Characteristics of protection factor leakage based on induced failure mechanisms Lauren Drumm Mentored by Steve Yurechko Gas masks are used for protection against airborne chemicals during biological warfare. The dependability of these masks is essential. How they are put on, how they are transported and stored, and how they are produced, trigger failures when the mask is being worn. A common error with mask failure is the wearer donning the mask incorrectly. Officers from the local police department, when tested at the Protection Factor Facility, initially donned the mask incorrectly (Dalton, 2012). A small leak in a mask is significant to the safety of the person wearing the mask and it is important to recognize these types failures and prevent them. Each mask was tested with specific types of damages that are expected to cause the mask to fail. By testing the masks under conditions that simulate mask failure, it was anticipated that data trends would occur in the Protection Factor (PF) values based on the damage that was inflicted on the mask. The goal was to recognize these trends and create a troubleshooting manual that aids recognition and prevention of failures while the mask is being worn. The manual contains pictures, graphs and tables from each trial, a description of each mechanism, and characteristics from the test that will aid the Protection Factor team. This will reduce the number of hours the PF team spends troubleshooting mask failure and ultimately save the government money. It was anticipated that the failures introduced in the M40 and M50 masks would generate significantly different looking PF graphs. This was not the case. Varying the hole size and location of the hole only altered the magnitude of the PF graph and not the shape. The shape of the PF graph allows for quick comparisons while troubleshooting and was important for the goal of this project, however, these types of graphs are generally created through combinations of unique facial features of test subjects and the particular type of mask worn. There was not enough time to accurately conduct these types of trials. It was verified that negative pressure ground masks perform similarly, regardless of the type of damage that was introduced, Indicating that if future studies were conducted on ground masks, only one mask type may need to be tested (the M50). It is recommended that testing be conducted on aircrew type respirators in the future to determine if the types of damage introduced on the M40 and M50 affect aircrew type masks in a similar way. Conclusion Application Results of this investigation are displayed in the troubleshooting manual for the Protection Factor team. Each testing condition is on one manual page with a description of the type of damage that was introduced, how the damage occurs during normal use, and the graphs and tables of the PF values that were collected during each trial. The manual is organized based on mask type and condition to provide quick and easy access to results from this study. This provides a reference for troubleshooting during future studies, reducing the manpower hours necessary to identify what kind of failure occurred. I would like to thank Steve Yurechko and the Protection Factor team for aiding me throughout this project and allowing me to use their equipment. I would also like to thank Mrs. Gabriel for guiding me through the process. Dalton, K. (2012) Maryland State Police Test Gas Masks at U.S. Army Facility. The Official Homepage of the United States Army. Retrieved from sks_at_U_S__Army_facility/ It was found that regardless of the type of damage that was introduced, the PF graph that was produced followed three distinct trends. The graphs produced on the DAS showed the mask being able to reseal and prevent further leakage throughout a trial resulting in PF values similar to those shown by the green line below. For orifice holes like the 1/16” Hole in Eye Piece shown below, as anticipated, the PF values were consistently low. The trend represented by the blue line is for those conditions that are dependent on the exercise. A control test was performed on the M40 and M50 to ensure that each mask was in good condition before testing began. Five Exercises were completed on each mask for all trials which test the mask as the subject goes through a series of motions. The exercises tested were normal breathing, deep breathing, look left and right, look up and down, and on hands and knees while looking left and right. Graph 1: The graph above represents the trend lines from three completed tests over the five exercises. The exercises changed after each minute. The gold line demonstrates a consistent leak. The blue line demonstrates an unsteady leak. The green line demonstrates the leak closing up and resealing throughout the test. Figure 2: This is a standard M50 gas mask. In this image there is a hole in the eye piece that will be used for orifice testing conditions in the eye piece. Figure 1: The older mask type being tested is the M40 gas mask. A hole was made in the eye piece were orifices were attached for testing conditions. References Acknowledgements Results Materials and Methods Materials and Methods (cont.)Introduction On Hands and Knees Look Left/Right Look Up/DownLook Left/RightDeep BreathingNormal Breathing....