by jbs123109 f3 — January 6, 2010—Standards group ASTM International has taken action on several facilities-related standards in recent weeks. These include:
- ASTM C1721, Guide for Petrographic Examination of Dimension Stone is a practical standard to guide petrographers who analyze dimension stone in describing, analyzing and reporting the characteristics that are important to architects and engineers in determining how the stone will behave or has behaved in service. Petrography is routinely performed on dimension stone for many construction projects in which new stone is being used, and it is often required in technical specifications. The purchaser, often through an architect, can now reference ASTM C1721 and be confident that characteristics of the stone relating to its future performance are identified and reported using standardized evaluation techniques, says ASTM.
- Proposed new standard ASTM WK23700, Test Method for Evaluating Roof Field Vent Response to Wind Blown Flame and Burning Ember Exposure, is concerned with embers from wildfires that can travel up to four miles away from the source, then enter structures through ventilation systems and other openings in a building envelope, resulting in fires being ignited from within a structure. The proposed ASTM standard will cover a test for the resistance of roof field vents to flames and burning embers, and will help quantify ventilation manufacturers’ claims as to flame and/or burning ember resistance of their products.
- Proposed standard ASTM WK25760, Guide for Quantification of Fire Exposures, would serve as a critical tool in the development of appropriate fire test methods to evaluate materials for their resistance to ignition and spread of fire from building to building and for reduction in potential property losses due to wildland-urban interface fires. The standards would help consumers and building code entities develop appropriate fire test methods to guide the selection of materials used or allowed in building construction in areas subject to fire exposure from adjacent buildings or wildland fires. Regulatory agencies that enforce building codes would be the primary users of ASTM WK25760.
- ASTM F2781, Practice for Testing Forced Entry Resistance of Security Fence Systems, provides a test that allows users to differentiate levels of effectiveness among the many types of security fence systems currently available. The test measures the resistance of fence systems according to the tools and devices employed, the number of aggressors, and their level of sophistication. Potential users of the standard include the military, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, industry and utilities.
ASTM International standards can be purchased from Customer Service or on the ASTM Web site. ASTM International welcomes and encourages participation in the development of its standards.
