International Standardization

Abstract

Abstract An attempt has been made in this paper to give a picture of work undertaken with the object of reaching world-wide agreement on methods of rubber testing and of establishing internationally accepted standards for some of the more important rubber products. In discussing the question of the value of standardization, it is pointed out that the rubber industry is international in character, both in regard to the supply of raw materials and exporting of the finished product. Mutual understanding between supplier and consumer on the technical standards required, together with the free exchange of information on an international basis, cannot therefore fail to be advantageous to all sections of the industry and to remove possible sources of misunderstanding between buyer and seller. The background of the creation and structure of the International Organization for Standardization is outlined, and the work of the British Standards Institution, resulting from its acceptance of the position of Organizing Secretariat, is described in some detail. An account is then given of the formulation of a program of work based on conclusions reached at conferences held at London in 1948, at the Hague in 1949, at Akron in 1950, and at Oxford in 1951. It was realized that the drawing-up of product specifications would be dependent on first developing suitable test methods, and it was found possible at the time of the Oxford Conference to put forward the draft proposals for the following tests : (1) tension testing, (2) tear strength testing, (3) ply adhesion testing, and (4) du Pont abrasion testing. The distinction between Draft Proposals, Draft Recommendations, and Standards is emphasized and the procedure that has to be adopted before a Draft Proposal can be accepted as a Standard is described. Some of the work already done is then treated in more detail, with special reference to tension testing, abrasion, and aging tests, and brief summaries are given of the stages reached on the agreement of technical terms, the classification of rubbers, dynamic testing and the properties of latex. In viewing the work as a whole, certain general conclusions can be drawn. Remarkable divergences have emerged in the approach made by different countries to any specified problem, and the lack of recognition of seemingly minor points has been shown to lead to widely varying test results. These facts underline the advantages of establishing machinery for the coordination of test procedures. Methods of evaluating rubber properties by laboratory tests are thus brought under the scrutiny of an international body of experts, and this in itself helps to make the tests more reliable to use, apart from the advantages that will accure from their being universally recognized. Five of the thirty-eight items comprising the program of work have already reached a stage where they can be put forward as I.S.O. Recommendations, and, of the fifteen subjects scheduled for active consideration by the end of 1951, work has already started on twelve. In view of the magnitude of the task involved in dealing with such an extensive program, the fact that so much progress has been achieved after only four meetings of the I.S.O. Committee is a striking tribute to the hard work undertaken and the cooperative spirit manifested by all the workers of the countries concerned.