News Releases

ASTM International honored Manual 41, Fracture and Fatigue Control in Structures: Applications of Fracture Mechanics, with the 2003 Charles B. Dudley Medal. Authors, Dr. John M. Barsom, a Pittsburgh, Pa., based consultant, and Dr. Stanley T. Rolfe, Albert E. Learned Professor of Engineering, University of Kansas, received the award at the April 2005 meeting of ASTM Committee E08 on Fatigue and Fracture.

At a press briefing today in New York City, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) released draft recommendations from its building and fire safety investigation of the collapse of the World Trade Center towers. The findings resulting from the investigation will be a valuable resource for ASTM’s technical committees in identifying future standards development needs.

ASTM standards are widely used by the building construction industry around the world. In addition, thousands of ASTM International standards are referenced in building codes.

ASTM International Committee D33 on Protective Clothing and Lining Work for Power Generation Facilities has approved a revision to standard D 4260, now titled Practice for Liquid and Gelled Acid Etching of Concrete. The revised standard is under the jurisdiction of Subcommittee D33.05 on Application and Surface Preparation.

ASTM International Committee C24 on Building Seals and Sealants is currently working to fill a need for a weatherproofing sealant field test standard. The result, proposed standard WK7800, Guide for a Non-Destructive, Continuous, Field Test of Installed Weatherproofing Sealant, features a field test that has been used by sealant professionals for years, but has not, up to this point, been standardized. The proposed new standard is under the jurisdiction of Subcommittee C24.10 on Specifications, Guides, and Practices.

The new, 42nd edition of ASTM Standards in Building Codes, now available for purchase from ASTM International, provides the tools to design and construct buildings that satisfy international code requirements established by the International Code Council (ICC). ICC is comprised of the Building Officials and Code Administrators International (BOCA), the Southern Building Code Congress International (SBCCI), and the International Conference of Building Officials (ICBO).

Approved and proposed standards under the jurisdiction of ASTM International Committee E53 on Property Management Systems will be the topic of several presentations to be given at the 2005 National Property Management Association’s 2005 National Education Seminar (go to www.npma.org for more information). In addition, Committee E53 will hold its annual standards development meeting at the seminar, to be held in Nashville, Tenn., Aug. 29-Sept. 1. The following E53-related presentations will be made at the seminar:

ASTM Committee D35 on Geosynthetics will present a workshop on the possibility of creating a Geogrid Aperture Stability standard during the June Committee Week in Reno, Nev. The workshop will take place June 15 from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.