ASTM_C_549_-_06_2012.pdf

Designation:C54906(Reapproved 2012)Standard Specification forPerlite Loose Fill Insulation1This standard is issued under the fixed designation C549;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 U.S.Department of Defense.1.Scope1.1 This specification covers the composition and physicalproperties of expanded perlite loose fill insulation.The speci-fication also includes the testing procedures by which theacceptability of the material is determined.These testingprocedures deal primarily with material performance in thetemperature range associated with the thermal envelope ofbuildings;however,the commercially usable temperaturerange for this insulation is from 459 to 1400F(1 to 1033 K).For specialized applications,refer to the manufacturers in-structions.1.2 The specification also covers the composition and prop-erties of perlite that has been surface-treated to produce dustsuppression for installations where dust is a factor.1.3 The values stated in inch-pound units are to be regardedas standard.The values given in parentheses are mathematicalconversions to SI units that are provided for information onlyand are not considered standard.1.4 When the installation or use of thermal insulationmaterials,accessories and systems,may pose safety or healthproblems,the manufacturer shall provide the user appropriatecurrent information regarding any known problems associatedwith the recommended use of the companys products,andshall also recommend protective measures to be employed intheir safe utilization.The user shall establish appropriatesafety and health practices and determine the applicability ofregulatory requirements prior to use.For additional precau-tionary statements,see Section 12.1.5 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:2C136 Test Method for Sieve Analysis of Fine and CoarseAggregatesC168 Terminology Relating to Thermal InsulationC177 Test Method for Steady-State Heat Flux Measure-ments and Thermal Transmission Properties by Means ofthe Guarded-Hot-Plate ApparatusC390 Practice for Sampling and Acceptance of ThermalInsulation LotsC518 Test Method for Steady-State Thermal TransmissionProperties by Means of the Heat Flow Meter ApparatusC520 Test Methods for Density of Granular Loose FillInsulationsE84 Test Method for Surface Burning Characteristics ofBuilding MaterialsE136 Test Method for Behavior of Materials in a VerticalTube Furnace at 750CE177 Practice for Use of the Terms Precision and Bias inASTM Test Methods3.Terminology3.1 Terms used in this specification are defined in Termi-nology C168.4.Classification4.1 Perlite loose fill insulation shall conform to the physicalrequirements of 7.Expanded perlite that has been treated tolimit the amount of dust generated during application shall beidentified on the product label.5.Ordering Information5.1 All purchase orders shall designate the density ofinsulation desired or require conformance with the propertiesin 7.1.The purchase order shall designate surface-treatedproduct when desired.1This specification is under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee C16 onThermal Insulation and is the direct responsibility of Subcommittee C16.23 onBlanket and Loose Fill Insulation.Current edition approved March 1,2012.Published July 2012.Originallyapproved in 1964.Last previous edition approved in 2006 as C549 06.DOI:10.1520/C0549-06R12.2For 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.Materials and Manufacture6.1 Perlite is a generic term for a naturally occurringsiliceous mineral which is mined,crushed,sieved and dried toproduce a crude perlite ore.The crude ore,in the form ofparticles of varying size,weighing 60 to 75 lb/ft3(960 to 1200kg/m3),is expanded in high-temperature furnaces to densitiesin the range from 2.0 to 11.0 lb/ft3(32 to 176 kg/m3).As anaturally occurring mineral,it is classified as an elementarybuilding material.It is noncombustible as determined by TestMethod E136.7.Physical Requirements7.1 The physical requirements listed in this section aredefined as inspection requirements(see Practice C390).Theinsulation shall conform to the following requirements:Bulk density,lb/ft3(kg/m3)211(32176)Grading