Jul 01, 2007

A new ASTM International standard, C 1639, Specification for Fabrication of Cellular Glass Pipe and Tubing Insulation, covers techniques for fabricating cellular glass blocks into billets that are then used to make pipe and tubing insulation. The standard, which was developed by Subcommittee C16.40 on Insulation Systems, part of ASTM International Committee C16 on Thermal Insulation, will be used to optimize the thermal performance of installed cellular glass insulation systems.

According to Gordon Hart, consulting engineer, Artek, Inc., as well as secretary of Subcommittee C16.40 and chair of C16.94 on Insulation Terminology, C 1639 sets minimum acceptance criteria for the fabrication of pipe and tubing sections. “By invoking this standard, specifiers and owners can be assured that they are getting expected thermal performance from the cellular glass by limiting how many small pieces can be used to fabricate the sections,” says Hart. Hart notes that owners and specifiers will use the standard and fabricators will follow it.
 
The basis for C 1639 comes from an annex that is in the current edition of ASTM standard C 552, Specification for Cellular Glass Thermal Insulation. Now that C 1639 will function as a fabrication standard, the annex will be removed from C 552 and it will become a material standard only.
 
Subcommittee C16.40 welcomes participation in its standards developing activities from insulation fabricators and specifiers as well as any other interested parties. In addition, the subcommittee is always interested in suggestions for new standards that it could develop in the area of mechanical insulation systems.
 
ASTM International standards are available for purchase from Customer Service (phone: 610/832-9585; https://www.astm.org/contact/) or at www.astm.org.

For further technical information, contact Gordon Hart, Artek, Inc., Shrewsbury, Mass. (phone: 508/842-5826; gordonhart@artekinc.net). Committee C16 will meet Oct. 29-31 at the October Committee Week in Tampa, Fla. For membership or meeting information, contact Timothy Brooke, Technical Committee Operations, ASTM International (phone: 610/832-9729; tbrooke@astm.org).

Release #7720