ASTM_F_903_-_10.pdf

Designation:F90310Standard Test Method forResistance of Materials Used in Protective Clothing toPenetration by Liquids1This standard is issued under the fixed designation F903;the number immediately following the designation indicates the year of originaladoption or,in the case of revision,the year of last revision.Anumber in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval.Asuperscriptepsilon()indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.INTRODUCTIONWorkers involved in the production,use,and transportation of liquid chemicals can be exposed tonumerous compounds capable of causing harm upon contact with the human body.The deleteriouseffects of these chemicals can range from acute trauma such as skin irritation and burn to chronicdegenerative disease,such as cancer.Since engineering controls may not eliminate all possibleexposures,attention is often placed on reducing the potential for direct skin contact through the useof protective clothing that resists permeation,penetration,and degradation.This test method determines resistance to penetration only.Resistance to permeation anddegradation should be determined by other test methods.1.Scope1.1 This test method is used to test specimens of protectiveclothing and candidate materials and constructions to be usedin protective clothing.The resistance to visible penetration ofthe test liquid is determined with the liquid in continuouscontact with the normally outside surface of the test specimen.1.2 In some cases,significant amounts of hazardous mate-rials will permeate specimens that pass the penetration tests.For more sensitive analysis use Test Method F739 to determinepermeation.1.3 This test method is not applicable to finger tips or crotchareas of gloves,which are possible failure points.1.4 The values as stated in inch-pound units are to beregarded as the standard.The values in parentheses are forinformation only.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.Specific hazards aregiven in Section 7.2.Referenced Documents2.1 ASTM Standards:2D1777 Test Method for Thickness of Textile MaterialsE105 Practice for Probability Sampling of MaterialsF104 Classification System for Nonmetallic Gasket Materi-alsF739 Test Method for Permeation of Liquids and Gasesthrough Protective Clothing Materials under Conditions ofContinuous Contact3.Terminology3.1 Definitions:3.1.1 degradation,na deleterious change in one or moreproperties of a material.3.1.2 penetration,nfor chemical protective clothing,themovement of substances through voids in aprotective clothingmaterial or item on a non-molecular level.3.1.2.1 DiscussionVoids include gaps,pores,holes,andimperfections in closures,seams,interfaces,and protectiveclothing materials.Penetration does not require a change ofstate;solid chemicals move through voids in the material assolids,liquids as liquids,and gases as gases.Penetration is adistinctly different mechanism from permeation.1This test method is under the jurisdiction ofASTM Committee F23 on PersonalProtective Clothing and Equipment and is the direct responsibility of SubcommitteeF23.30 on Chemicals.Current edition approved Jan.1,2010.Published February 2010.Originallyapproved in 1984.Last previous edition approved in 2004 as F903-03(2004).DOI:10.1520/F0903-10.2For 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 3.1.3 permeation,nfor chemical protective clothing,themovement of chemicals as molecules through protective cloth-ing material items by the processes of(1)absorption of thechemical into the contact surface of the material,(2)diffusionof the absorbed molecules throughout the material,and(3)desorption of the chemical from the opposite surface of thematerial.3.1.3.1 DiscussionPermeation is a distinctly differentmechanism from penetration.3.1.4 protective clothing,nan item of clothing that isspecifically designed and constructed for the intended purposeof isolating all or part of the body from a potential hazard;or,isolating the external environment from contamination by thewearer of the clothing.3.1.4.1 DiscussionThe potential hazard addressed by thistest method is penetration by liquids.4.Summary of Test Method4.1 A specimen is subjected to a liquid for a specified timeand pressure sequence and observed for visible penetration ofthe liquid.If the liquid passes through the specimen,thematerial fails the test for resistance to penetration of the liquid.4.2 In the penetration test apparatus,the specimen acts as apartition separat