ASTM_F_1959_-_F_1959M_-_14.pdf

Designation:F1959/F1959M14Standard Test Method forDetermining the Arc Rating of Materials for Clothing1This standard is issued under the fixed designation F1959/F1959M;the number immediately following the designation indicates the yearof original adoption or,in the case of revision,the year of last revision.A number in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval.A superscript epsilon()indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.1.Scope1.1 This test method is used to measure the arc rating ofmaterials intended for use as flame resistant clothing forworkers exposed to electric arcs that would generate heat fluxrates from 84 to 25 120 kW/m22 to 600 cal/cm2s.1.2 This test method will measure the arc rating of materialswhich meet the following requirements:less than 150 mm 6in.char length and less than 2 s afterflame when tested inaccordance with Test Method D6413.1.2.1 It is not the intent of this test method to evaluate nonflame-resistant materials except where used as under layers inmultiple-layer specimens.1.3 The materials used in this test method are in the form offlat specimens.1.4 This test method shall be used to measure and describethe properties of materials,products,or assemblies in responseto convective and radiant energy generated by an electric arcunder controlled laboratory conditions.1.5 The values stated in SI units shall be regarded asstandard except as noted.Within the text,alternate units areshown in brackets.The values stated in each system may not beexact equivalents therefore alternate systems must be usedindependently of the other.Combining values from the systemsdescribed in the text may result in nonconformance with themethod.1.6 This test method does not apply to electrical contact orelectrical shock hazards.1.7 This standard shall not be used to describe or appraisethe fire hazard or fire risk of materials,products,or assembliesunder actual fire conditions.However,results of this test maybe used as elements of a fire assessment which takes intoaccount all of the factors which are pertinent to an assessmentof the fire hazard of a particular end use.1.8 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 requirements prior to use.For specificprecautions,see Section 7.2.Referenced Documents2.1 ASTM Standards:2D123 Terminology Relating to TextilesD1776 Practice for Conditioning and Testing TextilesD4391 Terminology Relating to The Burning Behavior ofTextilesD6413 Test Method for Flame Resistance of Textiles(Ver-tical Test)E457 Test Method for Measuring Heat-Transfer Rate Usinga Thermal Capacitance(Slug)CalorimeterF1494 Terminology Relating to Protective Clothing2.2 ANSI/IEEE Standard:3Standard Dictionary of Electrical and Electronics Terms2.3 AATCC Standard:4AATCC Method 135-2001 Dimensional Changes in Auto-matic Home Laundering of Woven and Knit Fabrics3.Terminology3.1 Definitions:3.1.1 ablation,nin electrical arc testing,a physical re-sponse evidenced by significant erosion or the formation of oneor more large holes in a layer of a multilayer system.3.1.1.1 DiscussionAny layer in a specimen(other than theinnermost layer)is considered to exhibit ablation when thematerial removal or any hole is at least 16 cm22.5 in.2 in areaor at least 8 cm 3.1 in.in length in any dimension.Singlethreads across the opening or hole do not reduce the size of thehole for the purposes of this test method.Ablation in one ormore layers of material in a mulitlayer system may removeenergy from the specimen.(See 11.2.7.)1This test method is under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee F18 onElectrical Protective Equipment for Workers and is the direct responsibility ofSubcommittee F18.65 on Wearing Apparel.Current edition approved April 1,2014.Published April 2014.Originallyapproved in 1997.Last previous edition approved in 2013 as F1959/F1959M 13.DOI:10.1520/F1959_F1959M-14.2For 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 Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers,Inc.(IEEE),445 Hoes Ln.,P.O.Box 1331,Piscataway,NJ 08854-1331.4Technical Manual of the American Association of Textile Chemists andColorists.Copyright ASTM International,100 Barr Harbor Drive,PO Box C700,West Conshohocken,PA 19428-2959.United States1 3.1.2 ablation response energy(Eab),nthe incident energyon a multilayer system that results in a 50%probability of thephysical response of ablation.3.1.3 arc duration,ntime duration of the arc,s.3.1.4 arc energy,vi dt,nsum of the instantaneous arcvoltage values multiplied by the instantaneous arc currentvalues multiplied by the incremental time values during thearc,J.3.1.5 arc g