A comparative evaluation of the disulfur dinitride process for the visualisation of fingermarks on metal surfaces

Journal article


Bleay, S, Kelly, P, King, R and Thorngate, S (2019). A comparative evaluation of the disulfur dinitride process for the visualisation of fingermarks on metal surfaces. Science and Justice. 59 (6), pp. 606-621. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scijus.2019.06.011
AuthorsBleay, S, Kelly, P, King, R and Thorngate, S
Abstract

The disulfur dinitride process for fingermark visualisation was first reported a decade ago, with promising results obtained for a range of materials including metals. However, the friction sensitive nature of the material and difficulty of synthesis made routine use difficult. Many of these issues have since been addressed, making equipment and chemicals available to build an understanding of how the effectiveness of disulfur dinitride compares to other fingermark visualisation processes currently used on metal surfaces. This enables more informed advice to be given on selection of processes for treatment of metal items, an area of operational interest that encompasses weapons used in violent crime and the increasing incidence in metal theft. This paper reports a comparative study into the effectiveness of disulfur dinitride, cyanoacrylate fuming, vacuum metal deposition, gun blueing and wet powder suspensions on brass, bronze, copper and stainless steel. Experiments were conducted with the surfaces exposed to a range of environments including long term ageing, water/detergent washing, acetone washing and high temperature exposure. The results indicate that disulfur dinitride is an effective process for fingermark visualisation on metal surfaces, including those exposed to adverse environments, and may offer potential improvements over existing processes for those surfaces. Further work, including pseudo-operational trials, is recommended.

Year2019
JournalScience and Justice
Journal citation59 (6), pp. 606-621
PublisherElsevier
ISSN1355-0306
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scijus.2019.06.011
Web address (URL)https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S135503061830354X?via%3Dihub
Publication dates
Online03 Jul 2019
Print01 Nov 2019
Publication process dates
Deposited09 Jul 2019
Accepted30 Jun 2019
Accepted author manuscript
License
File Access Level
Open
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