Evaluation of the Effects of Hydrogen Peroxide on Common Aviation Structural Materials

Abstract

Infected passengers can unintentionally contaminate the interior of aircraft; deliberate biological contamination from criminals and international adversaries is also possible. Previous work has provided information regarding the delivery mechanism and capability of STERIS Corporation's Vaporized Hydrogen Peroxide (VHP*) technology as a decontaminant/disinfectant/sanitizer for transportation vehicles like aircraft, buses, subway trains, ambulances, etc. The present report documents a materials compatibility evaluation of the effects of hydrogen peroxide exposure on the physical and mechanical properties of the following commercial grade structural materials: 2024-T351, 2024-T6 and 7075-T6 aluminum, 304 stainless steel, carbon fiber/epoxy composites and glass fiber/epoxy composites, including FR4 laminate materials widely used for printed circuit boards. Measurements of changes in sample weights due to absorption, oxidation, or corrosion were made as were evaluations of changes in tensile and flexural mechanical properties. The tensile properties of samples of the metallic samples were unaffected by exposures to either vapor phase or 35% liquid phase hydrogen peroxide. In addition, the carbon fiber/epoxy, glass fiber/carbon fiber epoxy, and the FR4 printed circuit board materials exhibited no significant changes in flexural strength or strain at peak load after 10 VHP exposures. However, some mechanical degradation in the composite samples was observed after 168 hour exposure to 35% liquid hydrogen peroxide. It is recommended that condensation be avoided during application of vapor phase hydrogen peroxide. *VHP is a registered trademark of the STERIS Corporation, Mentor, OH.

Open PDF

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Dec 01, 2009
Accession Number
ADA518976

Entities

People

  • C. G. Shannon
  • H. S. Gale
  • J. W. Fergus
  • J. Watson
  • M. H. Sk
  • N. I. Sofyan
  • R. A. Overfelt
  • S. F. Chou
  • W. F. Gale

Organizations

  • Auburn University

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Aircrafts
  • Aluminum Alloys
  • Body Weight
  • Carbon Fibers
  • Circuit Boards
  • Electron Microscopy
  • Epoxy Composites
  • Failure Mode And Effect Analysis
  • Flexural Strength
  • Glass Fibers
  • Materials
  • Materials Testing
  • Printed Circuit Boards
  • Printed Circuits
  • Raman Spectroscopy
  • Spectroscopy
  • Tensile Strength

Fields of Study

  • Materials science

Readers

  • Electrochemical Engineering/ Fuel Cell Technologies
  • Military/Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Technology
  • Reinforced Composite Materials