ASTM_D_6054_-_97.pdf

Designation:D 6054 97An American National StandardStandard Practice forConditioning Electrical Insulating Materials for Testing1This standard is issued under the fixed designation D 6054;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(e)indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.1.Scope1.1 This practice covers procedures for conditioning elec-trical insulating materials(although not necessarily to equilib-rium)prior to testing and the conditions under which they shallbe tested.In general the physical and electrical properties ofelectrical insulating materials are influenced by temperatureand relative humidity in a manner that materially affects testresults.In order that reliable comparisons may be made ofdifferent materials and between different laboratories,it isnecessary to standardize the humidity and temperature condi-tions to which specimens of these materials are subjected priorto and during testing.1.2 This practice is similar to Practice D 618.1.3 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:D 618 Practice for Conditioning Plastics for Testing2D 709 Specification for Laminated Thermosetting Materi-als3D 1711 Terminology Relating to Electrical Insulation3D 5032 Practice for Maintaining Constant Relative Humid-ity by Means of Aqueous Glycerin Solutions43.Terminology3.1 Definitions:3.1.1 room temperature,na temperature in the range from20 to 30C.3.1.2 standard laboratory atmosphere,n an atmospherehaving a temperature of 23 6 2C and a relative humidity of 506 5%.3.1.2.1 DiscussionWhere closer tolerances on atmo-spheric conditions are required,6 1C on temperature or 62%on relative humidity,or both,may be specified.3.1.3 standard laboratory temperature,n a temperatureof 23 6 2C.3.1.4 For definitions of other terms relating to electricalinsulating materials,refer to Terminology D 1711.4.Significance and Use4.1 Conditioning of specimens may be undertaken:(1)forthe purpose of bringing the material into equilibrium withnormal or average room conditions;(2)simply to obtainreproducible results;or(3)to subject the material to abnormalconditions of temperature or humidity in order to predict itsservice behavior.However,it is not within the scope of thispractice to define procedures for determining aging character-istics of electrical insulating materials.4.2 The conditioning procedures prescribed in this practiceare designed to obtain reproducible results and may give valuessomewhat different from values under equilibrium at normalconditions,depending upon the particular material and test.Toensure substantial equilibrium under normal conditions ofhumidity and temperature,however,may require many days orweeks depending upon thickness and type of material and itsprevious history.Consequently,conditioning for reproducibil-ity must of necessity be used for general purchase and productcontrol tests.4.3 Any reference to this practice must include the informa-tion needed for designating the conditioning procedure(andtesting procedure,if applicable),as defined in Section 7,or oneof the standard conditioning procedures to be followed,asdefined in Section 8.5.Sampling5.1 Sample in accordance with the ASTM or other testmethod or specification for the specific properties to bedetermined.6.Test Specimens6.1 Prepare test specimens of the quantity and type specifiedin the referencing standard for the properties to be determined.1This practice is under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee D-9 on Electricaland Electronic Insulating Materials and is the direct responsibility of SubcommitteeD09.12 on Electrical Tests.Current edition approved Feb.10,1997.Published August 1997.2Annual Book of ASTM Standards,Vol 08.01.3Annual Book of ASTM Standards,Vol 10.01.4Annual Book of ASTM Standards,Vol 10.02.1Copyright ASTM International,100 Barr Harbor Drive,PO Box C700,West Conshohocken,PA 19428-2959,United States.7.Designations for Conditioning7.1 Designation for Conditioning Prior to Test:7.1.1 Conditioning of test specimens may be designated asfollows:7.1.1.1 A number indicating in hours the duration of condi-tioning,7.1.1.2 A number indicating in degrees Celsius the condi-tioning temperature,and7.1.1.3 Anumber indicating percent relative humidity,whenrelative humidity is controlled,a word to indicate immersion ina liquid,or“Des”to indicate desiccation.7.1.2 Separate the numbers from each other by slant marks.Denote a series of conditions by use of a plus(+)sign betweensuccessive conditions.7.1.3 Use temperature and relative humidity tolerances asspecified in Section 3 or Tab