Evaluation of Chemical Aging on Carousel Properties Due to the COVID-19 Anti-Pandemic Measures at Airports

against the pandemic is the impact of disinfectants on selected
surfaces of materials used in air transport. The main scientific goal of
this work was to verify the assumption that disinfectant solutions
cause degradation of mechanical and physical properties, i.e.,
chemical aging, in samples from airport conveyors, and to determine
the degree of change in the properties of the samples depending on
the time spent in solution and on aging. The research methodology
was developed based on the ISO 1817: 2011 standard, STN EN ISO
868, and the ISO 283 standard, and applied infrared spectroscopy,
specifically the Attenuated Total Reflectance method. Research
suggests that constant disinfection of baggage handling systems will
require the replacement of carrying parts. Otherwise, there will be
significant costly breakdowns (damage to luggage, interruption of its
flow, delays/inability to check in the aircraft, and the resulting legal
consequences). The longer the samples were left in the disinfectant
solution, the higher and more uneven the degradation. The hardness
of the samples changed after immersion but was not directly
proportional to the change in tensile properties. During disinfection,
chemical changes occurred, which varied in length and effect
depending on the disinfection used.