ASTM_F_3004_-_13e1.pdf

Designation:F3004131Standard Test Method forEvaluation of Seal Quality and Integrity Using AirborneUltrasound1This standard is issued under the fixed designation F3004;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.1NOTEReference to RR:F02-1033 was added editorially in April 2014.1.Scope1.1 This standard method describes the technology andtesting procedures that can be used to detect seal defects in thesize range of 1 mm and characterize seal quality in a variety ofpackaging styles using airborne ultrasound technology.1.2 This test method does not purport to be the only methodfor measurement of seal quality.1.3 Heat seals and other package components can be testedin flexible,semi-rigid and rigid packages.Only the precisionand bias for flexible package seals were evaluated in a recentILS included in the method.The precision and bias for anyspecific package needs to be individually determined.1.4 On-line,real time inspection of seals can be consideredparticularly in the L-Scan mode.1.5 This method provides a non-destructive,quantitative,non-subjective approach to flexible package seal inspection.1.6 The values stated in SI units are to be regarded asstandard.No other units of measurement are included in thisstandard.1.7 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:2E177 Practice for Use of the Terms Precision and Bias inASTM Test MethodsE691 Practice for Conducting an Interlaboratory Study toDetermine the Precision of a Test Method3.Terminology3.1 Definitions:3.1.1 acoustic impedancethe product of a materials den-sity and its acoustic velocity.3.1.2 airborne ultrasoundnon-contact,non-destructive ul-trasound technology that allows materials to be scanned andanalyzed without physical contact with the transducers.Nocoupling is used other than air.3.1.3 ultrasonic attenuationthe decay rate of the wave asit propagates through a material.It is the combined effect ofscattering and absorption.3.1.4 ultrasoundsound with frequencies greater than theupper limit of human hearing which is approximately 20 kHz.Typical industrial applications use much higher frequencies inthe 1100 MHz range.3.1.5 ultrasound C-Scanmultiple L-Scans which accumu-lates data to describe an area of interest in both X and Ydimensions.3.1.6 ultrasound L-Scana single linear scan across onedirection over the area of interest.4.Summary of Test Method4.1 Ultrasound has been used for inspecting a wide varietyof materials as well as human health issues,based on sendingand receiving ultrasonic sound waves.Airborne Ultrasound(ABUS)is a non-contact ultrasound technology that allowspackages to be scanned and analyzed without making anycontact with the ultrasonic transducers.Unlike contactultrasound,ABUS does not use liquid or gel coupling topropagate sound.It may be critical to production processes toanalyze a bond without changing the characteristics of thepackage or product in any way which may affect salability.ABUS is capable of testing packaging where continuous andcomplete bonding between two materials is essential or,if thebond is limited,the degree of bonding.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 Aug.1,2013.Published September 2013.DOI:10.1520/F3004-13E01.2For 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 4.2 ABUS is similar to most ultrasound applications inprinciple;however it uses air to propagate ultrasonic waves.The ABUS technology uses the transmission of ultrasonicwaves to create a representative data image,allowing forquantitative evaluation of the quality of bonded materials.Ithas the ability to identify the size and location of defects,aswell as problems with bond integrity that may or may notimmediately result in leaks.The ultrasonic signal is translatedby a signal processor into a quantitative data image that refersto signal strength continuously measured by the receivingultrasonic transducer during scanning or while a sample sealmoves relatively between them.The signal strength is mea-sured in a relative value,from strongest signal capable of beingtransmitted through the air to no signa