Mar 01, 2008

Interested parties are invited to join in the standards developing activities of Subcommittee E06.21 on Serviceability, part of ASTM International Committee E06 on Performance of Buildings. The subcommittee is currently working on proposed new standards for insulating concrete form systems and intumescent coatings.

Insulating Concrete Form Systems

Contractors, design engineers, architects and building officials are welcome to join insulating concrete form manufacturers and raw materials suppliers who are currently working on the proposed new standard WK16256, Specification for Flat Wall Insulating Concrete Form (ICF) Systems. According to Sheldon Warman, technical director, ECO-Block, LLC, and E06.21 member, WK16256 will provide minimum quality standards and ensure that an ICF will meet building code requirements.

Products that will be covered by WK16256 consist of molded expanded polystyrene insulation panels that are connected together by ties to form the ICF system. “ICFs are rapidly gaining market share as a very energy efficient building envelope in both residential and commercial construction,” says Warman. “ICFs can provide up to four hours of fire resistance, a high level of sound suppression and can be engineered to withstand severe hurricanes, tornados and earthquakes.” However, Warman notes that, while there are currently more than 80 different ICF products on the market, it is not possible to look at the panels and know whether they contain flame retardants to ensure that flame spread and smoke development indices are within allowable code values.

“Building officials will use WK16256 as an enforcement tool, whereby they can request that products meet the proposed specification, as well as by architects to ensure that they specify ICF products that will conform to minimum standards,” says Warman.

Testing Intumescent Coatings

The fire resistive intumescent materials industry has grown rapidly in the last ten years, but there are currently no standards specific to the product category. A proposed new standard, WK17060, Test Method for Testing Intumescent Coatings, is the first step in developing a series of standards for the industry.

“The fact that the products have a life safety function makes it imperative that standards be developed,” says Rudy Jagnandan, senior development engineer, Isolatek International, and a Subcommittee E06.21 member. “Currently, manufacturers use a variety of standards in making product claims. As a result, the user's ability to meaningfully compare materials based on physical performance is limited.”

Proposed standards for intumescent coatings properties will be based on the following ASTM standards developed by Committee D01 on Paint and Related Coatings, Materials and Applications:

• D4541, Test Method for Pull-off Strength of Coatings Using Portable Adhesion Testers;
• D4060, Test Method for Abrasion Resistance of Organic Coatings by the Taber Abraser;
• D2240, Test Method for Rubber Property—Durometer Hardness; and
• D2794, Test Method for Resistance of Organic Coatings to the Effects of Rapid Deformation.

WK17060 will be used for the assessment of physical properties of intumescent coatings in the laboratory and field. Lab tests will establish product claims and minimum performance levels, while field tests will allow a measure against these claims and minimum levels.

For further technical information, contact (WK16256) Sheldon Warman, ECO-Block, LLC, Oakville, Ontario, Canada (phone: 905/407-3262; s.warman@eco-block.com); (WK17060) Rudy Jagnandan, Isolatek International, Stanhope, N.J. (phone: 973/347-1200, ext. 204; rjagnandan@isolatek.com). Committee E06 meets April 6-9 at the April committee week in Anaheim, Calif. For membership or meeting information, contact Stephen Mawn, Technical Committee Operations, ASTM International (phone: 610/832-9726; smawn@astm.org).

 

Release #7944