What is in the air?

[carock]

I found an amusing test on air filters published by the Society of Automotive Engineers in 1946. Just because the test is old does not mean it is not valid. The contents of the stuff in an air filter are sand 37%, Fe2O3 43.6 %, CaSO4 10.0%, Silicates 5.0%, MgO 2.6%, Cr2O3 .7%.

What is CaSO4? There is also a very surprising amount of rust in the air!

 

[Pablo]

The Fe does surprise me!! Was this near a steel town?? Rusty pre-intake

?

CaSO4 = gypsum

 

[mechtech]

Over 40% iron in the air cleaner?
Was this test done in Pittsburgh, or Chernoble?

 

[Jonny Z]

LOVE!

 

[ikeepmychevytoo]

never think it is not valid because it is old but may be the test environment isn't sampled best for everyones drive pattern. Isn't gypsum used in the building industry... may be a highly industrious or a constuction site. Isn't Cr is also very rare to show up 7%

 

[chas3]

just about everything driving over the road today is composed mainly of iron. think of all the chassis rust flaking off iron oxide. probably a bit of Cr in those steel alloys too.

 

[Gary Allan]

40% of what was collected.

Maybe our highter Fe with poor filtration is not from the engine

 

[CBDFrontier06]

I occasionally give my truck a wipe-down, if it isn't dirty enough to wash. What I see on the cloth scares me. It's black dust, I'm assuming rubber powder from tires wearing on the pavement. We're inhaling this stuff by the pound, folks. You don't have to be a smoker to get lung cancer anymore.

 

[oilyriser]

Fe might be from brake dust.

 

[GMorg]

I think that you are looking at the product of garnet sandpaper. Garnet would be common product used in 1946 that would have a significant amount of chromium. In additon, it would be used to produce "dust".