1、Designation: D4968 09D4968 15Standard GuidePractice 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
2、 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. Scope*1.1 This guide is intended to assist the subcommittees and sections of Committee D20 on Plastics with the process of
3、standardsevaluation during the five-year review mandated by ASTM or when changes to test methods and specifications are required.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 St
4、andards Relating to Recycling and Use of Recycled Plastics (Withdrawn 2007)3E456 Terminology Relating to Quality and StatisticsE691 Practice for Conducting an Interlaboratory Study to Determine the Precision of a Test Method3. Terminology3.1 DefinitionsFor definitions of terms that appear in this gu
5、ide, refer to Terminology E456.3.2 Guidelines for terminology in standards which are referenced in BOCA National Codes are given in Appendix X3.3.3 The document shall be reviewed to ensure that all procedures, directions, instructions, etc. are written as mandatoryrequirements. All explanatory mater
6、ial apart from these, either for emphasis or for offering informative suggestions not properlypart of the standard shall be incorporated in non-procedural sections or as notes or appendixes and shall not include mandatoryrequirements.3.4 Documents that have been developed for or referenced in model
7、(building) codes such as the International Code Council(ICC) shall be written completely in the mandatory mode. Explanatory material shall only be used in notes and footnotes unlessthe footnote is integral to a table and the document shall contain the following statement: “The text of this standard
8、references notesand footnotes that provide explanatory material. These notes and footnotes (excluding those in tables and figures) shall not beconsidered as requirements of the standard.”NOTE 2A list of D20 standards referenced in model (building) codes and current with this document is found in Ann
9、ex A3. Updates to this table areavailable through ASTM.4. Significance and Use4.1 It is the intention of this guide to provide information to persons revising test methods and specifications in Committee D20to ensure that all required elements are included and that the revised document is presented
10、in the most user-friendly mannerpossible.4.2 This guide is intended for use by Committee D20 when test methods and specifications under its jurisdiction are revised dueto technical changes or upon five-year review.4.3 The flowchart in Annex A1 shows the review process in outline form.4.4 Specific in
11、structions to be followed when revising Committee D20 documents are given in this guide.1 This guide is under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee D20 on Plastics and is the direct responsibility of Subcommittee D20.90 on Executive.Current edition approved Nov. 1, 2009Dec. 1, 2015. Published December
12、2009January 2016. Originally approved in 1989. Last previous edition approved in 20082009as D4968 - 08.D4968 - 09. DOI: 10.1520/D4968-09.10.1520/D4968-15.2 For referencedASTM standards, visit theASTM website, www.astm.org, or contactASTM Customer Service at serviceastm.org. For Annual Book of ASTM S
13、tandardsvolume information, refer to the standards Document Summary page on the ASTM website.This document is not an ASTM standard and is intended only to provide the user of an ASTM standard an indication of what changes have been made to the previous version. Becauseit may not be technically possi
14、ble to adequately depict all changes accurately, ASTM recommends that users consult prior editions as appropriate. In all cases only the current versionof the standard as published by ASTM is to be considered the official document.*A Summary of Changes section appears at the end of this standardCopy
15、right ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, PO Box C700, West Conshohocken, PA 19428-2959. United States14.5 The model precision and bias (P and B) statements included in Appendix X1 Appendix X3 were developed to standardizethe presentation of data.5. Evaluating the Need for Revisions5.1 Societ
16、y regulations require that all D20 standards be reviewed in detail every five years. Ballots to revise individual sectionsof a document (which may change the date of issue) do not absolve the responsible D20 subcommittee from the requirement toconduct the detailed review every five years. Begin the
17、review for revision, reapproval, or withdrawal at least one year prior tothe required revision year, that is, four years after the last full review. The date of the last complete document review must be listedin the Summary of Changes section at the end of the document.5.2 The first step in the revi
18、ew process is to determine if the document under review should to be balloted for:5.2.1 Reapproval without change,5.2.2 Reapproval with editorial changes,5.2.3 Revision with technical changes, or5.2.4 Withdrawal.5.3 Using the Flowchart:5.3.1 The flowchart for review of standards is found in Annex A1
19、. The following describes the details for each step of theflowchart.5.3.2 Is Any Action Advisable?If the review of the standard using the guidelines in this guide and the current version of theASTM Form and Style for ASTM Standards (Blue Book) indicate no needed changes, ballot the standard for reap
20、proval withoutchange.5.3.3 Should the Standard Be Withdrawn?If the examination of the standard indicates that it is obsolete or basically flawedin light of more recent knowledge, ballot for withdrawal. Ballot for withdrawal should also be done if the document is replacedby a more current document.5.
21、3.4 Is a Task Group Required?If changes to the document are to be considered, the subcommittee or section chairpersonmay appoint a task group to recommend revisions.5.3.5 Are Changes Editorial?If the subcommittee, section, or task group considers the intended changes to be editorial innature, the ap
22、propriate standards editor at ASTM Headquarters should be consulted. If the changes meet the qualifications foreditorial revision, the document can be changed without balloting. However the document must still be balloted for reapproval atleast every five years regardless of editorial changes.5.3.6
23、Is Technical Revision Necessary?If it is decided that the changes needed in the standard modify the technical contentin any way, or if the review using this guide finds missing elements, technical changes must be balloted. If major changes areneeded, a subcommittee ballot is suggested. Otherwise a c
24、oncurrent subcommittee, Main Committee, and Society ballot may becirculated for vote.5.3.7 Model Precision and Bias (P and B) Statement:5.3.7.1 It is a requirement of ASTM that all test methods have a precision and bias section. For test methods that produce anumerical test result, an interlaborator
25、y study should be conducted in accordance with Practice E691.NOTE 3Practice E691 requires a minimum number of six laboratories generating usable data for a round robin for an acceptable round robin. As aresult, Practice E691 may not be applicable in all cases. Other statistical practices may be used
26、 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 to initial balloting of a test method, single-laboratory data must be usedin the P and B statement. Use the model statement in Appendix X1 as a guide
27、. No test method may be published without at leasta single-laboratory P and B statement.5.3.7.3 The American Society for Testing and Materials requires that a round robin be performed, if possible, within five yearsof the test methods initial publication. If insufficient laboratories are available t
28、o complete a round robin by the five-year review,the statement in Appendix X1 may still be used, but the statement in Appendix X2 must be added.5.3.7.4 When acceptable round-robin data is developed, it shall be written using Appendix X3 as a guide and balloted forapproval as a technical change. Docu
29、mentation for the round robin shall be assembled in a technical report and submitted to thestaff manager. A footnote documenting the report number should be included in the standard.6. Revising the Standard6.1 Keep the audience in mind.6.1.1 There are many different users ofASTM standards. When revi
30、sing documents, write the standard to be of use to the properaudience. This may seem difficult since a standard can be used by such diverse users as design engineers, product specifiers, qualitycontrol persons, testing laboratory managers, and technicians who will perform tests.6.1.2 Keep in mind, h
31、owever, that certain sections of the documents are directed at different audiences. For example, theprocedures section of a test method will primarily be used by the technician who does the test. Write this section in an imperativeD4968 152mood giving direct instructions on how to do the test, just
32、as you would if you were speaking to the person. Do not add extraexplanations, and so forth. Be direct and to the point. Think about where the explanations might better be included as, for example,in an appendix.6.1.3 Sections such as the scope are to give direction to the user on how and for what t
33、he standard is to be used. Setup andcalibration will be used by a test laboratory manager, and so forth. For each section, think about who the user will probably beand write that section to give the most direct and usable information to the potential user in the most concise and understandablemanner
34、 possible.6.2 Upon request, your staff manager can provide a copy of the standard to be revised on disk for use in revisions. It is bestto strikeout deleted portions of the existing text and to use bold type for insertion of new text. Another good method is to cutand paste by placing the original te
35、xt in the left column of a page and placing the revision notes in the right column of the page.See Examples 1 and 2 in the appendix of this guide.6.3 Whenever a document is revised and circulated for ballot, it must be accompanied by a cover letter that explains the purposeof the ballot.6.4 When cir
36、culating a standard for ballot, the standard shall have the following working caveat in bold print on the front pageof the revision draft:This document is not an ASTM Standard. It is underconsideration within an ASTM Technical Committee, but hasnot received all approvals required to become an ASTMst
37、andard. It shall not be reproduced or circulated or quoted, inwhole or in part, outside of ASTM Committee activities exceptwithout the approval of the Chairman of the Committee havingjurisdiction and the President of the Society. Copyright ASTMInternational, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, West Conshohocken,
38、 PA19428-2959.6.5 Reference Form and Style for ASTM Standards for further guidance in the preparation of standards not referenced by thisguide.7. Reviewing Test Methods7.1 Use the following assessment sections as an aid in test method review. Committee D20 test methods can become morecomplex than ne
39、cessary. One of the advantages to be gained in the five-year review is to make them very user friendly. Read eachsection. If it is not clear and does not contain the points mentioned in this section, rewrite it!7.2 Assessing the TitleDetermine if the title accurately defines the test method describe
40、d. Change it if it does not.7.3 Assessing the ScopeThe scope should contain the following essential items:7.3.1 Clearly state the purpose of the test method in one or two sentences.7.3.2 If there are any cautions or concerns regarding the use of the results of the test method or how it is performed,
41、 insert thefollowing sentence in the Scope: See the Significance and Use section for cautions in using this test method.7.3.3 Committee D20 considers SI units to be primary. The scope must include the sentence shown in 7.3.3.1 in accordance withBlue Book instruction; or if the subcommittee chairpers
42、on gives permission, the sentence shown in 7.3.3.2 can be used instead.Make these numbered paragraphs in either case.7.3.3.1 “The values stated in SI units are to be regarded as standard.”7.3.3.2 “The values stated in either SI units or inch-pound units are to be regarded separately as standard. The
43、 values stated ineach system may not be exact equivalents; therefore, each system shall be used independently of the other. Combining values fromthe two systems may result in nonconformance with the standard.”7.3.4 Ensure that the test method has the following mandatory caveat included as a numbered
44、 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 appropriate safety and health practicesand determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to us
45、e.7.3.5 If specific hazards are known, put them in a Hazards section and cite any appropriate additional warnings.7.3.6 All test methods must have an ISO equivalency statement. A note must be added to the end of the scope (or revised tocomply) with an ISO equivalency statement. See Annex A2 of this
46、guide for the proper formats and instructions.7.4 Referenced Documents:7.4.1 Ensure that all ASTM standards (including the document designation and title) that are cited in the text of the standardare referenced in this section.7.4.2 Also list other organizations standards if they are referenced in
47、the text.7.5 Terminology:7.5.1 A terminology section is now mandatory. If the document does not have this section, it must be added.7.5.2 Determine from the text a list of terms used which the user may not understand.D4968 1537.5.3 Check Terminology D883 for the terms. If any terms appear in the doc
48、ument which appear in Terminology D883, includea reference to Terminology D883 in the Terminology section.7.5.4 Check the subcommittee chairperson for specific terminology documents which may apply to the standard. Referencethese if a term is included.7.5.5 If a term is listed in the document which
49、is not found in the terminology documents, develop a definition and include theterm in the Terminology section of the update to be balloted. In addition, submit the definition to the chairperson of SubcommitteeD20.92 for review and possible inclusion in Terminology D883.7.6 Summary of Test Method (Optional)Include a brief outline of the test method. Describe essentially how the test methodis performed without any details of the procedure or sequence.7.7 Significance and UseExamine the Significance and Use section. Ensure that it includes the following and write it
