ASTM_D_3071_-_94.pdf

Designation:D 3071 94Standard Test Method forDrop Testing of Glass Aerosol Bottles1This standard is issued under the fixed designation D 3071;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 test method covers the determination of the accept-ability of a bottle design in a glass container for packaging agiven aerosol formulation by drop testing.1.2 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.Summary of Test Method2.1 The arithmetic mean height of a specific glass aerosolbottle design is determined by dropping the bottles,loadedwith the given formulation.2.2 Dropping an additional group of similarly filled bottlesat the arithmetic mean height provides a means of evaluatingany potential bursting hazard of the final package,incorporat-ing factors of bottle design,formulation,loading techniques,etc.3.Definition3.1 breakruptured bottle no longer usable.In plastic-coated bottles,glass ruptures,even though the plastic coatingremains intact.4.Apparatus4.1 Drop Surface,consisting of a 12 by 12-in.(305 by305-mm)square steel plate,14in.(6.4 mm)thick,imbedded inan 18 by 18-in.(457 by 457-mm)square concrete pad,2 in.(51mm)thick.4.2 Dropping Mechanism,consisting of a rubber stopperwith a12-in.(13-mm)hole,connected to a suitable vacuumsystem(for example,a vacuum pump,laboratory line vacuum,or water aspirator)to hold the bottles above the drop surface.The line connecting the stopper with the vacuum system shallbe provided with a three-way stopcock to release the vacuum.The rubber stopper shall be fastened by any suitable meansabove the dropping surface in such a position that the fallingbottle will land as near as possible to the center of the droppingsurface.4.2.1 Several rubber stoppers,with12-in.(13-mm)hole,will be needed for the various shapes of the bottles to be tested.A stopper with a flat surface will be suitable for flat bottles,while stoppers with curved surfaces cut into them will benecessary to obtain a tight seal for bottles having other shapes.4.2.2 Other mechanisms that give equivalent control of thedrop positions may be substituted for the vacuum system.4.3 Air Ovens,two,maintained at 70 and 100F(21 and38C).5.Sampling5.1 Samples shall be selected at random from the productionbatch.6.Test Specimens6.1 A total of 75 bottles,maintained at either 70 or 100F(21 or 38C),shall be tested from one given drop position.7.Conditioning7.1 Place the bottles to be tested in the air ovens for aminimum of 3 h prior to testing.8.Procedure8.1 During Development Stage:8.1.1 Place a bottle in position against the rubber stopper atthe terminal of the vacuum system.Open the vacuum system toatmospheric pressure by means of the three-way stopcock,allowing the vacuum to be released and the bottle to fall to thedrop surface from a height of 6 ft(1.8 m).NOTE1Take care to position and release the bottles properly,toprevent twisting and rotation in the air as the bottle falls.8.1.2 Repeat 8.1.1 with the remaining bottles,dropping eachbottle only once,as follows:8.1.2.1 If the first bottle breaks,drop the next bottle from aheight of 4 ft(1.2 m).If this bottle breaks,drop the next bottlefrom 2 ft(0.6 m).8.1.2.2 If the third bottle does not break,drop the next bottlefrom 4 ft(1.2 m).If the fourth bottle breaks,drop the nextbottle from 2 ft(0.6 m).8.1.2.3 Continue this pattern throughout the testing of the 75bottles.NOTE2The drop schedule is based on a statistical design known as1This test method is under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee D-10 onPackaging and is the direct responsibility of Subcommittee D10.32 on ConsumerPackages.Originally developed by the Chemical Specialities Manufacturers Assn.Current edition approved Nov.15,1994.Published January 1995.Originallypublished as D 307172.Last previous edition D 307179(1984).1AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR TESTING AND MATERIALS100 Barr Harbor Dr.,West Conshohocken,PA 19428Reprinted from the Annual Book of ASTM Standards.Copyright ASTMNOTICE:Thisstandardhaseitherbeensupersededandreplacedbyanewversionordiscontinued.ContactASTMInternational(www.astm.org)forthelatestinformation.the“up and down”method of sensitivity testing.2If a bottle breaks at agiven height,the next bottle is dropped from a height one interval lower.If a bottle does not break,the next bottle is dropped from a height of oneinterval higher.8.1.2.4 The interval between adjacent drop levels,d,is 2 ft(0.6 m)(that is,drop levels are at 2,4,6,8,10 ft(0.6,1.2,1.8,2.4,3 m),etc.For statistical purposes,the schedule for dropheights must be followed exactly.If