ASTM_E_171_-_E_171M_-_11_2015.pdf

Designation:E171/E171M11(Reapproved 2015)Standard Practice forConditioning and Testing Flexible Barrier Packaging1This standard is issued under the fixed designation E171/E171M;the number immediately following the designation indicates the yearof original adoption or,in the case of revision,the year of last revision.A number in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval.A superscript epsilon()indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.1.Scope1.1 This specification defines the standard temperature andhumidity for conditioning and testing of flexible barrier pack-aging and flexible barrier packaging materials at nominallyambient conditions.1.2 There are many other temperature and humidity condi-tions that may be appropriately used to test end use conditions(such as freezer,refrigerated,or abusive storage).These needto be individually established and are not in the scope of thispractice.1.3 Only those materials that fall under the general area offlexible barrier packaging materials are included in this prac-tice.1.4 The values stated in either SI units or inch-pound unitsare to be regarded separately as standard.The values stated ineach system may not be exact equivalents;therefore,eachsystem shall be used independently of the other.Combiningvalues from the two systems may result in non-conformancewith the standard.2.Referenced Documents2.1 ASTM Standards:2D4332 Practice for Conditioning Containers,Packages,orPackaging Components for TestingF17 Terminology Relating to Flexible Barrier PackagingF2825 Practice for Climatic Stressing of Packaging Systemsfor Single Parcel Delivery3.Terminology3.1 conditioningthe exposure of a material to the influ-ence of a prescribed atmosphere for a stipulated period of timeor until a stipulated relation is reached between material andatmosphere.3.2 Terms and definitions used in this practice may be foundin Terminology F17.4.Significance and Use4.1 Conditioning is used to minimize the variation in testresults that may result from fluctuations in temperature andhumidity,or both.Many flexible packaging materials orcomponents of flexible packaging materials,particularly ma-terials that are hygroscopic,undergo changes in physicalproperties as the temperature and the relative humidity(RH)towhich they are exposed are varied.4.2 Many packaging materials do not exhibit a meaningfulchange in physical properties across the temperature andhumidity range that is generally found in office and generallaboratory settings.As a result,conditioning of samples is oftennot required in order to achieve useful test results and is oftenbypassed during routine testing.4.3 Conditioning should be considered when(a)comparingbetween or among laboratory results(for example,supplier andcustomer),(b)temperature or humidity is anticipated to havean effect on the test outcomes,or(c)potential sources ofvariation in test results must be minimized.4.4 Temperature and humidity alone are not sufficient tocompletely define a storage condition.Many other factors maybe relevant(such as time,light,and atmospheric pressure)thatare not defined in this specification.5.Atmospheric Conditions5.1 Condition and test materials as follows:Temperature:23 2C 73 4FHumidity:50 5%RHConditioning Time:24 h minimum5.2 Special AtmospheresIf special atmospheres arerequired,see Practice D4332 for guidance on temperature andrelative humidity associated with specific environmental con-ditions.A conditioning time of 24 h minimum at the specialatmosphere shall be used unless circumstances suggest anothertime may be more appropriate.The special atmospheres listedin Practice D4332 are not intended to be performed insequence.Practice F2825 provides guidance on climatic stress-ing protocols.1This practice is under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee F02 on FlexibleBarrier Packaging and is the direct responsibility of Subcommittee F02.50 onPackage Design and Development.Current edition approved Oct.1,2015.Published October 2015.Originallyapproved in 1960.Last previous edition approved in 2011 as E171/E171M-11.DOI:10.1520/E0171_E0171M-11R15.2For referenced ASTM standards,visit the ASTM website,www.astm.org,orcontact ASTM Customer Service at serviceastm.org.For Annual Book of ASTMStandards volume information,refer to the standards Document Summary page onthe ASTM website.Copyright ASTM International,100 Barr Harbor Drive,PO Box C700,West Conshohocken,PA 19428-2959.United States1 6.Keywords6.1 conditioning;conditions;flexible packaging;flexiblebarrier packaging;materials;packageASTM International takes no position respecting the validity of any patent rights asserted in connection with any item mentionedin this standard.Users of this standard are expressly advised that determination of the validity of any such patent rights,and the riskof infringement of such rights,are entirely their own responsibility.This standard is subject to revision at any time by the responsible technical committee and must be reviewed every five