ASTM_D_685_-_12.pdf

Designation:D68512An American National StandardTechnical Association of Pulp andPaper Industry Standard Method T 402Standard Practice forConditioning Paper and Paper Products for Testing1This standard is issued under the fixed designation D685;the number immediately following the designation indicates the year oforiginal adoption or,in the case of revision,the year of last revision.A number in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval.Asuperscript epsilon()indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.This standard has been approved for use by agencies of the Department of Defense.1.Scope1.1 This practice defines the standard atmospheres fornormal preconditioning,conditioning,and testing of paper andpaper products,paperboard,fiberboard,and containers madefrom them.It also specifies procedures for handling thesematerials in order that they may reach equilibrium with therespective atmosphere.1.2 This practice does not include special conditioning andtesting atmospheres,such as those that attempt to simulatetropical or arctic environments.1.3 This standard does not purport to address all of thesafety concerns,if any,associated with its use.It is theresponsibility of the user of this standard to establish appro-priate safety and health practices and determine the applica-bility of regulatory limitations prior to use.2.Referenced Documents2.1 ASTM Standards:2D585 Practice for Sampling and Accepting a Single Lot ofPaper,Paperboard,Fiberboard,and Related Product(Withdrawn 2010)3D4332 Practice for Conditioning Containers,Packages,orPackaging Components for TestingE171/E171M Practice for Conditioning and Testing FlexibleBarrier Packaging2.2 ISO Standards:4ISO 187 Paper,board and pulps-Standard atmosphere forconditioning and testing and procedure for monitoring theatmosphere and conditioning of samples2.3 TAPPI Standard:5TAPPI T402 sp-03 Standard Conditioning and Testing At-mosphere for Paper,Board,Pulp Handsheets and RelatedProducts3.Significance and Use3.1 The preconditioning requirement is important becausephysical properties of a sample at 50%relative humiditydepend upon whether the sample is brought to 50%from ahigher or lower relative humidity.A detailed discussion of theimportance of preconditioning may be found in Annex A1.3.2 The conditioning and testing atmospheres are importantbecause both temperature and relative humidity have signifi-cant effects on the physical properties of paper and board.Amore detailed discussion of the importance may be found inAnnex A2.4.Standard Atmospheres4.1 Preconditioning Atmosphere10 to 35%relative hu-midity and 22 to 40C(see Annex A1 and Annex A2).4.2 Conditioning Atmosphere50.0 6 2.0%relative hu-midity and 23.0 6 1.0C.4.3 Testing AtmosphereSame as 4.2.NOTE1It is important to distinguish between the overall limits of thetemperatures within which conditioning and testing may be carried outand the limits within which the temperature must be maintained in orderto maintain the specified relative humidity limits;that is,the closetemperature tolerance of 61C required in 4.2 and 4.3 will not in itselfensure the close relative humidity requirement of 62%relative humidity,as a sudden change of 1C when at 23C and 50%relative humidity willchange the relative humidity about 5 to 6%.5.Apparatus5.1 Preconditioning ChamberA room or cabinet in whichsample sheets or specimens may be individually exposed tocirculating air at the preconditioning relative humidity andtemperature.1This practice is under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee D10 on Packagingand is the direct responsibility of Subcommittee D10.21 on Shipping Containers andSystems-Application of Performance Test Methods.Current edition approved Nov.1,2012.Published December 2012.Originallyapproved in 1942.Last previous edition approved in 2007 as D685-93(2007),whichwas withdrawn May 2010 and reinstated in November 2012.DOI:10.1520/D0685-12.2For 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.3The last approved version of this historical standard is referenced onwww.astm.org.4Available from American National Standards Institute(ANSI),25 W.43rd St.,4th Floor,New York,NY 10036,http:/www.ansi.org.5Available from Technical Association of the Pulp and Paper Industry(TAPPI),15 Technology Parkway South,Norcross,GA 30092,http:/www.tappi.org.Copyright ASTM International,100 Barr Harbor Drive,PO Box C700,West Conshohocken,PA 19428-2959.United States1 NOTE2For smaller sheets or specimens,the required preconditioningmay be achieved easily with a simple cabinet,if no other means areavailable.If this cabinet is operated in a room maintained at 50%relativehumidity and 23C and so designed that room air is drawn through it,andif the air entering and in the cabinet is heated to a temperature of 39 61C,the relative humidity in the cabinet will be