Canadian General Standards Board Research Articles

Comparative Analysis and Adhesion Testing of Hot-Applied Rubberized Asphalt Membrane Products

Abstract Hot liquid-applied rubberized-asphalt membranes (referred to in this paper as HRA membranes) have over a 40-year track record of use in roofing and waterproofing applications. In the authors' experience, this use has been generally consistent with respect to surface preparation and membrane application procedures. However, the physical and material properties of HRA membranes are not well known and not consistently reported by all manufacturers, leaving designers with limited basis for comparing products. Further, the industry has not reached a consensus on defining adequate adhesion of HRA membranes in the field, or standard field testing procedures for quantifying membrane adhesion. The testing procedures and minimum performance requirements historically used for evaluating HRA membranes are found in a Canadian General Standards Board (CGSB) standard withdrawn in January 2005. However, this archaic standard is still considered the only material standard for HRA membranes in the industry. ASTM International committees are currently developing new standards for the testing and application of HRA membranes based on CGSB Standards recognized in the industry, but consensus has not yet been reached. The laboratory testing program summarized in this paper was performed in two phases, and with five commonly used HRA membrane products. The authors designed the Phase 1 program to compare physical properties of HRA membranes to better understand membrane durability and expected performance across the different products. Phase 1 testing also included material analysis of each HRA membrane, focusing on percentages and types of fillers used with the rubberized-asphalt products. Phase 2 was primarily an adhesion testing program developed to evaluate the bond of HRA membranes to concrete with various surface profiles and preparations, but also included low-temperature flexibility membrane testing and tensile strength testing of reinforcing fabrics used in fabric-reinforced HRA membrane assemblies.

Fungicidal activity of AKWATON and in vitro assessment of its toxic effects on animal cells.

Acquired superficial fungal infections are among the most common infections. It is necessary to create new effective and non-toxic disinfectants. AKWATON is a new disinfectant of the polymeric guanidine family. Its fungicidal activity against Trichophyton mentagrophytes and its in vitro toxicity assessment were determined in this study. The MIC, minimum fungicidal concentration (MFC) and time required for its fungicidal activity at the MFC were evaluated using the official methods of analysis of the Association of Official Analytical Chemists, with modifications as recommended by the Canadian General Standards Board. The toxic effects of AKWATON and of four commercial disinfectants were evaluated on rat pancreatic (C2C12) and muscle (RnM5F) cells, using the trypan blue and MTT [3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide] methods. The MIC, MFC and time required for the fungicidal activity of AKWATON at the MFC were 0.025 % (w/v), 0.045 % (w/v) and 2.5 min, respectively. Cell cultures and the different tests carried out showed that the AKWATON-based disinfectant killed fewer cells than the commercial disinfectants, sparing 80 % of C2C12 cells and 65 % of RnM5F cells, whilst some of the well-known disinfectants currently on the market killed 85-100 % of cells. This study demonstrates that AKWATON has great potential as an odourless, colourless, non-corrosive and safe disinfectant for use in hospitals, the agriculture industry, farming and household facilities.

Two-stage thermal conversion of inedible lipid feedstocks to renewable chemicals and fuels

The aim of this work was to study the conversion of inedible, low cost lipid feedstocks to renewable hydrocarbons using a two stage thermal hydrolysis-pyrolysis method. Beef tallow, yellow grease, brown grease and cold pressed camelina oil were first hydrolyzed and the fatty acids produced were recovered and pyrolyzed in batch reactors. The pyrolysis products were identified and quantified using gas chromatography and mass spectrometry. The pyrolysis product yields were similar for all the feedstock used with the organic liquid fraction (OLF) accounting for 76-80% of the product. The OLF consisted predominantly of n-alkanes. Approximately 30% OLF constituted a gasoline-equivalent fraction and 50% a diesel fraction. Other fuel property test showed that the OLF met the specifications set out by the Canadian general standards board. This research demonstrated a novel two-stage thermal hydrolysis-pyrolysis conversion method for producing OLF from inedible and low-value lipids.

Polyhexamethylene guanidine hydrochloride-based disinfectant: a novel tool to fight meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and nosocomial infections

Polyhexamethylene guanidine hydrochloride (PHMGH), an antimicrobial biocide of the guanidine family, was tested for efficacy against quality-control strains of Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella choleraesuis, meticillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) and Escherichia coli. Bactericidal activity against S. aureus, P. aeruginosa and Salmonella choleraesuis was determined using the official methods of analysis of the Association of Official Analytical Chemists, with modifications as recommended by the Canadian General Standards Board. For MRSA and E. coli, the MIC and minimal bactericidal concentration were determined using the broth dilution technique. The experiments were carried out at 20 degrees C under a range of conditions including varying PHMGH concentration (0.001-0.1 %), contact time (0.5-10 min) and water type (distilled, tap and hard water). The phenol coefficient values determined with S. aureus, Salmonella choleraesuis and P. aeruginosa were 7.5, 6.1 and 5, respectively. No matter what type of water was used to make the dilutions, PHMGH killed MRSA and E. coli at concentrations as low as 0.04 and 0.005 % (w/v), respectively, within 1.5 min. The mode of action of PHMGH was elucidated by transmission electron microscopy: the cell envelope was broken, resulting in cell content leakage into the medium. The ultimate aim of this study was to show that PHMGH can be used as an odourless, colourless, non-corrosive and harmless disinfectant for hospital and household facilities.

Developing an integrated emergency response programme for facilities: The experience of Public Works and Government Services Canada

Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC) is the federal department responsible for housing over 190,000 Canadian federal public servants. During Y2K preparations, it became apparent that a single source or form of integrated, emergency response information at the infrastructure level did not exist. A process had to be created and developed that would serve as a single vehicle and source for building‐based emergency response. These preparations for Y2K saw the creation of the Infrastructure Continuity Unit (ICU) and a system for the creation, validation, and maintenance of Infrastructure Continuity Plans (ICPs). An ICP is an event‐management document that contains a series of procedures and protocols to be used during a building‐based incident or disruption of services. The ICU is supported nationally by a network of Regional Coordinators who oversee the gathering of information needed to create ICPs for their own parts of the country. This paper demonstrates how this system, along with the ICU’s recent certification by the Canadian General Standards Board (CGSB) to the ISO 9000 standard, have contributed to the ICU’s success. This paper takes the reader through an in‐depth exploration of the ICU’s processes, methodologies and procedures and demonstrates why, in a post‐September 11th world, the ICU has begun to attract international attention.

Developing sorbent standards for spill response: Effects of the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 and the Free Trade Agreement

For the past five years the Millsaps Sorbent Laboratory has been actively engaged in developing standards for initial and long-term oil spill remedial technologies. As a voting member of the American Society of Testing Materials (ASTM) F-20 Committee, Canadian General Standards Board, and the US Coast Guard Sorbents Task Force, the laboratory has been engaged in developing useful, pragmatic protocols for various chemical and physical sorbent and filtration technologies driven by the deadlines imposed by the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA 90). The “open border” approach to certification of technologies and products promulgated by the US/Canadian Free Trade Agreement has placed the US users and producers of such products and systems in a unique and tenuous position. Canadian standards and goals are grandfathered into the United States under this agreement and products have official US government certification based on Canadian regulations. This situation is unfavorable to the US domestic environment and economy for several specific scenarios. Included in these scenarios are: abundant warmwater zones and inland waters of the US versus Canada, the basic chemical variation between Canadian and US crude oils, the different generally accepted remediation technologies in the US versus Canadian, and the technology validation procedures prior to purchase inherent to both countries.

OIL SPILL SORBENTS: TESTING PROTOCOL AND CERTIFICATION LISTING PROGRAM

ABSTRACT Environment Canada's Emergencies Engineering Division is spearheading a program in conjunction with the Canadian General Standards Board that would see the development of a certification and listing program in addition to a national standard for the testing of sorbent materials. Funding for this program is provided by Environment Canada (EC), Canadian Coast Guard (CCG), Marine Spill Response Corporation (MSRC), U.S. Coast Guard (USCG), and U.S. Minerals Management Service (MMS). The test methods are based upon those defined by the American Society for Testing and Materials and previous test methods developed by Environment Canada for our series of reports entitled Selection Criteria and Laboratory Evaluation of Oil Spill Sorbents. This series, which was started in 1975, encompasses a number of commercially available oil spill sorbents tested with different petroleum products and hydrocarbon solvents. The testing program will categorize the sorbents according to their operating characteristics. The main categories are oil spills on water, oil spills on land, and industrial use. The characteristics we will be evaluating with the new test protocols include initial and maximum sorption capacities, water pickup, buoyancy, reuse potential, retention profile, disintegration (material integrity), and ease of application and retrieval. In the near future we plan to incorporate changes to the test that would involve increasing our list of test liquids to encompass spills in an industrial setting, in addition to testing sorbent booms and addressing the disposal problem.

The strength and testing of window glass

This paper presents some of the background to the new Canadian General Standards Board (CGSB) standard on the structural design of glass for buildings. It also describes strength testing of window glass at the Institute for Research in Construction of the National Research Council of Canada using three quite different testing machines. (i) A dynamic glass testing rig, with a large 2.35 m diameter piston, applies dynamic air pressures to large panes of glass in the vertical position. Results of 107 tests to failure show the considerable effect of loading rate on strength. (ii) A loading table applies linearly increasing pressures to panes of glass in the horizontal position. Results from 47 fifteen-year-old windows confirm assumptions about the deterioration of strength with in-service use in the new CGSB standard on the structural design of glass for buildings. (iii) A ring-on-ring tester applies linearly increasing loads to small 180 × 180 mm samples; the equivalent of coupon tests for steel or cylinder tests for concrete. The resulting uniform tensile stress fields avoid failures starting at the edges of the samples. Some results are given. Testing provides the basis for the structural design of glass cladding as it does for other structural materials. A great deal more testing of window glass is required. Key words: glass strength, window strength, testing, strength deterioration, rate effect, dynamic loading.

THE C120 MAGNUM WITH PAN TRIGGER: A HUMANE TRAP FOR MINK (MUSTELA VISON)

The C120 Magnum trap, equipped with a 66 x 69 mm pan trigger, which favored double strikes in the neck and thorax regions, successfully killed nine of nine wild mink (Mustela vison) in simulated natural conditions. Average times to loss of consciousness and heartbeat were estimated at less than 72 (+/- 24) sec and 158 (+/- 48) sec, respectively, after firing of the trap. This study confirmed that the C120 Magnum trap can be expected to render greater than 79% of all captured mink unconscious in less than or equal to 3 min (P less than 0.05). This is the first mink kill trap to meet the requisites of the Canadian General Standards Board regarding killing traps.

A practical evaluation of published cetane indices

Six published cetane indices were comparatively evaluated using a per cent predictability method, which was both rigorous and practical. The conventional linear regression analysis method was also employed. The indices evaluated included ASTM D976-80, ASTM D4737-87 (the proposed replacement of ASTM D976-80), the National Research Council of Canada (NRCC) cetane index, the Canadian General Standards Board cetane index (CGSB), the Calculated Carbon Aromaticity Index (CCAI), and the Ethyl equation. The fuel set, which was obtained from a worldwide survey, comprised 63 fuels and included only those fuels that met the application range specified by ASTM D4737-87 (the index which was most restrictive towards fuel properties). Cetane numbers of the fuels ranged from ≈ 45 to 57, with one fuel having a cetane number of 37. For the fuel set examined, based on the criteria imposed for determining predictability, the following were observed: ASTM D4737-87 exhibited a tendency to overpredict and did not appear to be an improvement over ASTM D976-80; both the NRCC and the CGSB cetane indices exhibited a tendency to underpredict; and a modified CCAI equation appeared promising as a predictor of cetane number.

Mechanical Evaluation and Performance Improvement of the Rotating Jaw Conibear 120 Trap

Abstract The momentum and clamping force values of a standard Conibear 120 rotating jaw animal trap and various modifications were determined using accelerometers and a load cell. These values were then compared against each other and against previous biological studies to determine which have the potential to quickly kill select species of animals. It was found that by increasing the strength of the springs, and by adding clamping bars to the traps, it was possible to significantly increase both the momentum and clamping force of the standard Conibear 120 trap. The Conibear 120 does not meet the requisites of the Canadian General Standards Board. More work should be done on traps, such as the C120 Mark IV, which do meet these requirements.

Calibration basis for structural glass design

A design standard for structural glass in the limit state design format is currently being developed under the auspices of the Canadian General Standards Board. The standard will be calibrated to a target level of reliability expressed in terms of a reliability index. The selection of this reliability level presents some special problems because the loading is dynamic, the structural response is geometrically nonlinear, and the strength is highly dependent on time, size, and loading history. Selection of safety level so as to achieve a social and economic optimum is described. The optimum reliability index is 3.0, corresponding to a lifetime failure probability of 0.0014, when the social and economic cost of failure is between 15 and 70 times the initial cost. Optimal ranges of applicability over cost for a pair of importance factors (0.8 and 1.25) are also determined. Key words: glass, design, standard, code, calibration, reliability, optimization, importance factor.