SAE ARP8463

This SAE Aerospace Recommended Practice (ARP) defines acceptable methods for determining the effect of disinfectants application to passenger and crew seating products in transport aircraft. This ARP selected a standard application process for all disinfectants in order to remove one variable from the investigation, which, at the time, was more concerned with the unknown effect of disinfectant chemicals on seat materials. The SAE Aircraft Seat Committee noted that most disinfectant manufacturers have their own application regimens to ensure the effectiveness of their product and that these differ from those defined in the ARP. Consequently, the standard application methodology defined in the ARP is not suitable for qualifying disinfectants, but is rather a standard method to compare the disinfectant’s behavior across a range of seat materials. Acceptance of individual disinfectants for specific application regimens is outside the scope of this ARP. The herein described application of disinfectants furthermore might be overcritical in terms of structural integrity, flammability, aesthetics and corrosion. Consequently, this ARP does not form the basis for any certification requirement. Due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 disease (caused by SARS-CoV-2 virus), there was an increased need for disinfecting of seating products on aircraft. FAA regulations require continued airworthiness for the life of the product, prompting the need to evaluate the effect of the application of disinfectants to the various seating materials. In the absence of guidance on methodologies to identify the potential impact of disinfectants on aircraft seat materials, SAE Aircraft Seat Committee members, FAA, NIAR, and others performed tests to establish acceptable protocols.