ASTM_E_2685_-_15.pdf

Designation:E268515Standard Specification forSteel Blades Used with the Photovoltaic Module Surface CutTest1This standard is issued under the fixed designation E2685;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.1.Scope1.1 This specification specifies the recommended physicalcharacteristics of the steel blades required for the surface cuttest described inANSI/UL 1703(Section 24)and IEC 61730-2(Paragraph 10.3).1.2 ANSI/UL 1703 and IEC 61730-2 are standards forphotovoltaic module safety testing.1.3 This standard provides additional fabrication details forthe surface cut test blades that are not provided in ANSI/UL1703 or IEC 61730-2.Surface cut test blades that haveout-of-tolerance corner radii or burrs are known to causeerroneous test results,either passes or failures.1.4 The values stated in SI units are to be regarded asstandard.No other units of measurement are included in thisstandard.1.5 This standard does not purport to address all of thesafety problems,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:2A506 Specification for Alloy and Structural Alloy Steel,Sheet and Strip,Hot-Rolled and Cold-RolledA684/A684M Specification for Steel,Strip,High-Carbon,Cold-RolledE772 Terminology of Solar Energy Conversion2.2 International Electrotechnical Commission Standards3IEC 61730-2 Photovoltaic(PV)Module Safety Qualifica-tion Part 2:Requirements for Testing2.3 American National Standard:4ANSI/UL 1703 Flat-Plate Photovoltaic Modules and Panels3.Terminology3.1 DefinitionsDefinitions of terms used in this specifica-tion may be found in A506,A684/A684M,E772,ANSI/UL1703,and IEC 61730-2.4.Materials and Manufacture4.1 Surface cut test blades are fabricated from hardenedsteel strips.The minimum hardness of the steel is 24 asmeasured using the Rockwell scale.Fully hardened and tem-pered steel of at least 0.50 weight percent carbon as specifiedin Specifications E772 or A506 will meet this requirement.4.2 Other materials besides hardened steel may be usedprovided they have sufficient hardness.NOTE1Steel hacksaw blades commonly available at hardware storesare acceptable materials of the correct thickness and hardness.5.Dimensions and Permissible Variations5.1 Blade thickness:0.64 6 0.05 mm.5.2 Corner angle:90 6 2(see Fig.1)5.3 Corner radius:0.115 6 0.025 mm(see Fig.1)6.Workmanship,Finish,and Appearance6.1 The corner contact area of the blade is intended to be acylindrical surface of the required radius;any burrs or sharppoints are removed using a steel file.7.Number of Tests and Retests7.1 The surface cut test blade may be reused until the radiusis outside the specified limits(see 5.3).7.2 The surface cut test blade may be reshaped according toSection 8 to achieve the required radius as necessary.8.Blade Preparation8.1 Secure a steel strip(see 4.1)in a metal-jawed vise.1This specification is under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee E44 on Solar,Geothermal and OtherAlternative Energy Sources and is the direct responsibility ofSubcommittee E44.09 on Photovoltaic Electric Power Conversion.Current edition approved Feb.1,2015.Published March 2015.Originallyapproved in 2009 Last previous edition approved in 2009 as E268509.DOI:10.1520/E2685-15.2For 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.3Available from International Electrotechnical Commission(IEC),3 rue deVaremb,Case postale 131,CH-1211,Geneva 20,Switzerland,http:/www.iec.ch.4Available from American National Standards Institute(ANSI),25 W.43rd St.,4th Floor,New York,NY 10036,http:/www.ansi.org.Copyright ASTM International,100 Barr Harbor Drive,PO Box C700,West Conshohocken,PA 19428-2959.United States1 8.2 Bend the steel strip until it breaks,leaving a corner withthe required angle(see 5.2).8.3 When using a hacksaw blade(see Note 1),do not use thetoothed edge to form the corner of the cut test blade.8.4 Alternatively,the steel strip can be machined to form thecorner angle.8.5 File or machine the corner to achieve the corner radiusrequirement and to remove any burrs.9.Keywords9.1 blade;cut test;photovoltaics;surfaceASTM 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 i