Document 9wJBQw8N8bQ2Y79r7q8Kbyg3
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finutes General feting Asbestos Textile Institute October 8, 1965 The INW, Buck Hill Falls, Pa.
In Attendance:
AMERICAN AS3ESTOS TEXTILE CTRP.
J.L. Rainey
'
j *yL Christenbury
'D.F. fuealy
Irim * Maaskant
H,,H. Walter
.
ASBESTOS CORPORATION LTD, G.F-A. Brink -E.L. Alexander (A.C.S. LTD.)
BELL ASBESTOS MINES LTD. G.W. Smith F.P. Smith Wm.J.W. Smith R. Dodrfs-Hebron
JOHNS.:`AIIVILLE CORrORATIOI-l
W.S. Hough
E.A. Schuman
.
W.C. Atkinson
I. Barnett
C.L. Sheckler
CAUWALADER, WICKERSIIAT & TAFT T.Jay Flocken (Legal Counsel)
H.K. PORTER COiTANY, IIvC.
J.T. Griffis
J.D. jcCluer
D.E. Childers
*
"
RAY3EJT03-I "Ai 3IATTAN IIJC. J.A. Drown, Jr. J.A. Bettes, Jr. L.C. Williams
J.P. Wronslci J.W. Hawkins R.P.. Smith
TURNER & NEV/ALL LTD. Bernard Lincoln
TURNER EROS ..ASBESTOS CO. LTD. W.i-. Beckman
BRITISxi BELTING & ASBESTOS LTD. J.L. Mitchell
UNITED STATES RUBBER COITAilY S.J. Peele, Jr. A.C. LinK D.T. Austin, Jr.
ASBESTOS TEXTILE INSTITUTE - II.E. Sunbury (Exec. Secretary) ** OT ESTS **
S. R. Zimmerman,JrExec.Vice President, Raybestos-Manhattan Inc.
f .0. Scowcroft, District Sales Mgr., Raybestos-I.anhattan Inc.
C.ltf. 3riggs, Control igr., Raybestos-Manhattan, Inc.
E.H. Wells, Vice Pres. & Genl. Mgr., Packing & Friction MatIs. Div.
- - Johns-j-'anville Corp. Dr. J.W. Axelson, Research Chief, Asbestos Fiber Applications
Johns-;, anvilie Corp
.
T. O. Nicoderrus, Chairman, ASTH Sc A-4 of D-13
J.L. Tucker, Technical Consultant to A.T.I. N.L.A.i'artucei, Products Manager, Gar lock Inc.
C.H. Sigler, Director of Marketing, Tex.Div., United States Rubber Cc
5.N. Smith, Marketing Mgr.,General Textiles, United States Rubber Cc
In addition to the above guests we were privileged to have twenty f'** ladies accompany their husbands to our luncheon on Friday, Oct. 8th.
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f * I-lnutes - General Vesting - continued
Page 2
i ----------- I'inutes of the J'eeting------------
1* President Brown called the meeting to order at 9:30 A.I'., and introduced the guests as listed above.
2. The minutes of the last meeting were presented for reading. On motion by J.A Bettes, Jr., seconded by I. Barnett it was voted to omit the reading of same.
3. The Financial Report was presented by E.A. Schuraan, Treasurer. Hr. Schuman stated that the Instituted books for the year ending September 9th, 1965, had been examined by it. W.E. Eddy, General .Auditor of the Johns-i:anviile Corporation, and found to be in order. On motion by S.J. Peele, Jr., seconded by W.S. Hough', it was voted to accent the financial report, and it is made a part of these minutes.
A. President Brown introduced Dr. J.W. Axelson, Research Chief -
Asbestos Fiber Applications, Johns-i'anville Research Center, Manviile
i.'.J., Dr. Axelson presented a most excellent technical paper entitled
`Testing of Asbestos Fibers - Discrete and Bulk Properties'1. Ey
courtesy of Dr. Axelson and his company the full text of this paper
is included with these minutes. Any correspondence concerning same
should be addressed to Dr. Axelson at the Johns-j Danville Research
Center, I-anville, U.J. 08835. President Brown expressed our sincere
.
appreciation to Dr. Axelson for his fine oarer.
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y 5. The Fibre Producers Report was given by F. Tarker Smith of the
Bell .Asbestos I'ines Limited. I-ir. Smith, as usual, had some most
interesting remarks about the current situation in respect to the
production and sales of asbestos fiber of all grades. He mentioned
that, judging from sales to August 31st, the total year now looks as
if it might be about 5% below the year 1964, however, last year was
a record year. Textile fibers, tc August 31st, were down more tnan
5%. The world market is fairly good at present, except for India and
Japan.
6. The Legal Report usually presented at this time by Kr. P.Jay Flocken, our Legal Counsel, had to be omitted as the meeting was running late due to the length of the technical paper by Dr. AxelsorA summary of the Counsel Report is attached to these minutes, by courtesy of i'r. Flocken. '
. 7. President Brown stated that the Board of Governors at their meet ing last June had voted to award a Certificate of Appreciation to ' Mr. George F. Jenkins, who retired as Senior Vice President of Asbestos Corporation Limited, Thetford ; ines, Quebec, on iiay 31st, 1965, to express our appreciation of his staunch support of the Institute over a period of many years, and his service as a member of our Fiber Testing Committee. As 2ir. Jenkins v*as on a trip and could not attend this meeting, the plaque was entrusted to the care cf Vr* G.F.A. Brink, for delivery to ix. Jenkins.
B The Chairmen of our several working committees reviewed the work f their committees for the past year, and their reports are attached
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fc Minutes - General i-ecting - continued
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T ft to these minutes. All of these Chairmen are completing their terns,
t- <ft after serving two or nore years, namely:
L.C. Williams - Chairman: Air Hygiene St Mfg. Cr>~-ittee J.W.- Christenbury - Chairman: Sales Promotion Comnittee Wn, Haaskant - Chairman: Technical Committee . I. Barnett - Chairman: Fiber Testing Committee
president fizomi expressed to them the sincere appreciation of the Board of Governors for their highly valued contribution to the advancement of the Institute during their term of office.
The new committee chairmen, who normally serve for a period of two years, are:
Air Hygiene & Mfg. - W,,C. Atkinson Tecitnical - J.D. i-cCiuer Sales Promotion - N.S. Hough Fiber Testing - J.P. Wronski
9. ?'x. I. Barnett reported on the progress of the 2nd Edition of
the "Manual of Testing Procedures for Chrysotile Asbestos Fibre**. He explained that the cony had been practically ready for the printer but that some additional tests are now to be included, and some re typing is necessary to take care of last minute changes. Further, that the original cost estimate was too low in view of the inclusion of additional tests, and expenses of nreoaring the copy for the
> printer. He stated that the 2nd Edition, soon to be printed, would '
probably not be revised for at least five years, and asked that this be taken into consideration when final orders are placed with the Secretary of A.T.I. Those who have already placed orders on the basis of the original cost estimate, will be contacted by the Secre tary and given the opportunity to revise their order in viev/ of the 5 year period between editions, and the higher cost.
10. Mr. S.J. Feele, Jr., Chairman of the Nominating Committee, wbicJ consisted of Messers VJ.S. Hough, L.C. Williams and himself, reported he had submitted a slate of officers to the Board of Governors at their meeting on October 7th, 1965, to serve the Institute for the coming year, and that the following had been duly elected:
President - J.A. Brown, Jr. - Raybestos-Manhattan, Inc. Vice President - J.L. Rainey - American Asbestos Textile Corp. Treasurer - 2.A. Sc hum an - Jo'ins-i .anville Corporation Exec. Secretary - Il.E. Sunbury
.
11. President Brown announced that-the next meeting would be held on February 10th and 11th, 1966, at the Barbizon-Plaza Hotel in New York City.
12. The meeting then adjourned for luncheon, to which the wives had been invited, and it proved to be a most enjoyable affair.
J Respectfully submitted.
Exec. Secretary /
JERU, CLEMENT SEAT/
J
With extreme sadness we report the sudden and unexpected death of
Dr- Uyril C. Shaw, on the evening of November 12th, at his hone
56-3 Gates Street, Philadelphia 28, Pa. He had recently observed his
Jfuth birthday.While the cause of death was a heart attack, he had
never had any previous heart ailment.
...
Dr. Shaw served the Asbestos Textile Institute well and faithfully
for a period of seventeen years, rendering to it an invaluable
service.
C j .
When the Asbestos TertH Institute Fellowship was established at Rutgers University in 1946, Dr. Shaw was employed as a "Researc Specialist" to work on projects of interest to our members. In 194 he was given, in addition to his work as Research Fellow, t ho responsibilities of Executive Secretary and Assistant Treasurer. In 1961 he was appointed Executive Director. During hi3 long association with the Institute he became widely known throughout the asbestos industry, both in this country and abroad, for his many technological contributions.
Dr. Shaw resigned from the Asbestos Textile Institute in August
of 1963 to accept the position of asbestos fiber specialist with
the Certain-teed Corporation. At the time of his death he was
Director of Research and Development for the American,Asbestos
Textile Corporation, Norristown, Pa.
'
A native of Columbus, Ohio, Dr. Shaw received his bachelor1s and easterns degrees from Pennsylvania State University,.and his ph.D in elevated temperature chemistry from Ohio State University.
Re was a member and Fellow of the American Ceramic Society, a reg istered Professional Ceramic Engineer in the State of Ohio, a member of the American Society for Testing tc Materials; American Trade Association; American Ordnance Association; and the American Standards Association. He was a member of the Roxboanugh Baptist Church, and of the Masonic Order.
Survivors Include his wife, Mrs. Garnet Shaw; a daughter, Marilyn, who is a sophomore student at Marietta College; a son, Myril C.Jr. who is a fifth grade student at Penn Charter School; his mother, Mrs. Marian Shaw; and a'brother and three sisters.
The funeral service was held on Tuesday, November 16th, at the J. Burton Corson Funeral Home in Philadelphia. The Asbestos Textilo Institute was well represented at the service, and had the oppor tunity to extend to Mrs. Shaw and the children our deepest sym pathy on behalf of all our members.
Interment was in West Laurel Hill Cemetery, Philadelphia,Pa.
November 20, 1965
E.E. Sunbury Exec. Secretary
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ASBESTOS TEXTILE INSTITUTE
Report cT Funds
September 9, 1955
Balance on Hand at Last Report, May 10. 1965
General Fund Savings Fund
Petty Cash Fund
.
.
. ' <t 2630.11
23114.01 96.54
Receipts
To Savings Fund (Interest) To General Fund (1965 dues) To General Fund (Book Sales/)
209.13 500.00
56.26
Total tm hand and received
Disbursements
Legal Retainer (Six months ending B/31) 1000.00
Legal travel
127.69
Telephone (4 months)
145.70
Meeting Expense (June)
34.43
ASTM membership dues
35.00
F.I.C.A. Tax
22.88
Secretary's Salary (4 months)
363.75
Secretary's travel
159.96
Office rent (4 months)
166.64
Technical Consultant (Test "Manual)
225.26
Accountant (Caruso-year ending 8/31
300.00
Printing : Office supplies
56.01
Petty Cash vouchers ?-177-197 inclusive
86.10
Total Disbursements
Balance on Hand as of Sept.9, 1965
Funds
.
General Fund (Eank Statement of 9/9/65) 2049.05
Savings Fund (Three Accounts)
21323.14
Petty Cash Fund
10.44
Total Funds
Assets as of Sept.9, 1965
Cash in Bank (General rund)
.
2049.05 *
Cash in Eank (Savings Fund.)
21323.14
Petty Cash on Hand
10.44
Accts Receivable (Book sales).
6.34
Hostage on hand
-
. 1.88
Furniture .* Equipment (Nominal "Value)
1.00
Total Assets
S25B40.GS 765.59
26606, C6
5223.42 23382.63 23382.63
. ' .111 1j;i
23391.85 .
Liabilities Net T orth
(None)
$23391.85
t -c- $2000.00 transf erred Irnm Savings Fund to General Fund on 9/2/65
J>
Respectfully submitted,
Asst. Treasurer
STJi-g-iA-T? of anruSSL SETyyrr
Asbestos Textile Institute's counsel* P<.Jr.y rlocfcen, reports that the United States Supreme Court's decision i" the United I'ine Workers of America v? Pennington Case seems to have taken labor unaons out from under the protective blanket thrown over them by Federal legislation in the labor management relations field in the l?2CTs. Counsel reviewed the background of this case and the Supreme Court's decision June 7, 1965f and stated that the essence of the decision is that:
" a union forfeits its exemption from . the antitrust laws when it is clearly shown that it has agreed with one set of employers to impose a certain wage scale on other bargaining units*"
Although unions seeking to negotiate uniform wages or working conditions throughout an entire industry face nev; problems under the antitrust laws, the decision may also seriously affect bargaining tactics of employers. For when ever an antitrust case couid be made out against a union under the Supreme Court's rule against an employer-union conspiracy to restrain trade, a similar case could be made out against the participating employer.
It now seems clear that a commitment by a union not to grant more favorable conditions or terms to any com peting employer - a common form of collective bargaining agreement -- is illegal on its face. Unions can be expected to avoid any agreements with any employers as to what kind of agreements the union will negotiate with ot^er employers. The greatest hazard for unions who seek uniform labor standards -- and for the employers that deal with them -- lies in the threat of treble damage suits by disgruntled or marginal producers or by recalcitrant members of an employer association.
There has been little indication since the Supreme - Court's decision last -Jxme that a nev/ unsettled period of
industrial labor relations is about to begin. But while the unions, particularly the United i'ine Workers, appear to have been the principal losers in the Supreme Court, the increase in litigation involving unions and antitrust charges which seems likely to result from the Court's decision may show that workable collective bargaining has been the real loser.
.onutcss
Air lygicnc and .anufacturing Coi.dttec
October 7, 1965 Hie Inn
Duel: Mil Tails, Pa. 9:30 A.,-. to 12 boon 9:00 P.-- to 11:00 P.--
Attending: .-criers:
L. C. h'illia. 3, Chairman L*. C. Atldnson D. T. Austin, Jr. C. L. Sr.cdd.cr -i. 2. S; ith
'..'alter A. C. Lin.':
ilayboctos-.anhattan, Inc. Joln^sviHo-.nnvillc Corp. United States Rubber Jolins- anvillc Corp.
Aaybcstos-..anhattan, Inc. A~jcrican Asbestos Textile United States .lubber
Absent
A. P. Souveia T. C. ixCluskcy, Jr.
A. .dson
Porter, Inc. Tallian-ljcCluskcy Fabrics American S- .citing u ucfining
Da castration - Bausch h Lori, Rochester, I .Y. 14602 40-1 Dust Counter________________________
All rxsbers attending. Bausch and Lads .iepresentatives - Ir. 1. A. Scre/er
Product Adrnnistrater Industrial Products Dept.
' r. Charles Tepe Technical Angr.
Hie industry is al'.rays interested in nci/ types of Auto: atic Dust Counters as they coric on the market, it is desirable to have a counter that could ronitor conditions over a longer period of ti~o tlian our standard dust count ing procedure, and also to di*.dnatc the possibility of hurian error.
The 40-1 dust counter denonstrated by Bausch and Lori rep resentatives operates on an optical system There are input optics - photarultiplier and larrp, and output optics collector rirror and focus lens. There are two otrcais of air supplied to the unit, 1) a sample strea: and 2) a filtered air sheath. This gives accuracy to the unit. Slides were used to give details on exactly hov/ the unit . is built and operated. The unit contains a pu-^p and by pass, 2 rnfflcrs, input photo:ter, 2 particle filters find eodiaust. There are accessories available such as counter, alaru and strip chart recorder. The particular counter da onstrated v/ould only be able to count partido3 up to one : illion per cubic foot. T!iis :/ould not be a satisfactory unit for our industry.
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Tims, Bausch and Lomb has developed a new ftroto-type 40-2
battery operated unit that trill count particles Item 1/2 to 15 microns in size and up to 100 Billion particles per cubic foot. This unit trill be on test in the very near . future. Ix. X. I/ Xelson is to receive one of the proto type units and trill be reporting to our cimnrLttee the results of the trials using this unit.
For reference purposes the price of the 40-1 unit is )29S5 - and the new 40-2 unit is ->3300. The unit can be set to
count any given particle size. If you wish to pick out certain particle sizes and count then, the particle size indicator can be set, say for 2 micron setting, then a 4 micron setting and subtract. Tlie demonstration was very well accepted by all members and I an sure the followup interest on this unit will be very active in the future ATI meetings.
Hearing Tests and Their Values
Recently word was received that presently and in the
future, loss of hearing will bo compensable. The comittee
therefore reviewed the Iiaico Audiogran Test Charts taken
on new employees and mill employees. In all instances,
except a few where persons knew they had loss of hearing,
the critical speech area was rot affected at all'or just
slightly affected. Since records were not taken prior to
this date, it cannot be stated as to whether or not this
loss of hearing was caused by job or by natural loss of
hearing or some other outside effect. It is a Imam fact
that between the ages of 40 and 60 years there is a 15 dec
ibel loss of hearing and this happens to most everyone.
It is, therefore, very imports nt that industry take tests
on people as they are hired. These tests should be done by
a Doctor or a Registered Imrse so we know that competently
trained and experienced persons are doing the tests. One
of the members supplied a paper on "mast Range Symposium i!3
Audiometry in Industry" This paper will be reviewed by
members of the committee and discussed at the next meeting.
Further, another member stated he will supply their
Industrial records on this particular subject at the next
meeting.
.
Internet.-? nnrl Congress on AS53STQSIS
A brief review was made ` of this International Congress report. Since portions of this are in French, wc have
delayed any comments on its contents until interpretation is received. This may take quite a long time to accomplish. Therefore, we will bring it up at each meeting in the hopes that someone vrill have some comments on its contents.
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. ) Consultant - Industrial Hygiene Progas:
Committee has given careful consideration to the
suggestion that the ATI retain a consultant for the
Industrial hygiene Program.. After discussion, it was
decided that with the available personnel that we have
within the industry and the help of Dr. Leivis Cralley
of the U. 5. Public Health Service, it is not necessary
at this time to have a consultant. Therefore, the
committee considers this investigation complete.
'
Method for Dcteriming Dust Concentration
It had been recommended by the Committee that this method be placed in the new edition of the handbook. Committee will still recommend to the Sales Pro);:otion that information on tils handbook be made available to the consumer, either by including the entire method or stating that the "Method of Determining Dust Concentration" is available from the ATI upon request. The committee wants to restate that this is entirely Up to the Sales Fbomotion committee, as to whether or not the handbook will contain reference to this method. With these minutes this item is considered complete.
Areriervn
le Machinery Exhibition - Ir.ternational-1965
>
The committee discussed equipment that was displayed at
this exhibition which would be of interest to the Asbestos
Textile Industry. In particular, we reviewed the Psrks-
Cramer frame and loom cleaning equipment which is a con
tinuous cleaning unit. A Saco-Lowell chute feed t o cards
and a V.'hitin cotton plucker. Also, there was a Saco-Lowdl
Rovamatic unit that operates very quietly in comparison to
standard roving frames. This was of interest as we are act
ive on the noise abatement program.
General Discussion
The committee discussed safety programs, the practi
cality of reworking fly waste, the effects of employee
attitude on mill operation.
Review of Committee Activities for Past Year
Meeting - October 6, 196~
1
1. Public Health Service Survey - Dr. Lewis J. Cralley
Dr. Cralley gave us a status report on the inplant environmental studies. At this time six (6) were com pleted and the next study was to be made at RaybestosManhattan, Inc., iianheim, Pa. The studies have gone v ell as reported by Dr. Cralley and participating companies.
2. Biological Effects of Asbestos - Oct. 19.20.21,1964 -.Y,C.
Tire committeo suggested t!re Board or Directors of ATI send a Public delations can to this conference since Dr. Seliicoff is using the news media for publications.
3. Quality Control System under 21L-Q-9C53 A.
The committee reviewed t!iis specification and agreed it
is well to be covered by this speo if you are doing Govern
ment work. A report from comber companies indicates that
all are cojvcred by this spec.
.
Greeting - rebruwy 11, 1965
'
1. Public ,`i'oalth Survey - Dr. Lewis J. CrnTT
Dr. Cralley reported on status of the studies and told us they uill take appro:dmately 25 years to acquire mean ingful data. Sone plants have records for the past 15 years. In the future, there will be need for medical studies, -bre information wall be available on this later.
2. -ievierw Current Publicity on The Effect of Asbestos on Public health________________________ _______
The follcr.nng articles -were revie-./ed and discussed:
1) - "Dangerous Dust" - Scientific American, December, 1964 - Volume 211.
2) - "Cancel* Experts Eye Asbestos in Alarc/Cancer Experts Dye Asbestos Perils", by Josephine Robertson. The Plain Dealer, January 12, 1965, Cleveland, Ohio.
licvieu* and discussion of these articles keeps members of the cordttee up to date on the publicity Asbestos is receiving relative to Public Health.
3* Suggestion Systems
Following are general procedures used by nenber companies.
1) - hourly employees participate.
.
2) - Separate participation for salaried employees.
3) " ianageaent committee. or -anagement and Employee Committee,
accept or reject suggestion*
4) - The values is accessed through complote investigation
of the suggestion.
5) - The reward is either a fined amount or a percent of tire
first year,s savings.
Pace 5
4* Variances - Production Control
Variances in production control systems imediately point out the reduced or increased manufacturing costs to the sianageijent* './hen a chance from standard is noted it is investigated and the cause checked* By this method a core accurate control can bo placed on costs or corrections cade when necessary and the reason noted. -
5. Portable Vacuum Cleaner
Discussed several units currently available* .Several member cocpanies are expecting to evaluate these units*
6* Hoise Abateccnt
Acvio'.rcd the possibility of compensation cases coning up for loss of hearing* This program will be kept active in tiie future as several ceenbers feel that in the futuro loss of hearing vail be compensable.
hectinn - June 3. 1965
1* Public Health Service Survey - Dr. Lends Crnllov
Dr. Cralley presented a paper prepared by Jeremiah D. Lynch on "Asbestos Stucfy - Procedures and Findings". This information was cade available to all member companies for their review* He also reported that all indications point to good dust control in Textile plants. He then distributed another paper entitled ''llelationship of Lapinger Counts to Fibre Concentration by .jenbrane Filters in Asbestos Textile Plants". Both of these papers are drafts and *.jhen they are finalized they -d.il be published.
2* Portable Vacuum Cleaners
1. Tiro twits - l) Suction Apparatus and 2) Compressed Air Unit were tried. Both units do a satisfactory cleaning of easy to reach areas but in equipment and close areas they aro not adequate. The committee has agreed to continue investigating vacuum cleaning equip aent as it comes on the market, lie toll report their findings at time of test*
3* Direct Dust Counter
Information lias been received that Bausch and Lomb are developing a new dust counter light and photo electric cell to count all dust particles in the air. Three main factors
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sake a unit such as this desirable:
1) - Eliminate the human factor in counting. 2) - Take sore readings in a shorter period of time. 3J - Cost of unit estimated at 03300.
A. Consultant Industrial Hygiene Program
A suggestion has been received to discuss and investigate the possibility of Asbestos Textile Manufacturers retaining a consultant to supervise a uniform Industrial Hygiene Pro gram and to conduct periodic surveys of plants. This suggestion has been taken under advisement and will be dis cussed in subsequent meetings.
5* Automatic Loom Cleaning
Parlcs-Cramer have developed a new unit called Waave Cleaner-Travel Vac which has much higher velocity air cooperating vacuum. All members have received information on this unit and can follow up if they are interested in purchasing same.
J
As outgoing Chairman of the Air Hygiene Committee, I wish
to express my thanks and appreciation to the cormittee and
members of other committees who have attended several of
our meetings for being so cooperative in keeping the pro
gram active and making each meeting a worthwhile and int
eresting session.
-
I also want to express t he committee *s welcome and congratulations to Mr. Walter Atkinson, who will be our new Chairman for next year.
Respectfully submitted,
L. C. Williams, Chairman Air Hygiene L 1-Ifg. Comm.
J
MINUTES:
Asbestos Textile Institute Sales Promotion Committee The Inn, Buck Hill Falls, Pennsylvania
October 7, 1S65
ATTENDING:
J.A. Brown
Rayb e s to s -1-Ianhattan, Inc.
J.A. Bettes, Jr.
Raybestos-Manhattan, Inc.
S.J. Peele, Jr.
United States Rubber Co.
W.S. Hough
Johns-Manville Corp.
E.A. Shuman
Johns-Kanville Corp.
J.T. Griffis
H.K. Porter Co.
J.L. Rainey
American Asbestos Textile Corp
J.W. Christenbury
American A.sbestos Textile Corp
P.J. Flocken
Cadwalader, Uickersham & Taft
N.L.A. Martucci, Guest, Garloci:, Inc
1. The Sales Promotion Committee attended a demonstration of Bausc 2s Lomb Dust Counting Equipment v.'ith the Air Hygiene and Manu facturing Committee.
2. Our large display is not; located at Renssilaer Polytechnic Institute at Troy, Hew York. Earlier this year, it was viewed at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto, Canada.'
3. Continued work cn revising the A.T.I. Handbook was discussed.
Additional assignments v;ere mads by Hr. E.A. Shuman, head of
our sub-committee.
>4. We were brought up to date on the present status of Coast
Guard requirements where fibreglas cloth is replacing asbestos
to some extent.
5- The continuing pressure of Japanese imports of asbestos cloth was discussed.
. Hr. S.J. Peele agreed to continue to write his market report
on e.sbestos textiles for the A.SEZSTOS magazine.
Respectfully submitted.
)
MUnJTES:
Asbestos Textile Institute '
Technical Committee Heport
Buck Hill Falls, Pennsylvania
October 7i 155
`
ATTENDING:
J.D. McCluer W.M. Beckman J.W. Hawkins D.F. Quealy Wn. Maaskanfc
H.X. Porter Co. Turner Bros. Asbestos Co. Ltd. Kaybestos-Manhattan, Inc.American Asbestos Textile Corp. American Asbestos Textile Corp.
SUBJECTS DISCUSSED;
_
1. Specification SS-C-466e;
The Official Interin Anenanent-1 to Specification SS-C-466e was distributed. Specification SS-C-466e is being revamped .
at the Bureau of Ships to include the various other asbestos textile specifications. Scheduled finished date - June 1966.
2. MIL-C-10316B?
This specification will also be part of the new SS-C-466e issue. In the meantime, attempts are being made, to have this specification amended for change in thickness.
Note; Several requests were made by the writer to get an Interim Amendment ~for the thickness only. We were informed by Mr. Abel, of Bureau of Ships, on IO-26-I965, that he had reached an agreement with the Army to Issue an Interim Amend ment. As soon as this amendment is available, the writer will forward same to each Technical Committee Member.
3- A.T.I. HANDBOOK:
The section under Asbestos Textile Products (pages 29 thru 32) was reviewed. The follov?ing recommendations for change were forwarded to Mr. J.W. Christenbury on October 19, 1965:
1. Page 30 - Grades - Footnote 1 - As referred to under this paragraph, pages 54 to 68 might be different in the new issue.
2. Elevated Temperature Serviceability - Page 30 - First sentence to be changed after 1500 F), "but also, in more recent applications, where temperatures In excess of 5000 F may be encountered", change into "also, in applications where temperatures in excess of 5000" F are encountered".
3. Page 31 - First line "400 to 800 change into "400 F to 800 F".
*
-2-
3- A.T.I. HANDBOOK: (CONTINUED)
-.
'
4. A. Chart A - Identify this chart Just above the top
.line, in center.
.
B. Include Grade AAAA - Strength retention 100# at 600 P and 800 P.
5. Page 32 - Third sentence "as an expmple recent studies show an erosion rate" change into "as an example, studies indicate an erosion rate, etc."
4. Chemical and Corrosion Tests:
'
Above tests for asbestos lagging cloth were discussed. According to the KNOLL Atomic Laboratories in Schenectady, New York, the Lehigh Laboratories at Wilmington, Delaware is authorized to perform the tests required.
May I thanlc all the Technical Committee Members for their support during my tern as Chairman of the Technical Committee.
Respectfully submitted, /
lvW. Maaskant, Chairman Technical Committee
9 %
J
MHTJTES: ASBESTOS TEXTILE INSTITUTE FIBER TESTING COMMITTEE OCTOBER J, 1955
Tie meeting vas held at the Inn, Buck tktt Falls, Pennsylvania
In attendance j
G. F. A. Brink J. V. Axelson
B. Lincoln D. E. Childers R. Dodds-Hebron J. Wronski I. Bamett J. L. Tucker
Asbestos Corporation Ltd. Johns-Hcnville Corporation Turner and Nevall, Ltd. . E. K. Porter Company, Inc. Bell Asbestos Mines Ltd. Baybestos-Manhattan, Inc. Johns-Manville Corporation Technical Consultant, A. T. I
Subjects Discussed
The first part of the meeting vas held jointly with the Air Hygiene and Manufacturing Committee for a demonstration and discussion of the Bausch and Lamb electronic dust counter. At the conclusion of the discussion the members of the Fiber Testing Committee adjourned end regrouped for a discussion of the forthcoming "Manual of Testing Procedures."
1. Mr. Tucker reported on the printing cost quotation from tvo printers on the manual that vill contain about one-third more pages than the first edition. Individual test procedures vere also quoted upon.
On the basis of a manual bound similar to the first edition the lowest quotation for 2500 copies vas $3200 and for 3000 copies $3^50. For printing about 35 >000 extra pages of the procedures to be used for the requirements of individual tests the quotation vas $375* These costs do not include packaging and shipping. The final cost per copy vill also include the recovery of expenses for our Technical Consultant and typing of the proof copies.
After the inclusion of one additional procedure submitted by QAMA and one revision, the low bidder vill again be contacted for a revised quotation. When this nev cost is kncvn Mr. Sunbury vill request each member and affiliate to review original requirements on the basis that the next revision may not occur for about four to five years and also the reduced cost per copy when the total order is increased from 2500 to 3000 copies.
2. Bauer-McITett Vet Classification procedure previously approved by QAMA vas officially approved for ATI. The revision allows the use of the nev Model 203-C Bauer-Mcllett Classifier. This will be included in the nev manual.
2
3. A nev test for rapidly determining the'apparent surface area of fiber vas developed by Tamer end Bewail and adopted by QAMA on September lU, 1965. This vill be included in the manual as an additional procedure to the Dyckerhoff method. ATI and MFPB vill vote as soon as members have had an opportunity to study the procedure vhich has been circulated.
1*. Magnetic Sating procedure vill be published in the manual as currently revised, but the concensus is that more study is required to develop the desired improvements for future revision.
5. Seme of the members convened at a special meeting later in the day vith Mr. P. 0. Nicodemus, Chairman of Sub-committee A-k of Committee D-13, AS!IM to discuss tests required for the revised ASTM publication.
Respectfully submitted.
Irvin Barnett, Chairman ATI Fiber Testing Committee
w)
TESTING OF ASBESTOS FIBERS DISCRETE AND BULK PROPERTIES
JOHNW. AXELSON
'
JOHNS-MANVTLLE RESEARCH AND ENGINEERING CENTER
HANVTT.LE, NEW JERSEY
Introduction Before beginning a discussion of the testing methods and equipment used
for asbestos, I want to briefly review a fev things about asbestos. Since chrysotile is by far the most common commercial type of asbestos, all of cy remarks -will refer specifically to it although most will also apply to the other types.
Chrysotile is a fibrous hydrated magnesium silicate which occurs in mature. Geologically, it was formed under hydrothermal conditions and occurs throughout the world including at least hs if not 50 of the states. It most commonly occurs in veins of various thicknesses in the serpentine host rock and is usually of the cross-vein type with the fibers perpendicular to the rock faces. The extraction of the fiber consists of mining the ore, crushing it, and removing and classifying the fiber. Since the thickness of the veins or the nominal fiber length will generally vary from about one inch down to submdcroscopic sizes within a single piece of ore, it is very difficult to separate the product into any discrete sizes. Consequently, all milled fiber consists of fibers over a wide length spectrum and also includes some rock or granular substance. But that is not all. The fibers are also present in the milled product in clusters or bundles varying in size from the single fiber with a diameter of about 160 to 200 Angstroms to a bundle one quarter inch in cross section containing millions of individual fibers. How are these tested7
-2-
I mist admit that some of the methods are crude, some have been developed to help predict the use of the fiber in specific products, and some are very difficult. However, ve do find these tests useful and ve ore always looking for nev and improved tests vhich vill characterize asbestos more specifically First, I vill review the more concaon tests that have been made to determine specific physical properties of asbestos.
Measurement of Discrete Properties
Tensile Strength
.
..
Tensile tests are made by the classical method of fastening a specimen
between two Jaws, one movable, and applying a tensile stress to the specimen
until it fractures. The difficult part is to obtain the specimen and to mount
it properly. The common -technique is to have someone with good eyesight extract
a bundle of fiber which is Just visible, or in other words, is less than the
diameter of a hair. Since the bundle is about 0.001 inches in diameter, it
contains up to about a million fibers. Hopefully, these are all continuous
fibers and the strength of the bundle represents the strength of the individual
fibers. The length of the fiber specimen will depend on the sample but should *
be in the range of l/2 to 1 inch.
Dext, the cross-secxion has to be measured. This is done microscopically and assumes that the bundle is of circular cross-section and a solid mass of asbestos. There are several different methods for mounting the specimen. Our technique consists of first coating the top support wire of the tensile testing unit. Figure 1, with sealing wax and touching the fiber specimen against this while the wax is still soft. After cooling, the top support wire with attached sample is suspended from the top arm and the height of-the bottom support wire is adjusted to the length of the specimen which is then attached to the bottom . -wire with a gob of molten wax. The testing machine is started to provide a tensile pull on the specimen until fracture occurs. At this time, the maximum load at breah is recorded and the tensile strength is calculated from this load and the measured cross-section. Because of the heterogeneous nature of the fiber, it is very difficult to obtain good results. Values believed to be
closer to the true tensile strength of asbestos are obtained vhen a sharp
break Is observed, as contrasted to a ragged break vhere sections are breaking
or being pulled apart. Fibers tested are in the range of 25 microns or 0.001
inches and show breaking loads in the range of 100 grams.
...
The measurement of elongation during the application of a tensile load to
a fiber vill allov the elastic modulus to be calculated. However, this elonga
tion or strain is very small and therefore very difficult to measure on these
small fibers. One method is to use a cathetometer or measuring microscope which
vill measure the change in fiber length vith load. In another method we used a
laboratory balance vith the load applied by releasing water in a container on one
arm of the balance through a calibrated orifice so a counterweight on the other
pan vill apply a load to the fiber which is fastened between the first balance
arm and the base of the balance. By extending the sving indicator on the bal- _
ance, it was possible to obtain a 7:1 advantage and measure the strain by ob
serving the movement of the swing arm. Total strains up to about 2$ were measured
for chrysotiUe asbestos as compared to l or less for the more brittle amosite and
crocidolite fibers.
Typical values for tensile strength and modulus of a number of types of asbestos are shown in Table 1.
Fiber
Chrysotile Crocidolite Amosite
-5-
TABLE I, PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF ASBESTOS
Average Tensile Strength, psi
281.000 to 436,000
469.000 to 605,000
143.000 to 203,000
Modulus of Elasticity, psi 23-2 x 106 27.1 x 106 23.6 x ID6
From "Asbestos Reinforced Plastic Pipe", R. E. Cryor, Chemical Engineering, pp 134, August 2, 1965
Density(4)* *
Since asbestos is a fibrous material vith the fibrils associated in groups
* or bundles, special precautions must be used for determining the density. Basic-,
ally, this consists of evaluation of the sample in a pycnometer. After complete
degassing,' a standard pycnometer density is determined from the knovn values
for the velght of the asbestos, the velght of the asbestos plus the fluid in
the pycnometer, the volume of the pycnometer and the density of the fluid. A
'
number of determinations for Canadian chrysotile gave values ranging from 2.53
to 2.5S gms/cc vith an average value of 2.56 gzss/cc.
'
Coefficient of Thermal Expansion.
.
This is a very difficult measurement vith asbestos since a sample conducive to linear measurements is almost impossible to obtain. The technique .used has been one in vhich the difference in density vith temperature has been measured for a sample of asbestos and the coefficient of cubical expansion calculated from It.
J
Both the pycnometer and volumenometer vere Investigated hut the pycnometer gave very erratic results that vere believed to be caused by the loss of some of the fine asbestos vlth the fluid which is lost on expansion. By careful drying of the asbestos and degassing after immersion in the fluid, reasonable ' results vere obtained with the volumenometer which uses the Archimedes principle that the decrease in velght of a sample immersed in a fluid is equal to the -weight of the displaced fluid and the volume of this fluid is equal to the volume vf the solid.
Tests vere run using an asbestos float sample with weighings at 0.7C
ana 99.2C. Measured densities vere 2.629 and 2.605 gms/ml. It can readily
be shown that the coefficient of cubical expansion is related to density by
the following equation:
B - do-dt * 2.629-2.605 0.00008 in3/in3/oc dSt (2.b05H9B.5j
or
B - 8x10-5 5x10-5 in3/in3/F. T7F"
These values coincide vlth those for an aluminum alloy. With anisotropic materials the linear coefficient of expansion is approximately l/3 of the cubical coefficient but this probably does not hold for a fibrous material like asbestos. Although measurements of this type are made on a bulk sample, the technique at least theoretically gives a value which is discrete for an asbestos fiber.
Specific Beat
X will not dwell on this subject, but only state that the specific heat for
chrysotile asbestos has been measured by standard calorimetric techniques anil a value of 0.25 Btu/lb/F has been determined. There may be small differences for different grades of asbestos from different deposits but they are probably not significant.
Refractive index
Refractive index is defined as the ratio of the velocity of light in a
medium compared to its velocity in air. One of the easier vays to measure this
property is to use liquids of known refractive indices. A small sample of
asbestos is dispersed in liquids of varying indices on a glass slide. These are
observed under a microscope. The refractive index of the chrysotile is taken
as that of the liquid in vhich the fiber is least discernible. For chrysotile
the refractive index is in the range of 1*50 to 1.55 depending' primarily on the
source of the fiber. This compares to a refractive index of about 2.5 for
titanla, 2.0 for zinc oxide, and 1.33 for vater.
'
Measurement of Bulk Properties
A number of tests have been devised to measure the bulk properties of as bestos. A group of these have been standardized and the test methods published by the combined efforts of the Quebec Asbestos Mining Association, the Asbestos Textile Institute, and "the Mineral Fiber Products Bureau (formerly the AsbestosCement Products Association). The publication is entitled "Manual of Testing Procedures for Chrysotile Asbestos Fibre" and copies can be obtained from the Q.A.M.A. Testing Laboratory, Sherbrooke University, Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada. It is hoped that the tests in this manual vill serve as the basis for testprocedures for asbestos that -will be promulgated by ASTM.
u -8-
.)
One of the most difficult parts in the testing of asbestos is to obtain a representative sample. Specific instructions are given in this manual for proper sampling of a shipment of asbestos In order to obtain a representative sample. Even if these are followed explicitly, there are difficulties) and variations within a lot are not detected. All I wish to state here is that the sample used for testing should be the best sample obtainable for the purpose and that special care should be taken to eliminate loss from any fraction of "the sample. The test results should be reviewed in the light of the sample used and extrapolated con clusions should not be node.
Dry Screening
.
The Quebec Standard Asbestos Test
*
This is a test used to classify asbestos fiber into the commercial grades
that have been established by the QAMA.. It is a dry screen test which serves
the stated purpose but leaves much to be desired in classifying the utility of
a fiber for specific uses.
.
The test utilizes a series of nested box screens. Figure 2, constructed of cast ainwrfnmn and measuring 1U-3A" 3C Zk^n x 3^" (approx.). Specific openings and wire dimensions are given for each screen to provide nominal , h mesh, w-nfl 10 mesh screens. A pan and cover complete the screen assembly with the ^-ih. screen directly under the cover and the 10 mesh screen above the pan. The screen assembly is fastened to a gyratory mechanism that rotates at 327 rpm.
A one-pound sample of asbestos is used in this test. All clots and lumps should be broken up and the moisture content should be less than 3(Canadian chiysotile under atmospheric conditions will contain 1.5 to 2$> absorbed water).
)
-9-
The fiber Is allowed to fall loosely onto the top
screen and the cover is
closed vithout compressing the fiber. The machine is started and runs for 600
revolutions "when it automatically stops. The fiber remaining on each screen is
removed, veighed and recorded in tenths of an ounce. *rh* amount on the top
screen determines the grade of the fiber.
'
Standards for a fev grades of fiber sure given in Table 2.
TABLE 2
LENGTH CLASSIFICATION OF ASBESTOS
Grade No. 1 Crude No. 2 Crude
Length or Distribution by Screen Sice Basically crude 3A" and longer Basically crude 3/8" to 3A"
U21
Quebec Screen Analysis, oz.
4 Mesh
10 Mesh
Pan
3K
7-0 7-0
1-5 0.5
3T
2.0 8.0
u.o 2.0
- 0.0
7-0
6.0 3.0
hT
0.0 2.0
10.0
k.o
5D
, 0.0 . 0.5
10.5
5-0
5R
0.0 0.0
10.0
6.0
6d
- -0.0
0.0
7-0
9-0
7D
0.0 0.0
5.0 11.0
7B
0.0 0.0
0.0 16.0
It should be pointed out that the classification in Table 2 applies only to asbestos out of Quebec. Other areas of the -world, including other provinces of Canada, use different designations and equivalency of grades has to be determined
V_' 10-
In addition to the number-letter designation, most Quebec producers use a
third number identification vhich tells how that particular grade was produced.
It denotes what part of the mill the fiber came from and what processing it
undergone. For Johns-Manville asbestos, this third number roughly signifies
the degree of openness of a fiber.
Ho-Tap Test
This is the standard test used by all industries dealing with particulate material. The testing unit is the W. S. Tyler Ro-Tap Testing Sieve Shaker, Figure 3, and consists of a series of 8-in. diameter screens which are nested together and shaken at a rate of 285 rpa while simultaneously having a tapper .strike the set 15^ times per minute. In operation, the screens are nested with a pan on the bottom and successive screens with larger openings stacked above this, and finally a cover on the top screen which has the largest opening. The mesh sizes of the screens will vary with the grade of fiber being tested but will range between a 3 mesh and a 65 mesh. The sample size is 50 grams for grades h and 5 sod 100 grams for grades 6 and below. The time also varies from 10 minutes for all grades 7D and above to 30 minutes for those below 7D
In some cases the procedure is varied by using a different-sized sample or the time or screen sizes; another innovation is to separate the fiber and
granular portion on each screen by shaking to stratify each portion and then care- * fully aspirating the fiber off and weighing the remaining granular material.
The utility of this test to characterize a fiber for its usefulness is questionable but it can be effectively used as a control test to ensure that a specific grade of fiber maintains certain size characteristics. It is particularly ' useful with the shorter grades.
Vet Screening Tests
Bauer-McNett
.
...
The Bauer-McNett Wet Classification Test is the most common wet screening test and vet screening is the most effective, practical method known, to obtain a length distribution measurement of fibrous materials of heterogeneous length. The vet technique tends to separate the particles so each one is classified by itself rather than as a component of one or more other particles which are ag glomerated together.
The Bauer-McNett unit, Figure h, consists of a number of elliptical tanks with a removable screen on one side. The tanks are mounted in a cascade so the overflow of one will flow into the next. Each tank also contains a baffle plate
*
parallel to the screen and about three quarters of an inch away and a bladed cyl- '
indrical rotor at one end which runs at 5^ rpa. The purpose.of these two modifi cations is to orient the fibers parallel to the screen surface and to minimize endwise flow of fiber through the screens. There is an outlet on the bottom of each tank which is closed with a plug, but which is also connected to a vacuum system through a special cup. This cup has a screen which supports a filter paper
nets to collect the material from each tank at the conclusion of the test.
.. In operation, all of the tanks are filled with water and a standard flow of water through the tanks is established at 3 gpm. The rotors are started'and . -the sample is placed in the uppermost tank. _ During the running of the test, it is necessary to periodically brush off the material from the screens so blocking does not occur. After running for the prescribed time, the water flow and rotors are .stopped and the plugs at the bottom of the tank are removed. The water drains out of each +j*nv through the filter paper which collects all of the fiber remaining
u
-12-
J
In "that "tank- The Interior of the tank is thoroughly vashed to remove all fiber and transfer It to the filter paper. The papers vith their fiber are dried and veigbed 'and the percentage cf fiber from each tank is calculated.
.
Most Bauer-McNett systems consist of four tanks and therefore four screens,
hut five size fractions are obtained since the material going through the last
-
screen to the drain is measured as the difference between the weight of the original
sample and the sum of the weights from the four tanks. As with dry screening, the
screen sizes, sample size and time of test vary with the grade. The screen sizes
used are generally U, lk, 35, and 200 mesh, hut a 100 mesh is sometimes added with
the h mesh removed and a 325 mesh may used as the last screen. Sample sizes are
10 grams through grade 7D and 20 grams for shorter grades, and the time of test
is 20 minutes except for the float grades which use 30 minutes.
Clark Classifier
This test also consists of flowing water through a series of screens such as in the Bauer-McNett test. The unit, as shown in Figure 5> consists of a semicylindrical tank with four rotating, circular, perforated discs or screens dividing the tank into four compartments. A 5-gram sample of fiber is placed in the first compartment with the discs rotating at h6 rpm and the water flow set at 12.5 liters per minute. After 6^ or 20 minutes depending on the grade of fiber, the water flow is stopped and the water from each compartment is drained through a filter paper in a drain cup as with the Bauer-McNett. For fiber grades above 4a, the disc openings are l/2, l/h, and l/8 inch and 30 mesh. A 100 mesh screen is used vith the l/2 inch opening disc removed for shorter grades. In some cases the fiber length for each fraction is not designated by the screen or plate opening, but rather the average length of each fraction is calculated from a microscopic measurement of 50 representative fibers. These average lengths and weights of.
each fraction are then used to calculate an average length of fiber for the sample on a dust-free (ninus 100 mesh) basis.
Surface Area
Air Permeability
'
The determination of surface area by air permeability is based on the flow
of fluids through porous beds. The rate of flov or the pressure drop across the
bed is related to the size and length of the flov channels. These in turn arc
related to the size of the particles in the bed and this particle size determines
the surface area. It should be noted that the area measured is only the external
area exposed to the flov and does not include areas that are dead air spaces. In
order for these relationships to hold, it is imperative that the porosity of the
bed be essentially constant. With granular materials, this can be done only by
screening into fractions and testing each one, but vlth compressible materials
like asbestos fibers it only requires that a standard veight be compressed to a
fixed volume.
.
All air permeability methods use the technique of flowing air through the porous bed. However, some types measure the pressure drop at a constant flov rate; others measure the volume of flov at a constant pressure; and other5 neasure the time for a known volume of flov. The Dyckerhoff unit, shovn in Figure 6, is the most -widely used in the asbestos industry and is based on this last principle.
A 50"gram sample is placed in a cylindrical container with a perforated plate on the bottom and access to the atmosphere at the top. These are shown in Figure 7. The sample is compressed until the cap can be twisted into place to give a plug of asbestos of a standard height. The cylinder containing the sample is
u -14-
J
_
then twisted onto the unit so that It Is connected to a vacuum chamber. The
machine Is completely automatic in. its operation from this point on. A hand
wheel is -turned to apply a suction which creates a vacuum chamber and displaces
fluid in a U-tube. The handwheel is then turned to the measuring position which
opens up the vacuum chamber to the cylinder containing asbestos, and air flows
from the atmosphere through the plug of asbestos and into the vacuum chamber.
This causes the fluid in the U-tube to return towards its original position. In
so doing, it contacts an electric probe which starts a clock subsequently
contacts another probe which stops the clock. The U-tube and probes are rhown
in Figure 8. The time on the clock is a measure of the time required to fill
the vacuum chamber at atmospheric pressure and has been correlated to the surface
area of the fiber. This is a straight line relationship, and the surface area
can be read off of a chart showing surface area vs time.
*
The unit is calibrated by using capillary tubes standardized for the time
required to fill the vacuum chamber with the tube substituted for the fiber.
Calibration can also be accomplished by using a standard sample of known surface
area.
.
This unit is fast, gives reproducible results, and has little dependence cm operator variability.
Gas Adsorption
""
'
The principle of this technique is the adsorption of a gas onto the surface of the material being studied. If this adsorption is in a monomolecular layer and the amount of gas adsorbed is known, the total area can be calculated by knowing the area covered by one molecule of the gas.
<J -15-
In practice the sample is placed in a high vacuum system and all adsorbed molecules are removed from the surface by the high vacuum. Heat is often ap plied ta the sample to aid this desorption. A known volume of gas is then ad mitted to the system and is caused to adsorb on the sample by lovering the sample temperature. The amount adsorbed is determined by measuring the loss in pressure in the system, and the surface area can then be calculated.
Unlike air permeability, "which measures only the area comprising the flcv channels, gas adsorption measures all of the area in vhich the gas comes in contact. This vill include internal pores unless they are blocked or are too small for the gas molecule to enter. A rough idea of the different results is shovn by asbestos vhich may shov an area of 2 sq meters by air permeability and about 20 sq. meters by gas adsorption. In the case of quartz this ratio is only
%
about 3 to 1 instead of 10 to 1, presumably because of the smoother surfaces and _ lack of internal pores.
Suter-Vebb
This is the test used to measure the length of asbestos fibers by physical
means. It is a tedious technique and the results are highly dependent on the
proficiency of the operator.
Fiber length is measured on a 200 mg sample vhich has been thoroughly combed cut in a special metal vire comb. After combing, the fibers are placed in a series of similar combs spaced l/8-inch apart and vith one end of each fiber protruding no more than l/8-inch from the set of combs. Combs are dropped from the other end of the fibers until the first fibers appear as shovn in Figure 9* These are extracted from the comb and veighed. Their length is taken as l/8-inch times the number of combs remaining plus l/l6 in. Another comb is dropped and
tie fibers extracted and weighed. This process is repeated until all the combs are dropped. The average length of the fibers can then be calculated from the sum of the veight times the length for each group divided by the total veight.
Water Elutriation Test
'"
This is a technique used to measure the amount of bundles or grit content in asbestos fiber. It is not a practical test for fiber grades above hD.
The apparatus consists of a 3-isreh diameter vertical glass tube approximately h feet tall vith vater and air inlets at the bottom and appropriate methods for measuring the rate of flow.
In operation the tube is filled half way vith vater and a slurry of 10 grams
of fiber in vater is added. Air is bubbled through the mixture to insure disper-
N
sion and then the air rate is set at 50 cc/minute. Water is turned on at 3500 cc/ minute vith the overflow going out the top and carrying vith it the finer particles
and highly opened fiber. After 9 minutes, the air is turned off and the vater flow rate is increased to 5^*00 cc/minute for another 5 minutes. Figure 10 shows a unit in operation vith the more crudy and longer fiber concentrated near the
bottom of the tube.
At the end of the test, the tube is drained into a beaker to collect the crude - -nd grit materials. These- are filtered, dried, and weighed. If desired, the crude
can be separated from the grit by pulping the fiber and decanting it off. The re maining grit is filtered out, dried, and weighed.
Air Flutrlation
.
TMs is a technique used to separate fine particles (below
) from as-
-17-
bestos. 12 unit consists of an inverted long-tapered cone with an air inlet a mechanical agitator at the bottom. Figure 11. The top is connected to a dust bag -which filters the air leaving the system.
The sample of fiber is charged into the unit through a small door in the side of the cone. The air flow and agitator are started with the flow adjusted to give a Tn-tTvfTTnun rate of 0.395 ft/sec through the largest part of the cone. Anything smaller than UO microns will be carried out to the dust bag "at this velocity and anything larger will remain in the cone. At the end of the 9-ninute test period, the air and agitator are shut off, the stopper at the bottom of the cone is removed and the material in the cone is transferred"to a Ro-Tap screen. The screen is Ro-Tapped for one minute without the hammer. The amount of fiber remaining on "the screen is classified as fiber, that in the pan is listed as granular, and the
%
dust content is obtained by the difference between the sample weight and the com bined weights of the fiber and granular.
A 5-gram sample is used for group 3 fiber and a 10-gram sample for all others. In determining granular content, a 35 mesh screen is used for all groups except group 7 which uses a 28 mesh screen. Although the sample is separated into three fractions by this test, the names of the fractions are based on particle size rather than actual shape or character. For instance, the dust fraction is any thing smaller than Uo microns and I assure you that there is a lot of fiber in that portion. Likewise, there may be large granular particles in the part called fiber and a lot of fiber in the granular fraction. However, the test is useful to the asbestos fiber industry.
Alpine Test
This test separates a fiber sample into three fractions as in the air elu-
u -18-
J
triation test tut uses a flue screen instead of air elutriation to separate the \
dust fraction* A 200 mesh screen is generally used ^ the fines are pulled through the screen "by a vacuum vhile a circulating air knife keeps bloving the fiber off the screen to Etir the fiber and prevent screen blinding. A unit is .shown in Figure 12. The plus 200 mesh fraction can be separated into fiber and granular parts by a one-minute Bo-Tap, as in the Air Elutriation test. A 10-gram sample is used and the test is run for 10 minutes.
Color
In many applications, the color of asbestos fiber is not of any great concern but there are a. few cases where it is of prime importance. One of these is in asbestos-vinyl floor tile vhere the modem pastel shades cannot tolerate a dark asbestos vithout extensive use of whitening agents.
In testing for color a dry pellet of asbestos is made by compressing a 10gram sample of fiber in a l-l/8-inch diameter cylinder with a stress of 16,000 psi on the asbestos pellet. In this condition the pellet can be easily handled.
The color is measured in a photovolt photoelectric reflection meter with green, amber, and blue filters. The unit is calibrated with a standard reflectance plaque by setting the galvanometer at the reading specified for the plaque. The fiber pellet is substituted for.the plaque and the color rating read directly off the galvanometer. A good color asbestos will range from 60 to 70 units as com pared to a value above 90 for titania.
Chemical Analysis
Standard techniques are used to make chemical analyses of asbestos, and I am not going into any detail on the specific procedures used. Suffice it to say that
u. -19-
-thc- more common tests are for cations anj vater content. The elements most com
monly tested for are magnesium, silicon. Iron, aluminum, and calcium. A more
complete _analysis would include nickel,- potassium, sodium, phosphorous, titanium,
manganese, cohalt, mercury, copper, lead, and sulfur. All of these are generally
.reported as the more common oxide. Vater can include both the absorbed water
driven off at about 220F which is usually in the range of one to two per cent,
'
and combined water which is driven off by ignition at 1800F and may include other
volatiles or oxidation. Combined water will vary from 12 to llt$ for chrysotile
but is only about 2$ for the amphiboles (blue, amosite, anthophyllite).
In addition to these determinations, it is very common to determine the total water-soluble content and the water-soluble chlorides. A 10-gram sample is soaked in 100 ml of distilled water for 2h hours at room temperature. An alicquot portion iv evaporated and the dried residue is proportional to' the content of water-soluble material. Another portion of the water filtrate is tested for chloride content. The Volhard method which precipitates the'chloride with silver nitrate is generally used because it gives the accuracy desired in the parts per million range generally encountered.' The test is carried out at a neutral pH using a potassium chromate indicator. It is accurate down to about 10 parts per million. Vater solubles will generally be in. the range of 0.10$ to 0.35$ while chlorides will vary from a trace to 0.20$ (2000 ppm).
Determinations of pH can be made by any standard method but a pH meter .util izing a standard glass and calomel electrode is a convenient technique. Special care must be taken in these measurements because a higher value will be obtained if the electrode tips are in the slurry than if they are in the supernatant liquid.
u -20-
J
"Values can -range from 9*20 In the supernatant liquid to 10.33 in the slurry on 'the same sample.
Electrical Properties ' Volume Resistivity
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This test procedure follows the requirements given in ASTM D-257. Essentially it consists in compressing about 20 grams of asbestos at 260. psi in an insulated cylinder with a cross-sectional area of one square inch. The resistance of the asbestos plug is measured after one minute at 500 volts a.c. and is reported in megohm-inches. Tests are generally run after the asbestos has been conditioned under three different atmospheres. First the sample is dried for 16 hours at 230F end tested. The same sample is then conditioned for 72 hours at 75F and 50$ relative humidity and tested. Finally, the same sample is' tested after con ditioning for 16 hours at 75F and relative humidity. Our test laboratory is maintained at the second condition and a saturated sodium tartrate solution will give the third condition. Values for resistivity will range from about 500 for the best chrysotiles under the dry condition to less than 0.005 for a poor chryso-tile at 91$ humidity.
Magnetic Eating
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This is an empirical number that relates the electromagnetic effect of an unknown sample of asbestos vs a standard sample. I will cover only the basic mechanism. Ten grams of asbestos are placed in a test lube in a coil which forms one arm of an inductance bridge. The other arm is a similar inductance rivn and the rebalance required measures the magnetic rating.
This test measures the magnetic effect of iron compounds in the sample and depends on the permeability, size, shape, and orientation of the particles as .
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veil as the quantity. The procedure is given in ASTM P-111.8. Magnetic ratings for asbestos vill range fron zero to as high as 4.6.
Conductance
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This is a test that is used to give an indirect measure of the ionic water solubles in asbestos. A 50~gram sample of asbestos is extracted overnight with 500 ml of water at room temperature and the conductivity, or rather resistance, of the filtrate is measured. Conductance is reported in terms of micromhos/ca, and asbestos vill give values in the range of 100 to 300 micromhos/cm.
Conductivities are often expressed in terms of equivalents of sodium chloride but this does not mean chlorides have to be present. Any ionizable salt would increase the conductivity and the value simply states that the same conductivity would be obtained if that quantity of sodium chloride were in'the water. Equiva lents of sodium chloride of about 0.05 to 0.1^ correspond to conductances of 100 to 300 micromhos/cm.
References
1. The Properties of Asbestos.il.The Density and Structure of Chrysotlle. F. L. Pundsack, J. of Physical Chemistry, 60, 361 (1956).
FIGURE 2. QUEBEC STANDARD TEST UNIT
FIGURE 4. BAUER McNETT TEST UNIT
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FIGURE 6. DYCKERHOFF TESTER
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FIGURE 7. .DYCKERHOFF SAMPLE CELL 1
FIGURE B. MECHANISM OF DYCKERHOFF TESTER
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FIGURE 10. WATER ELUTRIATION TESTER