth and duration must be stated in the product documentation.