ASTM E230, Standard Specification and Temperature-Electromotive Force (emf) Tables for Standardized Thermocouples, has been editorially corrected

ASTM E230/E230M, “Standard Specification and Temperature-Electromotive Force (emf) Tables for Standardized Thermocouples,” was released as the 2011(e1) Edition in October.  This is an editorial correction of ASTM E230/E230M-11 from August of this year.  Table 46 was editorially corrected, which means that there is a change to the table that does not affect the technical content.

Originally this standard was numbered ASTM E230, but in 2011 the document was redesignated as ASTM E230/E230M.  This means it now has both metric and feet and inches measurements included in the standard.

This specification contains reference tables that give temperature-electromotive force (emf) relationships for types B, E, J, K, N, R, S, T, and C thermocouples. These are the thermocouple types most commonly used in industry.

Thermocouples and matched thermocouple wire pairs are normally supplied to the tolerances on initial values of emf versus temperature. Color codes for insulation on thermocouple grade materials, along with corresponding thermocouple and thermoelement letter designations are given.

Four types of tables are presented: general tables, EMF versus temperature tables for thermocouples, EMF versus temperature tables for thermoelements, and supplementary tables.

This specification is intended to define the thermoelectric properties of materials that conform to the relationships presented in it’s tables and that bear the letter designations contained in the document.

Topics such as ordering information, physical and mechanical properties, workmanship, testing, and marking are not addressed. The user is referred to specific standards such as ASTM E235E574E585/E585ME608/E608ME1159, or E2181/E2181M for guidance in these areas.

This ASTM specification and all current ASTM documents are available from Document Center Inc. either via our website, www.document-center.com, or by phone (650-591-7600), fax (650-591-7617) or email (info@document-center.com).  Many obsolete editions are available as well.

Administrative Changes to Standards — What does it all mean?

One of our customers called today just to ask us what some of those odd changes to Standards actually mean.

Since purchasing standards can be expensive, it’s best to know what you’re going to be getting before you plunge ahead.  So let’s review some kinds of changes that can happen to standards and discuss if they should signal a buying opportunity for you or not.

First up: Reapproval, Reaffirmation and Validation.  All three terms mean the same thing — the standard has been reviewed and is still wonderful just the way it was.  If the standard’s still great, why issue this notice or republication?

For the folks who oversee standards, there is a need to prove to the public that the documents are being maintained.  So good standards practice suggests reviewing every standard you’re responsible for (caretaker of) every five years.  The issuing of a notice or the republication of a standard with a reapproval or reaffirmation date is a way to permanently confirm that good practices have been met.  And this periodic review is mandatory for compliance with the rules of  adoption for American National Standards Institute (ANSI) documents.

FYI:  The validation notice states that a document is still valid for U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) procurement.  It is issued by the DOD and reminds us that the mil-spec system is basically support for military purchases.

Next on the list: Editorial Changes.  Most notably used by ASTM International (formerly the American Society for Testing and Materials), an editorial change modifies the document but doesn’t affect the technical content.  You’ll see them as part of the  revision level information in the document number, i.e., ASTM-B899-09e1.  This is the document ASTM B899, 2009 Edition with 1 editorial change.

What could be an editorial change?  Perhaps an association was mentioned in the standard and the address of the association has changed.  Perhaps a phone number was included and the phone number has changed.  Remember, the change will not affect the technical content, so its going to be a non-essential piece of information.

How about a Non-Current or Inactive notification?  Both mean the same thing — The standard is good to use for replacement purposes but is not authorized for new design.  That is, if you have an existing product to maintain, it’s OK to use the standard.  But if you’re going to design something new, use something else.  With luck, the notification will point you to a replacement.  But not always…

A Cancellation Notices is another kind of notice that you may or may not need.  It will be issued for two reasons.  It presents an authorized notification that a standard has been withdrawn and is no longer valid.  And it may provide the caretaker with a way to direct users to a replacement document or to let them know the standard has no superseding document.

All of the changes above are primarily administrative in nature.  They do not make technical changes to the document.  Are they necessary to purchase?

My answer is always, “It depends on the situation.”  For reaffirmations, reapprovals and validations — not necessary unless you have an auditor coming in.  If you use the document for compliance, you’ll want every little thing every time.  If not, then these items are not so critical.

For editorial changes, it’s very much the same situation.  The information can certainly be useful, but if money’s tight it’s not essential.

Cancellation notices are often notated in databases and catalogs.  So unless you need a paper trail (or again, you’re getting audited), it may not be necessary.  But if you have a customer who thinks you should be using an obsolete document, then a cancellation notice or cancellation revision can support your case about as strongly as you would ever want!

There’s a couple more kinds of notices that do cause confusion.  The first is the technical corrigendum.  This is just a fancy name for a change notice.  Don’t let this one go by — It’s got corrections to the document that you will want to know about.  Errata are the same, document corrections that you need to have (usually printing errors to tell you the truth).

Amendments and change notices are in the same category but usually are longer and may offer new information to add to the standard.  Again, don’t leave home without it.

Do you have any questions about the many little things that can be called out to accompany a standard that you’re using or that you need?  Check in with us at Document Center (www.document-center.com) by email at info@document-center.com or give us a call at 650-591-7600.  We’ll be happy to answer your questions and perhaps it will even be included in this posting or a new one!

Finding Standards Expertise Again

As owner of Document Center Inc. since 1985, I’ve seen tremendous changes in the world of Standards.  And the change that concerns me the most is the lost of Standards Expertise.

Three trends have caused the loss of personnel with real knowledge of standards, the standards process, and how to manage standards collections.

The first was MIL Spec Reform during the mid-1990’s.  When the Department of Defense decided to get out of the spec-writing business, the migration to industry-managed standards was a costly exercise for many business.  Information that had been free or extremely low-cost  was  suddenly 5 to 10 times as expensive.  Of course, the true migration of cost was from tax-payer money to fees from the actual document users.  But the pocket book effect significantly reduced the number of standards most businesses used.  With this reduction came the first loss of standards personnel as large standards libraries became obsolete.

The second trend was the Internationalization of Standards.  As companies started using non-U.S. documents,  the price differential was immediately noticeable.  European information has come with a high price tag.  Again, price pressure caused a reduction in documentation and the personnel to manage that information as companies strove to lower their out-of-pocket costs.

And finally, the repeated down-sizing and loss of manufacturing facilities in the United States has left many organizations without employees who understand what Standards bring to business.  Thus, many companies are limited in their ability to use Standards to their best advantage.

Having been in the business for over 25 years, and hearing customers express confusion about Standards every day, this blog represents the perfect opportunity to discuss  common  Standards and Standardization questions.

I also look forward to discussing trends and issues that are more strategic in nature.  In my mind, standards are one of the foundations of our economy and well-being.  I look forward to being part of a process that improves the effect they have on our world.