ASTM Test Standards

by LornaWatt

ASTM was an acronym for the American Society for Testing Materials although they have already renamed the organization to ASTM International. A standards organization, the group is responsible for establishing technical standards for a wide range of materials including transportation equipment. Although their opinion is not a necessity for every project, many companies have been using ASTM test standards for most construction and transportation ventures.

ASTM Test for the Transportation Industry
Originally, the organziation was built with the intention of focusing on transportation, more specifically on the railroad industry. This was originally started in 1898, combining a group of engineers and scientists. However, as time passed on, the ASTM test standards have started to encompass a wide range of products used for enginering pursuits.

There are basically six standards released by ASTM namely; the Standard Specificaiton, Standard Test Method, Standard Practice, Standard Guide, Standard Classification and Terminology Standard. These categories cover a number of topic ranging from iron and steel, textile, rubber, construction, water and environment, nuclear, solar and geothermal energy, chemical specialties, petroleum products, lubricants, fossil fuels plus indexes. These information may be purchased through the ASTM official site. Their information is provided via a digital library subscription that allows users access to updated current standards throughout their subscription.

As of recently, ASTM has more than 30,000 members scattered worldwide including 120 in China. Membership is open to anyone who is interested in the group and may bedone by simply volunteering to be a member. However, there are many people currently on the waiting list of ASTM although contributing is allowed even if one is not an official member. They even present an award for contributors including the ASTM International Award of Merit.

Enforcement of ASTM Test Standards
Although the ASTM is being used as a hallmark by most companies in various transactions, ASTM International is in no way responsible for enforcing their findings in the industry. However, with the necessity of standards, ASTM test methods have become mandatory in some aspects of the industry. In fact, the local and nationwide government uses ASTM as a reference as well as the different companies transacting international deals.

More Organic Standards Articles