ASTM_C_1156_-_03_2011.pdf

Designation:C115603(Reapproved 2011)Standard Guide forEstablishing Calibration for a Measurement Method Used toAnalyze Nuclear Fuel Cycle Materials1This standard is issued under the fixed designation C1156;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 guide provides the basis for establishing calibrationfor a measurement method typically used in an analyticalchemistry laboratory analyzing nuclear materials.Guidance isincluded for such activities as preparing a calibrationprocedure,selecting a calibration standard,controlling cali-brated equipment,and documenting calibration.The guide isgeneric and any required technical information specific for agiven method must be obtained from other sources.1.2 The guidance information is provided in the followingsections:SectionGeneral Considerations4Calibration Procedure5Calibration Standard6Control of Calibrated Equipment7Documentation8Keywords91.3 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:2C1009 Guide for Establishing and Maintaining a QualityAssurance Program forAnalytical Laboratories Within theNuclear IndustryC1068 Guide for Qualification of Measurement Methods bya Laboratory Within the Nuclear IndustryC1128 Guide for Preparation of Working Reference Materi-als for Use in Analysis of Nuclear Fuel Cycle MaterialsC1210 Guide for Establishing a Measurement System Qual-ity Control Program for Analytical Chemistry Laborato-ries Within the Nuclear IndustryC1215 Guide for Preparing and Interpreting Precision andBias Statements in Test Method Standards Used in theNuclear IndustryC1297 Guide for Qualification of Laboratory Analysts forthe Analysis of Nuclear Fuel Cycle Materials2.2 ISO Standard:ISO 17025 General Requirements for the Competence ofCalibration and Testing Laboratories33.Significance and Use3.1 Calibration is a fundamental part of making measure-ments and its effect on the quality of measurement data issignificant.Thus,sufficient attention must be given to calibra-tion when it is established for a measurement method so thatthe data produced will be acceptable.The use of an inappro-priate calibration standard,inadequate instructions forcalibration,and poor documentation of the calibration processare examples of circumstances that can adversely affect thevalidity of a calibration.Thus,the calibration process mustconform to criteria established to ensure the validity ofcalibration results.Such criteria are given in Guide C1009,inwhich calibration is identified as a component of laboratoryquality assurance(see Fig.1).This guide expands upon thosecriteria to provide more comprehensive guidance for establish-ing calibration.3.2 The manner of calibration and other technical require-ments for calibrating a measurement method are usuallyestablished when a method is first introduced into a laboratory,which may be through validation and qualification as definedby Guide C1068(see Fig.1).However,calibration involvesmore than the technical aspects of the calibration process.Theother dimension of the process is the operational requirementsthat are necessary to ensure that calibration results are validand that they are documented and verifiable should theirintegrity be questioned.The provisions of this guide provide1This guide is under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee C26 on Nuclear FuelCycle and is the direct responsibility of Subcommittee C26.08 on QualityAssurance,Statistical Applications,and Reference MaterialsCurrent edition approved June 1,2011.Published June 2011.Originallyapproved in 1990.Last previous edition approved in 2003 as C1156 03.DOI:10.1520/C1156-03R11.2For 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 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 those operational requirements and should be consideredwhenever calibration is planned and established.4.General Considerations4.1 The degree of attention and effort given to calibrationshould depend on how the measurement data are to be used.Inthe analysis of nuclear materials,for example,measurementdata produced for the control and accountability of nuclearmaterial would normally require more attention than dataproduced