Immersion – UNECE R100

What Is Immersion — UNECE R100?

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 — UNECE R100

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 — UNECE R100 Applied To?

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

In Which Sectors Is Immersion — UNECE R100 Used?

ElectronicsElectricalAutomotiveDefenceAerospace

Standards Related to Immersion — UNECE R100

UNECE R100electric vehicle and battery safety test

Immersion — UNECE R100 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 — UNECE R100

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

Sample Requirements for Immersion — UNECE R100

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 — UNECE R100

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

Immersion — UNECE R100 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 — UNECE R100 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 — UNECE R100 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)

Environmental and Climatic Testing — 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.

Environmental testing shows whether a product withstands ambient factors such as temperature, humidity, pressure, solar radiation, dust, water and corrosive atmospheres. The aim is not to break the product but to bring forward, in ACCELERATED form, the conditions it will meet over its life.

Test profiles are derived from the product's real exposure, and that derivation is the actual engineering work of the field. A device operating in an enclosed office and one mounted on a pole are not tested with the same profile. The IEC 60068 series defines general methods, MIL-STD-810 military profiles, RTCA DO-160 aviation profiles and the ISO 16750 series location-based automotive profiles. A test applied without a profile selection produces both unnecessary cost and false confidence.

Temperature tests simulate three separate phenomena and all three produce different failure modes. Steady high/low temperature tests whether the material can operate at that temperature. Temperature CYCLING creates fatigue at joints between materials with different expansion coefficients — solder cracks appear here. Thermal SHOCK intensifies this effect through an abrupt transition.

There is a distinction in humidity testing too. Steady damp heat shows the diffusion of moisture into the material and its effect on insulation properties. Cyclic damp heat creates condensation: water droplets form on the cooling surface, and this is far more aggressive than dry humidity. Water ingress into enclosures, increased leakage current and corrosion usually appear in the cyclic test.

Dust and water protection is a separate body of work and is expressed by the IP code. The point to note here is that an IP test is not a DURABILITY test: it shows that protection is provided under defined and short-duration conditions, not resistance to long-term immersion or pressure washing.

The most common mistake in this family is translating a test result directly into a LIFE PREDICTION. Accelerated tests are designed for comparison and design verification; a reliable conversion between hours in a chamber and years in the field can only be established with a material-specific acceleration model calibrated against field data.

Functional monitoring determines the value of the test. Keeping a product in a temperature chamber and then switching it on does not show what happened DURING the test. In critical applications the product is operated throughout the test and its parameters are monitored; intermittent faults that appear and disappear can only be caught this way.

Method groups in this field

Temperature
Dry heat, cold, change of temperature and thermal shock; steady and cyclic profiles.
Humidity
Steady damp heat and cyclic damp heat; cycles with condensation are more aggressive.
Water and dust
IP protection tests: dripping, spraying, jets, immersion and dust tightness.
Radiation and ageing
Accelerated ageing by xenon arc and fluorescent UV, solar radiation simulation.
Pressure and altitude
Low pressure (altitude) and rapid pressure change tests.
Corrosive atmosphere
Salt spray, mixed flowing gas corrosion (simulating industrial atmospheres), mould and fungus tests.

Commonly confused in this field

Test duration cannot be converted into field life; a conversion made without an acceleration model is misleading.
Temperature cycling and steady temperature produce different failure modes; neither replaces the other.
If the product is not operated during the test, intermittent faults remain invisible; functional monitoring determines the value of the test.
IP protection is not evidence of durability; it shows protection under defined and short-duration conditions.
A test applied without profile selection both increases cost and gives false confidence.
The mounting and orientation arrangement affects the result; the report must document it.

Which decisions these results support

Design verification and qualification
Declaration of the protection class and operating temperature range
Reproducing field failures in the laboratory and root cause analysis
Supplier component approval
Decisions on warranty period and storage conditions

Related Tests

Frequently Asked Questions About Immersion — UNECE R100

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.