US EPA

1471249 

Technical Report 

Preliminary analysis of off-gassing following thermal stress of advanced composite materials 

Meyer, GD; Lipscomb, JC; Courson, DL 

1998 

UNITED STATES AIR FORCE ARMSTRONG LABORATORY 

Wright-Patterson AFB, OH 

AFRL-HE-WP-TR-1998-0083 

GRA and I 

English 

Advanced composite material (ACM) use in the military and private sectors is increasing. Previous work identified the release of toxic compounds during combustion of ACM. However, the question of off-gassing following heat stress had not been addressed. This preliminary study looked at the semivolatile compounds off-gassed from four different types of ACM following thermal stress of 625 deg C. Daily samples of the off-gassed semivolatiles were collected by Tenax TAO tubes and by cold trapping. The ACM samples were still off-gassing at the end of the 15-16 day sampling period. Results with the four targeted compounds (aniline, phenol, quinoline, and naphthalene) and the semivolatile compounds tentatively identified by ion match were too varied to prudently extrapolate the identity and/or quantity released of any specific compounds associated with another type of ACM. However, it can be deduced that only well- ventilated areas should be used for thermally stressed ACM to prevent the build- up of off-gassed materials to dangerous levels. In addition, the study results fully support the continued use of the personal protective equipment guidelines presented in paragraph 34,e,(3) of TO 00-105E-9, Aircraft Emergency Response. These results underscore the need to examine the specific ACM in question and address the issues associated with that ACM. Further research is recommended to fully characterize ACM off-gassing following thermal stress. 

Toxicity; *Composite materials; *Combustion; Volatility; Thermal stresses; Phenols; Anilines; Quinolines; Naphthalenes; Off gassing; Advanced composite materials 

03013090_a