ASTM_F_3039_-_13.pdf

Designation:F303913Standard Test Method forDetecting Leaks in Nonporous Packaging or Flexible BarrierMaterials by Dye Penetration1This standard is issued under the fixed designation F3039;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 test method defines a procedure that will detect andlocate a leak equal to or greater than a channel formed by a 50m 0.002 in.wire in the edge seals of a nonporous package.A dye penetrant solution is applied locally to the seal edge tobe tested for leaks.After contact with the dye penetrant for aminimum specified time,the package is visually inspected fordye penetration or,preferably,the seal edge is placed against anabsorbent surface and the surface inspected for staining fromthe dye.1.2 This test method is used for both transparent and opaquenonporous surfaces.1.3 This test method requires that the dye penetrant havegood contrast to the materials being tested and/or the absorbentsurface.1.4 The values stated in either SI units or inch-pound unitsare to be regarded separately as standard.The values stated ineach system may not be exact equivalents;therefore,eachsystem shall be used independently of the other.Combiningvalues from the two systems may result in non-conformancewith the standard.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:2E171 Practice for Conditioning and Testing Flexible BarrierPackaging2.2 ANSI Standards:3Z1.4 Sampling Procedures and Tables for Inspection byAttributes3.Terminology3.1 Definitions:3.1.1 dye penetrantan aqueous solution of a dye and asurfactant designed to penetrate and indicate a defect.4.Significance and Use4.1 Contaminants may enter the package through leaks.Alternatively,product may be lost from the package throughleaks.These leaks are frequently found at seals betweenpackage components of the same or dissimilar materials.4.2 Ingress or egress of gas or moisture through leaks in apackage can also degrade sensitive contents.4.3 There is no general agreement concerning the level ofleakage that is likely to be deleterious to a particular package.However,since these tests are designed to detect leakage,components that exhibit any indication of leakage may berejected.4.4 These procedures are suitable for use to verify andlocate leakage sites.They are not quantitative.No indication ofleak size can be inferred from the test.Therefore,this methodis employed as a go/no-go test.4.5 This test is destructive.All package or component testsamples exposed to dye penetration testing may not be used forfinal product packaging.5.Apparatus5.1 Means of breaching one of the packaging materials suchas a small knife.5.2 Dye Dispenser,such as an eyedropper or syringe forinjection of the dye penetrant solution.5.3 Microscope or optical loop with magnification of 5 to20(optional).1This test method is under the jurisdiction ofASTM Committee F02 on FlexibleBarrier Packaging and is the direct responsibility of Subcommittee F02.40 onPackage Integrity.Current edition approved Nov.15,2013.Published December 2013.DOI:10.1520/F3039-13.2For 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 5.4 Absorbent Surface,such as a white chromatographypaper,white filter paper,or white paper towels.5.5 Aqueous dye penetrant solution consisting of a carrier,wetting agent,and indicator dye with a surface tension of 25dynes/cm or less.One possible dye penetrant solution formu-lation consists of,by weight:Wetting agentPolyethylene glycol octylphenyl etherA3%Indicator dyeToluidine blueB0.05%CarrierDistilled water96.95%APolyethylene glycol octylphenyl ether is sold under the brand name Triton X-100.BThe chemical name for Toluidine blue is 3-Amino-7-(dimethylamino)-2-methylphenothiazin-5-ium chloride.5.5.1 Because of the viscosity of the polyethylene glycoloctylphenyl ether,the preparation of the solution is most easilyaccomplished by first taring a container with about 10%of therequired amount of distilled water on a scale.The appropriateamount of polyethylene glycol octylphenyl ether is added tothe distilled water by weight and the mixture stirred or shaken.Onc