May 2008

HEADLINES... This month’s top stories:

National Association of Manufacturers Approves Statement on International Standards
During a recent board of directors meeting, NAM officially voted to update its international trade policy position, the first revision and overhaul of the policy in decades. The new NAM position includes a statement on international standards advocated by ASTM International and conformity assessment groups as follows: “The NAM believes that reliance on the World Trade Organization Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) principles for the development of international standards and the principle of national treatment for conformity assessment bodies should serve as the foundation of an effective solution that avoids standards and other unique requirements from acting as barriers to trade.” NAM is the largest industrial trade association in the U.S., with thousands of manufacturing companies and trade associations as members.

2008 ASTM Advantage Award

ASTM is again seeking success stories that clearly demonstrate the benefits of ASTM standards with the 2008 Advantage Award. Papers should demonstrate real life examples of the positive impact of an ASTM standard(s) and include supporting data and background information. Cash prizes for this year's award are $15,000 for first prize; $10,000 for second prize; and $5,000 for third prize. For more information, click here.

 

GLOBAL NOTES . . . ASTM around the world:

Standards Institution of Israel

ASTM staff members recently met with representatives of the Standards Institution of Israel (SII). Topics discussed during the meeting included the existing Memorandum of Understanding between ASTM and SII, the upcoming ASTM-sponsored technical training program on flammability of wearing apparel and flammability of children's sleepwear, ASTM's procedures for the development of international standards and outreach to academia.

Coordinated Program in Beijing

In April, ASTM staff members and technical experts conducted the first of four coordinated program events planned for 2008 in Beijing, China, in conjunction with Hinton Information Systems.  The programs represent a new approach to providing audiences in MOU countries with a comprehensive overview of ASTM.  The topic of the program was "Energy Efficiency and Construction in Sustainability." Speakers included Mr. John Mulder, project manager for Intertek ETL SEMKO, who presented information on the work of various subcommittees of Committee E06 on Performance of Buildings and their contributions to sustainability, and Becky Wang, code and testing leader-Asia Pacific, Owens Corning (China) Investment Co. Ltd., who spoke on the technical implications of using the standards of Committee C16 on Thermal Insulation as the basis of Chinese national standards applied into the Chinese building code. 

China’s Hefei General Machinery Institute

In April, ASTM hosted a delegation from the Hefei General Machinery Research Institute, a multidisciplinary and comprehensive national class A scientific research institute under the direct jurisdiction of the China National Machinery Industry Corp.  At the meetings, which were held at ASTM headquarters, ASTM staff presented overviews of ASTM International and information about Committees A01 on Steel, Stainless Steel and Related Alloys, A04 on Iron Castings, C26 on Nuclear Fuel Cycle and E10 on Nuclear Technology and its Applications.  Other topics discussed included the ASTM balloting process and ASTM’s partnership with China.  

ASTM Hosts Russian Delegation

The second ASTM coordinated program of 2008 will be held the week of May 5 in Orlando, FL, in cooperation with the Federal Agency on Technical Regulation and Metrology (GOST-R) and the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs.  The program is being co-sponsored by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE International), the American Petroleum Institute (API International) and ASTM International. Topics to be discussed include the global use of standards for the petroleum, steel, automotive and aerospace industries.

COMMITTEE NEWS... The latest from ASTM's technical committees:

Nanotech Standards to Aid in Cancer Research
The new test methods evaluate aspects of nanomaterial biocompatibility and toxicity and could pave the way for commercially available nano-scale cancer drugs. [Full story]

Consumer Trampolines
All interested parties are invited to participate in the development of a new standard from Committee F08 that will cover the steel frame and enclosure components of consumer trampolines. [Full story]

Insulating Concrete Form Systems
New standards from the Serviceability subcommittee focus on insulating concrete form systems and intumescent coatings. [Full story]

Biofilm
Committee E35 on Pesticides and Alternative Control Agents has begun work on the latest in a series of standards on biofilm. [Full story]

Pharmaceutical Manufacturing
A new guide from Committee E55 covers continuous quality verification to pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical manufacturing. [Full story]

Personnel Certificate Program Subcommittee
All interested parties are invited to attend the first meeting of the new Subcommittee E36.30, part of Committee E36 on Laboratory and Inspection Agency Accreditation.
[Full story]

Testing of Motion-Preserving Implants
A new method from Committee F04 provides testing procedures for devices that can be used to treat spinal disorders while allowing for continued joint movement. [Full story]

HDPE Water Quality Units
Committee F17 on Plastic Piping Systems is working on a program to provide the engineering and specifying community with the appropriate tools to design, specify and size high density polyethylene water quality units. [Full story]

Backed Vinyl Siding, Bioreactor Landfill Conditions
All interested parties are welcome to join in new standards developing activities from the committee on Plastics. [Full story]

Glass Transition Temperature
Committee D30's new method will enable composite end users and materials suppliers within the aerospace industry to perform an important test within guidelines set by the FAA. [Full story]

Gonioapparent Colorants
A second generation of gonioapparent colorants that change color with varying illumination and viewing angles has led to the development of a new practice from Committee E12. [Full story]

Advanced Ceramics
Two new standards from Committee C28 cover fracture mirror size analysis and tensile strength data. [Full story]

DID YOU KNOW?...Subcommittees on Playground Equipment

Safety on the Playground

As the temperatures climb and the days get longer, many families will be heading to the playground to pass the time. To prevent unnecessary injuries, playground equipment, whether right in your back yard or at a public park, should conform to ASTM standards. Subcommittees within ASTM Committee F15 on Consumer Products have developed consumer safety standards for both home and public playground equipment that address issues such as head and neck entrapment, playground layout, accessibility, maintenance and labeling. The standards cover equipment for both children 2 to 12 years of age and children under two, and they are reviewed and revised as the play equipment industry changes, with the common goal of keeping all children safe while they are having fun.

PUBLICATIONS... New publications from ASTM now available:

Manual 56, Guide to Friction, Wear, and Erosion Testing

Manual 57, Routine Coal and Coke Analysis: Collection, Interpretation, and Use of Analytical Data

 

COMING SOON:

Manual 60, Physical Requirement Guidelines for Sensory Evaluation Laboratories: 2nd Edition

Manual 61, Guide to ASTM Test Methods for the Analysis of Coal and Coke

2008 Building Codes

 

Search for other ASTM publications.

 

Visit the ASTM Digital Library to get instant access to the digital editions of nearly every ASTM book and paper published in the past 100+ years.

CALENDAR... Committee Weeks, Symposia and Workshops, TPTs: Technical Committee Meetings

Upcoming ASTM Committee Week Meetings

• May Committee Week, May 4-9, Denver, CO

• June Committee Week, June 22-27, Denver, CO

• For more information on ASTM technical committee meetings and committee weeks, including locations, detailed schedules and future meeting dates, click here.

• View a complete listing of all ASTM meetings.

Upcoming Symposia & Workshops

• C09 Concrete and Concrete Aggregates
  Symposium on New Developments in Test Methods for Self-Consolidating Concrete (SCC)
  June 22, Denver, CO

• C24 on Building Seals and Sealants
  Third Symposium on Durability of Building Construction Sealants and Adhesives
  June 25-26, Denver, CO

• E07 on Nondestructive Testing
  Workshop on NDT of Composite Overwrapped Pressure Vessels
  June 25, Denver, CO

• E08 on Fatigue and Fracture
  Workshop on Application of Probabilistic Methods to Fatigue Life Prediction
  Workshop on Crack-Tip-Opening Angle (CTOA) Applications in Pipeline and Aerospace Structures
  May 7, Denver, CO

• E08 on Fatigue and Fracture/F04 on Medical and Surgical Materials and Devices Second Symposium on Fatigue and Fracture of Medical Metallic Materials and Devices
  May 7, Denver, CO

• E10 on Nuclear Technology and Applications
  24th Symposium on Effects of Radiation on Nuclear Materials and the Nuclear Fuel Cycle
  June 24-26, Denver, CO

• F08 on Sports Equipment and Facilities
  Fifth International Symposium on Safety in Ice Hockey
  May 4-5, Denver, CO

• View more information on current and past symposia and workshops.

Upcoming Technical & Professional Training (TPT) Courses

• Assessment of Vapor Intrusion into Structures on Property Involved in Real Estate Transactions
  May 13, Charlotte, NC

• ASTM Continuity of Care Record (CCR): Emerging Standards and Best Practices for Health Data Portability and Interoperability
  May 18, Fort Lauderdale, FL

• Diesel Fuels: Specifications and Test Methods
  May 20-22, Detroit, MI

• TPT Phase I & Phase II Environmental Site Assessment Processes
  May 13-15, Atlanta, GA
  June 10-12, Chicago, IL

• Phase I Environmental Site Assessment Practices for Commercial Real Estate: Transaction Screen & Phase I Site Assessment
  May 20-21, Seattle, WA
  June 3-4, New York, NY
  June 17-18, Minneapolis, MN

• Major Testing Techniques for Plastics: An Introduction
  June 10-12, Chicago, IL

• Property Condition Assessments
  June 10-11, West Conshohocken, PA

• Regulatory Compliance for the Flammability of Children's Sleepwear
  May 21, New York, NY
  June 18, Arlington, VA

• Regulatory Compliance for the Flammability of Wearing Apparel
  May 20, New York, NY
  June 17, Arlington, VA

• Risk-Based Corrective Action (RBCA) Applied at Petroleum Release Sites
  May 8-9, Lansing, MI

• View a full course listing of ASTM’s TPT courses.

ASTM International is one of the world’s largest management systems for the development of voluntary standards for materials, products, systems, and services. Currently, ASTM has more than 30,000 members from around the globe representing industry, government, academia, and consumers. Participation in ASTM International is open to any interested party. The Annual Book of ASTM Standards contains more than 12,000 standards developed by ASTM’s technical standards-writing committees representing over 100 diverse technical fields.