CLASS EXERCISES in the INDUSTRIAL CHEMISTRY COURSE KENNETH A. KOBE University of Washington, Seattle, Washington
V.
Specificafions
"L
ET the buyer beware," was a pointed admonition until the buyer devised specifications and tests for his purchases. "Specifications are the formulated, definite and complete statements of what the buyer requires of the seller" is the definition given by Herbert Ho0ver.~0 All large organizations now employ specifications for the purchase of their commodities. Russel Forbes" describes the large savings that have resulted from the formulation of specifications by governmental agencies. This allows all bidders to know exactly what is expected of their product and usually the manner in which the tests will be made to insure that the product complies with the specifications. Great strides have been made since the War Industries Board began its work of simplification and standardization; work now being carried on by the Bureau of Standards and the Federal SpecificationsBoard. The obvious importance of this work requires that the industrial chemist know the value of this work and the sources to which he may turn either for the formulation of specifications, or to secure methods of testing the product submitted under such specifications. A short exercise given to students in the industrial chemistry course will familiarize them with the various sources of specifications. THE ASSIGNMENT
The individual student is assigned one two, or more specifications for substances requiring chemical testing. Some such materials are: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
Raw linseed oil Basic carbonate white lead Plastic magnesia cement Fire clay Safety matches Rubber stoppers 7. Orange shellac 8. Perilla ail
9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16.
Sodash Washing soda Trisodium phosphate, tech. Tnng oil Lithopone Caustic soda Gum turpentine Rubber bands
To familiarize the student with the various sources, he is assigned two specifications which req~ureresort to separate sources. Each student is also asked to list the various available bibliographies of specifications. LITERATURE SOURCES
tions are of two kinds, standard and tentative, the latter undergoing a period of trial and further test until iinally accepted as standard specifications. The standard specifications are issued triennially while tentative specificationsare issued annually. Some of the various groups have been collected and issued separately; e. g., those for petroleum products and l u b r i ~ a n t s . ~ ~ The American Standards Association is a federation of thirty-nine national bodies and serves as a clearinghouse for the standardization activities of organized industry. The U.S. Bureau of Standards has done a great deal of work in drawing up specifications used by the Government and in various industries. Its series of U. S. Government Master Specifications, Simplified Practice Recommendations, and Commercial Standards cover a wide range of commodities and industries. One complete bibliographye3and several sets of standards for individual industries have been issued.24 The Federal Specifications Board list all specifications for government purchases in the Federal Standard Stock C a t a l ~ g . Various ~~ separate departments, as Army B ~ a n c b e s and , ~ ~ Navyz1 have their own specifications. CONCLUSIONS
Since the purpose of this exercise is to familiarize the student with sources of specifications, it is advisable that the exercise be given early in the course. The student will then be capable of consulting these sources a t frequent intervals in connection with other exercises. Laboratory reports may requi;e specifications for materials prepared as development projects. Reports of analysis may require specifications and reference to the standard methods of analysis for the material. Such repetition will give the student the habit of seeking official sources for specifications and methods of testinp. Committee DQ on petroleum products and lubricants," 1932. "Xational directory oi commodity specilirations." Bureau of Standards, At-130, Guv~rnmcntPrinting Office. 1932. P'''Standard~and s~ecificnrionrin the wood u h e industries." Bureau of Standards.'M-79, Government ~rintina05ce, 192?. s' "Standards and specifications for non-metallic minerals and their products," Bureau of Standards, M-110, Government Printing Office, 1927. . "Federal standard stock catdon, section IV, federal sue& 1, 1932," Govem&nt Printing Office,
The work of the American Society for Testing Materials on the formulation of specifications and especially the methods used for the tests is a common source of information used for engineering materials. Specifica-
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