Accession Number:
ADA043160
Title:
A Chemical Treatment for Mercury Accidentally Spilled in Aircraft
Descriptive Note:
Technical rept.
Corporate Author:
ROYAL AIRCRAFT ESTABLISHMENT FARNBOROUGH (UNITED KINGDOM)
Personal Author(s):
Report Date:
1977-01-31
Pagination or Media Count:
31.0
Abstract:
Tests were made to determine the susceptibility of commercially pure aluminium, and of high strength Al-Zn-Mg-Cu and Al-Cu alloys to embrittlement by mercury. Commercially pure aluminium to BS L16 is not embrittled by mercury. DTD 5050B Al-Zn-Mg-Cu is very susceptible to mercury embrittlement cracking occurred when the alloy was stressed in the short transverse direction at 5 of the 0.2 proof stress. DTD 5020A Al-Cu is more resistant to mercury embrittlement, although it cracked when stressed in the short transverse direction at 60 of the 0.2 proof stress. A Chemical technique using silver nitrate was developed to immobilise and render relatively harmless any elemental mercury accidentally spilled in aircraft. The corrosion and stress-corrosion hazards to alloys DTD 5020A and DTD 5050B, associated with silver nitrate and the products of its reaction with mercury, have been investigated.
Descriptors:
Subject Categories:
- Aircraft
- Properties of Metals and Alloys