1、Designation: D4968 09Standard Guide forAnnual Review of Test Methods and Specifications forPlastics1This standard is issued under the fixed designation D4968; the number immediately following the designation indicates the year oforiginal adoption or, in the case of revision, the year of last revisio
2、n. A number in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval. Asuperscript epsilon () indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.1. Scope*1.1 This guide is intended to assist the subcommittees andsections of Committee D20 on Plastics with the process ofstandards evaluati
3、on during the five-year review mandated byASTM or when changes to test methods and specifications arerequired.NOTE 1There is no known ISO equivalent to this guide.2. Referenced Documents2.1 ASTM Standards:2D883 Terminology Relating to PlasticsD5033 Guide for Development of ASTM Standards Relat-ing t
4、o Recycling and Use of Recycled Plastics3E456 Terminology Relating to Quality and StatisticsE691 Practice for Conducting an Interlaboratory Study toDetermine the Precision of a Test Method3. Terminology3.1 DefinitionsFor definitions of terms that appear in thisguide, refer to Terminology E456.3.2 Gu
5、idelines for terminology in standards which arereferenced in BOCA National Codes are given in AppendixX3.3.3 The document shall be reviewed to ensure that allprocedures, directions, instructions, etc. are written as manda-tory requirements. All explanatory material apart from these,either for emphas
6、is or for offering informative suggestions notproperly part of the standard shall be incorporated in non-procedural sections or as notes or appendixes and shall notinclude mandatory requirements.3.4 Documents that have been developed for or referencedin model (building) codes such as the Internation
7、al CodeCouncil (ICC) shall be written completely in the mandatorymode. Explanatory material shall only be used in notes andfootnotes unless the footnote is integral to a table and thedocument shall contain the following statement: “The text ofthis standard references notes and footnotes that provide
8、explanatory material. These notes and footnotes (excludingthose in tables and figures) shall not be considered as require-ments of the standard.”NOTE 2A list of D20 standards referenced in model (building) codesand current with this document is found inAnnexA3. Updates to this tableare available thr
9、ough ASTM.4. Significance and Use4.1 It is the intention of this guide to provide information topersons revising test methods and specifications in CommitteeD20 to ensure that all required elements are included and thatthe revised document is presented in the most user-friendlymanner possible.4.2 Th
10、is guide is intended for use by Committee D20 whentest methods and specifications under its jurisdiction arerevised due to technical changes or upon five-year review.4.3 The flowchart in Annex A1 shows the review process inoutline form.4.4 Specific instructions to be followed when revisingCommittee
11、D20 documents are given in this guide.4.5 The model precision and bias (P and B) statementsincluded in Appendix X1-Appendix X3 were developed tostandardize the presentation of data.5. Evaluating the Need for Revisions5.1 Society regulations require that all D20 standards bereviewed in detail every f
12、ive years. Ballots to revise individualsections of a document (which may change the date of issue)do not absolve the responsible D20 subcommittee from therequirement to conduct the detailed review every five years.1This guide is under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee D20 on Plastics andis the dire
13、ct responsibility of Subcommittee D20.90 on Executive.Current edition approved Nov. 1, 2009. Published December 2009. Originallyapproved in 1989. Last previous edition approved in 2008 as D4968 - 08. DOI:10.1520/D4968-09.2For referenced ASTM standards, visit the ASTM website, www.astm.org, orcontact
14、 ASTM Customer Service at serviceastm.org. For Annual Book of ASTMStandards volume information, refer to the standards Document Summary page onthe ASTM website.3Withdrawn. The last approved version of this historical standard is referencedon www.astm.org.1*A Summary of Changes section appears at the
15、 end of this standard.Copyright ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, PO Box C700, West Conshohocken, PA 19428-2959, United States.Begin the review for revision, reapproval, or withdrawal atleast one year prior to the required revision year, that is, fouryears after the last full review. The da
16、te of the last completedocument review must be listed in the Summary of Changessection at the end of the document.5.2 The first step in the review process is to determine if thedocument under review should to be balloted for:5.2.1 Reapproval without change,5.2.2 Reapproval with editorial changes,5.2
17、.3 Revision with technical changes, or5.2.4 Withdrawal.5.3 Using the Flowchart:5.3.1 The flowchart for review of standards is found inAnnex A1. The following describes the details for each step ofthe flowchart.5.3.2 Is Any Action Advisable?If the review of the stan-dard using the guidelines in this
18、guide and the current versionof the ASTM Form and Style for ASTM Standards (Blue Book)indicate no needed changes, ballot the standard for reapprovalwithout change.5.3.3 Should the Standard Be Withdrawn?If the examina-tion of the standard indicates that it is obsolete or basicallyflawed in light of m
19、ore recent knowledge, ballot for with-drawal. Ballot for withdrawal should also be done if thedocument is replaced by a more current document.5.3.4 Is a Task Group Required?If changes to the docu-ment are to be considered, the subcommittee or sectionchairperson may appoint a task group to recommend
20、revisions.5.3.5 Are Changes Editorial?If the subcommittee, sec-tion, or task group considers the intended changes to beeditorial in nature, the appropriate standards editor at ASTMHeadquarters should be consulted. If the changes meet thequalifications for editorial revision, the document can bechang
21、ed without balloting. However the document must still beballoted for reapproval at least every five years regardless ofeditorial changes.5.3.6 Is Technical Revision Necessary?If it is decided thatthe changes needed in the standard modify the technicalcontent in any way, or if the review using this g
22、uide findsmissing elements, technical changes must be balloted. If majorchanges are needed, a subcommittee ballot is suggested.Otherwise a concurrent subcommittee, Main Committee, andSociety ballot may be circulated for vote.5.3.7 Model Precision and Bias (P and B) Statement:5.3.7.1 It is a requirem
23、ent of ASTM that all test methodshave a precision and bias section. For test methods thatproduce a numerical test result, an interlaboratory study shouldbe conducted in accordance with Practice E691.NOTE 3Practice E691 requires a minimum number of six laboratoriesgenerating usable data for a round r
24、obin for an acceptable round robin. Asa result, Practice E691 may not be applicable in all cases. Other statisticalpractices may be used if they yield equivalent information and have beenreviewed by Subcommittee D20.13 on Statistics.5.3.7.2 If a round robin cannot be accomplished prior toinitial bal
25、loting of a test method, single-laboratory data must beused in the P and B statement. Use the model statement inAppendix X1 as a guide. No test method may be publishedwithout at least a single-laboratory P and B statement.5.3.7.3 The American Society for Testing and Materialsrequires that a round ro
26、bin be performed, if possible, withinfive years of the test methods initial publication. If insufficientlaboratories are available to complete a round robin by thefive-year review, the statement in Appendix X1 may still beused, but the statement in Appendix X2 must be added.5.3.7.4 When acceptable r
27、ound-robin data is developed, itshall be written using Appendix X3 as a guide and balloted forapproval as a technical change. Documentation for the roundrobin shall be assembled in a technical report and submitted tothe staff manager. A footnote documenting the report numbershould be included in the
28、 standard.6. Revising the Standard6.1 Keep the audience in mind.6.1.1 There are many different users of ASTM standards.When revising documents, write the standard to be of use to theproper audience. This may seem difficult since a standard canbe used by such diverse users as design engineers, produc
29、tspecifiers, quality control persons, testing laboratory managers,and technicians who will perform tests.6.1.2 Keep in mind, however, that certain sections of thedocuments are directed at different audiences. For example, theprocedures section of a test method will primarily be used bythe technician
30、 who does the test. Write this section in animperative mood giving direct instructions on how to do thetest, just as you would if you were speaking to the person. Donot add extra explanations, and so forth. Be direct and to thepoint. Think about where the explanations might better beincluded as, for
31、 example, in an appendix.6.1.3 Sections such as the scope are to give direction to theuser on how and for what the standard is to be used. Setup andcalibration will be used by a test laboratory manager, and soforth. For each section, think about who the user will probablybe and write that section to
32、 give the most direct and usableinformation to the potential user in the most concise andunderstandable manner possible.6.2 Upon request, your staff manager can provide a copy ofthe standard to be revised on disk for use in revisions. It is bestto strikeout deleted portions of the existing text and
33、to use boldtype for insertion of new text. Another good method is to cutand paste by placing the original text in the left column of apage and placing the revision notes in the right column of thepage. See Examples 1 and 2 in the appendix of this guide.6.3 Whenever a document is revised and circulat
34、ed forballot, it must be accompanied by a cover letter that explainsthe purpose of the ballot.6.4 When circulating a standard for ballot, the standard shallhave the following working caveat in bold print on the frontpage of the revision draft:This document is not an ASTM Standard. It is under consid
35、er-ation within an ASTM Technical Committee, but has not re-ceived all approvals required to become an ASTM standard. Itshall not be reproduced or circulated or quoted, in whole or inpart, outside of ASTM Committee activities except without theapproval of the Chairman of the Committee having jurisdi
36、ctionand the President of the Society. Copyright ASTM International,100 Barr Harbor Drive, West Conshohocken, PA 19428-2959.D4968 0926.5 Reference Form and Style for ASTM Standards forfurther guidance in the preparation of standards not referencedby this guide.7. Reviewing Test Methods7.1 Use the fo
37、llowing assessment sections as an aid in testmethod review. Committee D20 test methods can become morecomplex than necessary. One of the advantages to be gained inthe five-year review is to make them very user friendly. Readeach section. If it is not clear and does not contain the pointsmentioned in
38、 this section, rewrite it!7.2 Assessing the TitleDetermine if the title accuratelydefines the test method described. Change it if it does not.7.3 Assessing the ScopeThe scope should contain thefollowing essential items:7.3.1 Clearly state the purpose of the test method in one ortwo sentences.7.3.2 I
39、f there are any cautions or concerns regarding the useof the results of the test method or how it is performed, insertthe following sentence in the Scope: See the Significance andUse section for cautions in using this test method.7.3.3 Committee D20 considers SI units to be primary. Thescope must in
40、clude the sentence shown in 7.3.3.1 in accor-dance with Blue Book instruction; or if the subcommitteechairperson gives permission, the sentence shown in 7.3.3.2can be used instead. Make these numbered paragraphs in eithercase.7.3.3.1 “The values stated in SI units are to be regarded asstandard.”7.3.
41、3.2 “The values stated in either SI units or inch-poundunits are to be regarded separately as standard. The valuesstated in each system may not be exact equivalents; therefore,each system shall be used independently of the other. Combin-ing values from the two systems may result in nonconformancewit
42、h the standard.”7.3.4 Ensure that the test method has the following manda-tory caveat included as a numbered paragraph in the scope.This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns,if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user ofthis standard to establish
43、appropriate safety and health practicesand determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.7.3.5 If specific hazards are known, put them in a Hazardssection and cite any appropriate additional warnings.7.3.6 All test methods must have an ISO equivalencystatement. A note must be ad
44、ded to the end of the scope (orrevised to comply) with an ISO equivalency statement. SeeAnnexA2 of this guide for the proper formats and instructions.7.4 Referenced Documents:7.4.1 Ensure that all ASTM standards (including the docu-ment designation and title) that are cited in the text of thestandar
45、d are referenced in this section.7.4.2 Also list other organizations standards if they arereferenced in the text.7.5 Terminology:7.5.1 A terminology section is now mandatory. If thedocument does not have this section, it must be added.7.5.2 Determine from the text a list of terms used which theuser
46、may not understand.7.5.3 Check Terminology D883 for the terms. If any termsappear in the document which appear in Terminology D883,include a reference to Terminology D883 in the Terminologysection.7.5.4 Check the subcommittee chairperson for specific ter-minology documents which may apply to the sta
47、ndard. Refer-ence these if a term is included.7.5.5 If a term is listed in the document which is not foundin the terminology documents, develop a definition and includethe term in the Terminology section of the update to beballoted. In addition, submit the definition to the chairperson ofSubcommitte
48、e D20.92 for review and possible inclusion inTerminology D883.7.6 Summary of Test Method (Optional)Include a briefoutline of the test method. Describe essentially how the testmethod is performed without any details of the procedure orsequence.7.7 Significance and UseExamine the Significance andUse s
49、ection. Ensure that it includes the following and write itin the imperative mood.NOTE 4The imperative mood is one in which direct instructions aregiven as if you were speaking to a person.An example would be: “Resultsfrom this test are intended for use in quality control. Do not use them ascriteria for design.”7.7.1 State when, where, and why the test method should beused.7.7.2 State how the test method is to be used by industry.7.7.3 State how suitable the test method is for use inspecifications.7.7.4 For test methods where appropriate, add the followingstatement:Befo
