Rationale

Section 7.1 of ASTM D6988 currently states that test specimens for thickness measurements shall be prepared in accordance with ASTM D6287. The intent behind referencing D6287 is to ensure specimens have clean, defect-free edges, which is critical for mechanical testing. Frayed or inconsistent edges can lead to premature failure during such tests. However, if the purpose is solely to cut a specimen for measuring thickness, where edge condition is irrelevant, then this requirement becomes unnecessarily restrictive. The proposed solution is to amend the language in ASTM D6988 to allow the use of alternative cutting methods when defect-free edges on specimens to be gauged are not required. D6287 should remain mandatory only when edge quality of the test specimens is essential for subsequent testing.