Environmental Impact of Burning Composite Materials Used in Aircraft Construction on the Air

Abstract

The negative impact of air incidents and emergency situations results from the leakage of liquids into the soil and water and the leakage of flue gases and combustion products of aircraft structural materials into the air during fires. This article deals with air pollution caused by the combustion of composite materials commonly used in general aviation. Samples of composite materials of aircraft registered in the Czech Republic were selected. These samples of composite materials were tested for flammability, according to ISO 5660-1:2002 Reaction to fire tests—Heat Release, smoke production and mass loss rate (ISO—International Organization for Standardization). Total smoke release and total oxygen consumed were assessed in this study, both of which have a significant impact on air quality in the case of an air incident. Based on the results of the research, differences resulting from the diversity of the structures of the tested composite materials were found. The most hazardous composite material was evaluated from the point of view of its impact on air quality during combustion.