Standardization News

Members of the ASTM International committees on cement (C01), concrete and concrete aggregates (C09), and soil and rock (D18) toured the research and testing laboratories of the U.S. Department of the  Interior’s Bureau of Reclamation during June committee week in Denver, Colorado.

ASTM International Committees Tour Denver Bureau of Reclamation Facility

The tour included a look at concrete, geotechnical, and structural laboratory services; materials and corrosion laboratory services; and hydraulic investigations and laboratory services. ASTM International member Jack Touseull, a geological engineer with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, coordinated the tour.

Established in 1902, the Bureau of Reclamation is known for the dams, powerplants, and canals it constructed in 17 western U.S. states. These water projects led to homesteading and promoted the economic development of the western United States. The bureau has built more than 600 dams and reservoirs, including Hoover Dam on the Colorado River and the Grand Coulee Dam on the Columbia River.

ASTM International Joins Gulf Downstream Association

ASTM International has joined the Gulf Downstream Association (GDA) as a Knowledge Partner member. GDA is a nonprofit organization that brings leading downstream players together to further grow the industry and provide a platform for sharing knowledge, experience, and best practices.

 “ASTM International is pleased to be a member of such an important association in the Gulf,” said Nick Ecart, senior director of business development for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. “This builds on the fact that ASTM International has several memorandums of understanding with Gulf standardization bodies as well as hundreds of members and customers throughout the region, including all GDA founding companies. As a Knowledge Partner member, we look forward to working with GDA to fulfill mutual objectives.”

GDA was established in 2016 by these founding companies: Saudi Aramco, Kuwait Petroleum International, Bahrain Petroleum Company, Kuwait National Petroleum Company, and Abu Dhabi National Oil Company.

Staff Participates in Standards Alliance Meeting in Mozambique

ASTM International participated in a roundtable on National Quality Infrastructure (NQI) to Support Trade and Investment on June 20 in Maputo, Mozambique. The event was organized by the Standards Alliance in connection with the Corporate Council on Africa’s U.S.-Africa Business Summit. The purpose of the event was to foster a more resilient and sustainable partnership among U.S. and African countries.

Anthony Quinn, ASTM International’s director for public policy and international trade, presented on NQI and good regulatory practices. He joined a panel discussion with representatives from Mozambique, South Africa, Senegal, the African Regional Organization for Standardization, and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. More than 40 participants attended.

The Standards Alliance program supports developing countries and is aligned with the World Trade Organization’s Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade. 

From left: Arseniy Korniliev, process manager, ASTM; James Olshefsky, ASTM director of external relations; Khairat Karibzhanov, KAZINST director general; Yerkezhan Amirkhanova, KASINST deputy director general; Louis Fredricks, ASTM consultant on International trade; and Michael Cofield, attorney adviser, CLDP.

ASTM International Takes Part in Commercial Law Development Program in Central Asia

ASTM International staff members James Olshefsky and Arseniy Korniliev, as well as Louis Fredricks, an ASTM International consultant on international trade, participated in the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Commercial Law Development Program on July 18 and 19 in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, and Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan.

During the event, Olshefsky, ASTM’s director of external relations, presented an introduction to ASTM and its role as an international standards development organization. Olshefsky also spoke on key considerations for developing technicalregulations and available ASTM International standards for evaluation of ores, petroleum, natural gas, and textiles.

Fredricks spoke on the basics of good regulatory practices to support implementation of the World Trade Organization Technical Barriers to Trade agreement, as well as the U.S. process for preparing, adopting, and implementing technical regulations. Fredricks also presented examples and best practices for regulatory cooperation.

Korniliev, process manager, ASTM International, spoke on ASTM’s platform and training resources for industries, including petroleum, natural gas, and textiles.

The trip included visits to both the Kazakhstan Institute for Standardization and Certification (KAZINST) and the Uzstandart Agency for Standardization. ASTM and KAZINST have been memorandum of understanding partners since 2008, and ASTM signed an MOU with Uzstandart in April 2019.

Olfshefsky also spoke on key considerations for developing technical regulations and available ASTM International standards for evaluation of ores, petroleum, natural gas, and textiles.

Additive Manufacturing Center of Excellence Announces First Anniversary Accomplishments, Makes Key Hires

ASTM International’s Additive Manufacturing Center of Excellence unveiled its first annual report on July 15, announcing more than $7 million in total in-kind, government, and other support since its July 2018 launch. ASTM will also make four new hires to support its growing leadership in additive manufacturing standardization and related areas.

Roughly $5 million in funding came through government-affiliated organizations and agencies such as America Makes (U.S.), the National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Cluster (Singapore), and Innovate UK. About $2 million of mostly in-kind support came from Center of Excellence partners Auburn University, NASA, EWI, the UK-based Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC), NAMIC, the National Institute for Aviation Research (NIAR), and ASTM International.

“Through this fast-growing center, we have funded several research projects to support standardization, we have been awarded several government-led projects, we have established industry consortia in two regions, we have launched workforce training efforts, and much more,” said Mohsen Seifi, Ph.D.,

ASTM International’s director of global additive manufacturing programs. “It’s exciting to see how far we have come — and to envision how far we can go — in addressing the critical need for technical standards development that supports advancements in additive manufacturing technology.”

To support the center and related additive manufacturing efforts, ASTM International is hiring additional staff in the United States and in Singapore. For example, the organization hired Mahdi Jamshidinia, Ph.D., to serve as additive manufacturing R&D project manager. Jamshidinia has over a decade of experience in additive manufacturing and materials processing, with expertise in laser powder bed fusion, electron beam powder bed fusion, alloy design, and more. Previously he worked for GE Additive and EWI.

These announcements were made inWichita, Kansas, at the Center of Excellence’s advisory board meeting, which preceded a technical review and exchange event focused on qualification and certification, co-hosted by America Makes and NIAR at Wichita State.