1、Designation: F3004 13Standard 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 l
2、ast 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 standard method describes the technology andtesting procedures that can be used to detect seal defects in thesize
3、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 packa
4、ges. 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 met
5、hod 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
6、, 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 Precisio
7、n 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-t
8、rasound 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 u
9、ltrasoundsound 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 Yd
10、imensions.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 Ultrasoun
11、d(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 w
12、ithout 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.4.2 ABUS is similar to most ultrasound app
13、lications 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
14、defects, as1This 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/F3004-13.2For referenced ASTM standards, v
15、isit 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-
16、2959. United States1well 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 o
17、r 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 signal capable of beingtransmitted through the air (above the natural noise level of thatfrequency). Based on this scale o
18、f sound measurement, quan-titative data representations of the material being scanned canbe used to characterize the condition of certain materials, mostspecifically whether two layers of material are appropriatelybonded together.4.3 The technique and instrumentation is fundamentallyvery simple. An
19、ultrasonic transducer is used to produce asignal which is subsequently passed through a sample. Thetransmitted signal is then received and processed by anultrasonic signal processor. The signal strength, after passingthrough the sample under test and air gaps, is then compared tothe strength when a
20、non-defective sample is tested.5. Significance and Use5.1 This method allows for the evaluation of seal quality bypassing an ultrasound signal through the sealed area of apackage or item. Poorly sealed areas will not transmit as muchultrasonic energy as properly sealed areas.5.2 This method relies o
21、n quantitative analysis of ultrasoundsignal strength, providing a non-subjective approach to assess-ing package seal quality and detecting defects.5.3 This technique has been used for inspecting a variety ofmaterials including flexible pouch seals, rigid tray seals andother packaging components such
22、 as affixed valves. Theprecision and bias for any specific package and seal configu-ration needs to be individually determined and validated.5.4 The C-Scan approach is useful for laboratory applica-tions or off-line seal inspection. The L-Scan approach can beused for on-line, real time inspection of
23、 seal quality. Thesensitivity of either approach to detect a given defect size andlevel of severity needs to be individually determined.5.5 Sound waves propagate at different speeds throughdifferent materials generally moving faster through more densematerials. The acoustic impedance (expressed as g
24、/cm2s) isthe product of density (g/cm3) and velocity (cm/s). Ofparticular importance is the extreme difference between theimpedance of air and that of any solid material. Any gap orpoorly bonded area can be readily detected.MaterialVelocity(cm/sec)Density(g/cm3)AcousticImpedance(g/cm2-sec)Air (20C,
25、1 bar) 0.0344 0.00119 0.000041Water (20C) 0.148 1.0 0.148Polyethylene 0.267 1.1 0.294Aluminum 0.632 2.7 1.7106. Interferences6.1 The sensitivity of the system to detect very slight sealdefects needs to be established with mocked up samplescontaining these defects. The ability of these artificially p
26、ro-duced defects to simulate defects which may be encountered inactual production must be determined.7. Apparatus7.1 The apparatus consists of:7.1.1 A transducer to provide an ultrasonic signal.7.1.2 Air gap separating the signal and detection transduc-ers.7.1.3 A detection transducer to measure the
27、 intensity of thatsignal after passing through the air gap.7.1.4 Ameans to hold and transport that sample between thetwo transducers.7.1.5 An Ultrasonic instrument, which integrates the hard-ware and software required for analyzing ultrasonic wavephenomena.7.1.6 Acomputer system to collect data as t
28、o the intensity ofthe signal at any XY location and convert that data into aformat useful to the investigator. A wide variety of datapresentations are possible.8. Reagents and Materials8.1 No reagents or other items are used.9. Precautions9.1 No materials not intended to be tested, objects or bodypa
29、rts should be placed between the transducers or otherwiseblock mechanical moving parts of the test instrument.10. Sampling10.1 No special sampling rules apply.11. Test Specimens11.1 Test specimens shall be representative of the materialbeing tested and shall be free of defects, including wrinkles,cr
30、eases, and pinholes, unless these are a characteristic of thematerial being tested.11.2 The specimen size and configuration shall conform tothe requirements of the specific instrument used and the itemunder test.12. Calibration12.1 The instrument is calibrated in conformance to theinstrument manufac
31、turers instructions.13. Conditioning13.1 Typically, no sample conditioning is required.14. Procedure14.1 Each specific instrument will be operated in accor-dance with the instrument manufacturers instructions. Eachwill follow the same general steps as outlined below.14.1.1 The sample is held in a fi
32、xture with the position of itsseal or area of interest noted.14.1.2 The sample is moved at a constant speed between thegenerating and receiving transducers by either moving thesample relative to the fixed transducers or by moving thetransducers relative to the fixed sample.F3004 13214.1.3 The X-Y po
33、sition is recorded along with the corre-sponding acoustic attenuation or signal strength.14.1.4 The rate that the sample is tested shall be based onpulse rate and spot size so as to allow a defect, if present, to bedetected.14.1.5 The signal strength shall be sufficient to adequatelydetect defects.
34、The sensitivity of the instrument to detect agiven defect is determined by testing known defects andcomparing this to known, non-defective samples.15. Calculation15.1 Typically, non-defective and defective samples aretested and their respective responses noted. The informationgenerated, typically th
35、e degree of input signal attenuation, canbe entered into the computer data analysis system to providethe criteria for presentation such as numeric, graphical orimagery. False color imagery has been found to be useful withvarious colors assigned to different levels of acoustic attenua-tion.16. Report
36、16.1 Report the following information:16.1.1 The data reported must be selected based on theapplication and the instrument employed. Typically, in normaluse, the attenuation of the input signal is noted for:16.1.1.1 No sample between transducers.16.1.1.2 Samples without defect.16.1.1.3 Samples with
37、various defect levels.16.1.2 With C-Scan applications the severity, size, shapeand position of the defect can be recorded.17. Precision and Bias17.1 The precision of this test method is based on aninterlaboratory study conducted in 2012 (see ASTM ResearchReport F02-XXXX). Four laboratories participa
38、ted in thestudy, testing three different types of packaging, modified withsix different intentional defects (also one non-defective).SealScan 525 systems fitted with three ultrasonic transducers,using the L-Scan technique, were used by each participant.The total number and description of samples tes
39、ted by eachparticipant were:3 Materials (complete layer thicknesses and material de-scriptions included in Research Report)(1) PET/LDPE/FOIL/EMA (inside) sealed to itself (insideto inside) Shown in tables below as “Foil Variable”.(2) PET/adhesive/nylon/adhesive/PP (inside) sealed to it-self (inside
40、to inside) Shown in tables below as “All PlasticVariable”.(3) PET/LDPE (inside) sealed to Tyvek 1073B Shown intables below as “Tyvek Variable”.45 Samples (consisting of 15 non-defective + 30 defective)(a) Non-defective Seal 15 replicates(b) 1 mm Channel 5 replicates(c) 3 mm Channel 5 replicates(d) 0
41、.75 mm Channel 5 replicates(e) 2 mm Wrinkle 5 replicates(f) 2mm2mmMaterial Inclusion 5 replicates(g) 37 mm width Incomplete Seal 5 replicates3 Test Heads (SealScan 525 systems from PTI / PackagingTechnologies and Inspection. Operating at 280 kHz, beam size1.5 mm, air gap 2.5 mm, pulse rate 200 pulse
42、/sec, scan speed100 mm/sec)(1) Serial number 0052565(2) Serial number 0052594(3) Serial number 0052595TOTAL = 405 readings per participant.Except for the limited number of laboratories participating,Practice E691 was followed for the study design; the details aregiven in RR:F02-1033.317.1.1 Repeatab
43、ility limit (r)Two test results obtainedwithin one laboratory shall be judged not equivalent if theydiffer by more than the “r” value for that material; “r”istheinterval representing the critical difference between two testresults for the same material/defect combination, obtained bythe same operato
44、r using the same equipment on the same dayin the same laboratory.17.1.1.1 Repeatability limits are listed in Tables 1-7.17.1.2 Reproducibility limit (R)Two test results shall bejudged not equivalent if they differ by more than the “R” valuefor that material; “R” is the interval representing the crit
45、icaldifference between two test results for the same paint, obtainedby different operators using different equipment in differentlaboratories.17.1.2.1 Reproducibility limits are listed in Tables 1-7.17.1.3 The above terms (repeatability limit and reproduc-ibility limit) are used as specified in Prac
46、tice E177.17.1.4 Any judgment in accordance with statements 17.1.1and 17.1.2 would normally have an approximate 95% prob-ability of being correct, however the precision statistics ob-tained in this ILS must not be treated as exact mathematicalquantities which are applicable to all circumstances and
47、uses.The limited number of laboratories reporting replicate resultsguarantees that there will be times when differences greaterthan predicted by the ILS results will arise, sometimes withconsiderably greater or smaller frequency than the 95% prob-ability limit would imply. Consider the repeatability
48、 and3Supporting data have been filed at ASTM International Headquarters and maybe obtained by requesting RR:F02-1033. Contact ASTM Customer Service atserviceastm.org.TABLE 1 Minimum Acoustic Transmittance (Percent) Variable A Non-Defective SealMaterial AverageRepeatabilityStandard DeviationReproduci
49、bilityStandard DeviationRepeatabilityLimitReproducibilityLimitxsrsRrR“Foil Variable” 39.46 2.65 2.65 7.43 7.43“All Plastic Variable” 39.04 0.38 0.44 1.06 1.24“Tyvek Variable” 55.84 1.34 1.35 3.74 3.79F3004 133reproducibility limits as general guides, and the associatedprobability of 95% as only a rough indicator of what can beexpected.17.2 BiasAt the time of the study, there was no acceptedreference material suitable for determining the bias for this testmethod, therefore no statement on bias is being made.17.3 The precision statement w
