Microbiological Environmental Test Study of Aircraft Monolithic Fuel Tank Materials

LI Yan; MA Yifan; SHI Yongqi; BIAN Guixue; HUANG Hailiang

doi:10.7643/ issn.1672-9242.2026.02.010

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Equipment Environmental Engineering ›› 2026, Vol. 23 ›› Issue (2) : 84-92. DOI: 10.7643/ issn.1672-9242.2026.02.010

Aviation and Aerospace Equipment

Microbiological Environmental Test Study of Aircraft Monolithic Fuel Tank Materials

LI Yan¹, MA Yifan², SHI Yongqi³, BIAN Guixue¹, HUANG Hailiang¹

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Abstract

The work aims to provide a theoretical basis and experimental support for understanding the performance changes of various materials under microbial influences within aircraft fuel tanks and for designing improvements to enhance environmental adaptability. 2A12 and 7B04 aluminum alloys and HM series sealants were selected as research subjects. Techniques such as SEM, XRD, and FTIR were employed, and immersion tests were conducted to experimentally validate the effects from electrochemical and corrosion morphology perspectives. The impacts of microbial presence versus absence on material performance were compared and analyzed under multi-cycle conditions. Shewanella Indica significantly promoted pitting corrosion in both 2A12 and 7B04 aluminum alloys, with 7B04 exhibiting more pronounced corrosion severity and electrochemical activity. Sulfate-reducing bacteria also degraded HM112 and other sealants, resulting in varying degrees of porosity and changes in functional group composition. Common materials used in integrated fuel tanks were subject to varying degrees of influences on their composition and corrosion performance under microbial, particularly bacterial, conditions. As a common fuel tank structure in modern aircraft, the environmental adaptability design of aircraft fuel tank materials should consider not only external environmental factors but also internal environmental factors, specifically the impact of microbial contamination on fuel media, particularly bacterial influence. This provides a new approach for environmental testing and validation of aircraft fuel tank materials.

Key words

fuel tank / microbial corrosion / aluminum alloy / sealants / electrochemistry / corrosion morphology

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LI Yan, MA Yifan, SHI Yongqi, BIAN Guixue, HUANG Hailiang. Microbiological Environmental Test Study of Aircraft Monolithic Fuel Tank Materials[J]. Equipment Environmental Engineering. 2026, 23(2): 84-92 https://doi.org/10.7643/ issn.1672-9242.2026.02.010

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